The Most Common Reasons a Permit Application Gets Sent Back

Incomplete drawing sets are the single most common reason an application bounces back — a missing elevation, a structural detail that's referenced but not shown, or dimensions that don't add up between two drawings. Site plans that don't clearly show setbacks from property lines are a close second, especially on infill lots where the margins are tight.

Beyond drawing quality, a mismatch between what's proposed and the zoning for the property — the wrong permitted use, a height that exceeds the bylaw — will stop an application before the building code review even starts. A quick pre-submission check against the municipality's own checklist catches most of this before it costs a review cycle.