---
title: "Design-Build in Durham Region: One Team, Seven Towns"
url: "https://www.jarviscontracting.ca/design-build/durham-region"
description: "Design-build across Durham Region, Ontario: the zoning by-laws, conservation authorities, permit portals and heritage districts that change town by town."
publisher: "Jarvis Contracting"
dateModified: "2026-11-02"
---
# Design-build in Durham Region

**Can one design-build team handle a renovation in any Durham Region town?**

Yes, if it works to each town's rules rather than the Region's: since 1 January 2025 Durham Region has had no planning role, so zoning, variances and permits sit with each municipality. As of October 2026 the seven Durham towns we take design-build work in run at least 10 zoning by-laws and sit under five conservation authorities. Jarvis Contracting designs through Juliette Interiors and builds with James Jarvis's crew. (Checked 2026-10-05.)

## Key takeaways

- Durham Region became an "upper-tier municipality without planning responsibilities" on 1 January 2025, so each town handles its own zoning and permits ([Town of Ajax zoning page](https://ajax.ca/build-invest/for-developers-builders/zoning-land-use/)).
- Whitby alone runs three zoning by-laws, 2585, 1784 and 5581-05, depending on whether a lot is downtown, on the Oak Ridges Moraine or elsewhere ([Town of Whitby zoning page](https://www.whitby.ca/business-and-economy/planning-and-development/zoning/)).
- Pickering replaced six parent zoning by-laws with one city-wide By-law 8149/24 in December 2024 ([Pickering's consolidated by-law](https://corporate.pickering.ca/WebLink/DocView.aspx?id=258309&dbid=1&repo=PICKERING)).
- CLOCA issued 229 permits in 2025, 228 of them minor, with an average review of 6.1 days ([CLOCA 2025 permit statistics](https://www.cloca.com/_files/ugd/b3995f_39e00c93c1474cd4b56145440a573905.pdf)).
- Durham's five conservation authorities shrink to three regional bodies on 1 February 2027, with CLOCA and TRCA combined into one ([Conservation Authorities Act](https://www.ontario.ca/laws/statute/90c27)).

## Permits for this work in Durham Region

| Item | What applies | Source | Checked |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ajax: where to apply | Online Application Portal (OAP), eapply.ajax.ca | [ajax.ca](https://ajax.ca/life-in-ajax/town-services/construction-permits-inspections/) | 2026-10-05 |
| Clarington: where to apply | Service Clarington portal (service.clarington.net) | [www.clarington.net](https://www.clarington.net/homes-and-property/building-or-renovating/building-and-demolition-permits/) | 2026-10-05 |
| Oshawa: where to apply | Oshawa Application Portal (servicecv.oshawa.ca) | [www.oshawa.ca](https://www.oshawa.ca/living-here/building-and-renovating/building-permits/) | 2026-10-05 |
| Pickering: where to apply | Online Application Portal (mycity.pickering.ca) | [www.pickering.ca](https://www.pickering.ca/business-building-development/building-and-renovating/building-permits/) | 2026-10-05 |
| Scugog: where to apply | Cloudpermit | [www.scugog.ca](https://www.scugog.ca/building-development/building-and-renovating/building-permits/) | 2026-10-05 |
| Uxbridge: where to apply | Cloudpermit (ca.cloudpermit.com/uxbridge) | [www.uxbridge.ca](https://www.uxbridge.ca/doing-business/building-and-construction) | 2026-10-05 |
| Whitby: where to apply | Whitby E-Portal (portal.whitby.ca) | [www.whitby.ca](https://www.whitby.ca/services-and-payments/building-and-renovating/building-permits/) | 2026-10-05 |
| Ajax: conservation authority (1) | Toronto and Region Conservation Authority (TRCA) | [ajax.ca](https://ajax.ca/build-invest/for-developers-builders/committee-of-adjustment/) | 2026-10-05 |
| Ajax: conservation authority (2) | Central Lake Ontario Conservation Authority (CLOCA) | [www.cloca.com](https://www.cloca.com/regulation-area-mapping) | 2026-10-05 |
| Clarington: conservation authority (1) | Central Lake Ontario Conservation Authority (CLOCA) | [www.cloca.com](https://www.cloca.com/about-us) | 2026-10-05 |
| Clarington: conservation authority (2) | Ganaraska Region Conservation Authority (GRCA) | [www.grca.on.ca](https://www.grca.on.ca/) | 2026-10-05 |
| Clarington: conservation authority (3) | Kawartha Conservation | [www.kawarthaconservation.com](https://www.kawarthaconservation.com/about-us/) | 2026-10-05 |
| Oshawa: conservation authority | Central Lake Ontario Conservation Authority (CLOCA) | [www.oshawa.ca](https://www.oshawa.ca/living-here/building-and-renovating/building-permits/) | 2026-10-05 |
| Pickering: conservation authority (1) | Toronto and Region Conservation Authority (TRCA) | [www.pickering.ca](https://www.pickering.ca/business-building-development/building-and-renovating/building-permits/) | 2026-10-05 |
| Pickering: conservation authority (2) | Central Lake Ontario Conservation Authority (CLOCA) | [www.pickering.ca](https://www.pickering.ca/business-building-development/building-and-renovating/building-permits/) | 2026-10-05 |
| Scugog: conservation authority (1) | Kawartha Conservation (most of Scugog) | [www.scugog.ca](https://www.scugog.ca/building-development/additional-dwelling-units/) | 2026-10-05 |
| Scugog: conservation authority (2) | Lake Simcoe Region Conservation Authority (LSRCA) | [www.lsrca.on.ca](https://www.lsrca.on.ca/index.php/about-us/governance/) | 2026-10-05 |
| Scugog: conservation authority (3) | Central Lake Ontario Conservation Authority (CLOCA) | [www.cloca.com](https://www.cloca.com/about-us) | 2026-10-05 |
| Uxbridge: conservation authority (1) | Lake Simcoe Region Conservation Authority (LSRCA) | [www.lsrca.on.ca](https://www.lsrca.on.ca/index.php/about-us/governance/) | 2026-10-05 |
| Uxbridge: conservation authority (2) | Toronto and Region Conservation Authority (TRCA) | [trca.ca](https://trca.ca/about/) | 2026-10-05 |
| Uxbridge: conservation authority (3) | Central Lake Ontario Conservation Authority (CLOCA) | [www.cloca.com](https://www.cloca.com/about-us) | 2026-10-05 |
| Whitby: conservation authority | Central Lake Ontario Conservation Authority (CLOCA) | [www.whitby.ca](https://www.whitby.ca/services-and-payments/building-and-renovating/building-permits/) | 2026-10-05 |
| Durham Region development charges, regional (as of 2026-07-01) | $76,227 | [media-003-ca.cdn.govstack.com](https://media-003-ca.cdn.govstack.com/durham-ca/media/vybhyyp2/durham-region-wide-development-charge-information-jul-1-2026.pdf) | 2026-10-05 |
| Durham Region development charges, education (as of 2026-07-01) | $7,535 | [media-002-ca.cdn.govstack.com](https://media-002-ca.cdn.govstack.com/pickeringca-009-ca/media/wl4en3hp/developmentcharges_citywide_2026-2027final.pdf) | 2026-10-05 |

Fees and rules as published by each municipality in Durham Region and the agencies linked, checked 6 October 2026. Confirm with the building department before you apply.

## The nearest finished jobs

- [Orra: two load-bearing walls out of a childhood home](https://www.jarviscontracting.ca/projects/orra): Ajax, 0 km away, 2025. Two load-bearing walls out, kitchen and living room swapped, gas fireplace with built-ins, new floors, doors and trim, popcorn ceilings removed.
- [West Lynde: a Whitby bungalow made two storeys in 4.5 months](https://www.jarviscontracting.ca/projects/west-lynde): Whitby, 0 km away, 2023. New second storey of about 800 sq ft with two bedrooms, a walk-in closet and a bathroom; new kitchen, two new bathrooms, floors, stairs and trim below.
- [Bellamy: opening up a brick bungalow without an addition](https://www.jarviscontracting.ca/projects/bellamy): Scarborough, Toronto, 16 km away, 2025. Whole main floor: load-bearing walls out, steel beams in, new kitchen, mudroom, office, fireplace, floors, trim and doors.

## What it costs

No single range for this work. James prices every job after a site visit.

What moves the number:
- The scope you choose
- The finishes you pick with the designer
- Structural work
- 13% HST on top

## Why does a Durham Region renovation need drawings for one town's rules?

There's no single Durham rulebook to design to. A plan drawn for a lot in Pickering can't go to Whitby's examiners with the town name changed, because the by-law, the conservation authority and the heritage rules all differ. As of October 2026, this is what a design has to fit in each town we take design-build work in:

| Town | Zoning by-law(s) in force | Conservation authority | Apply through | Heritage conservation district |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Whitby | 2585, 1784, 5581-05 | CLOCA | portal.whitby.ca | Werden's Plan, Brooklin |
| Oshawa | 60-94 | CLOCA | servicecv.oshawa.ca | South Field (park and airport lands) |
| Ajax | 95-2003 | TRCA (86% of residents), CLOCA in the east | eapply.ajax.ca | Pickering Village |
| Pickering | 8149/24, city-wide since December 2024 | TRCA (95% of residents), CLOCA in the northeast | mycity.pickering.ca | Whitevale |
| Clarington | 84-63, and 2005-109 on the Oak Ridges Moraine | CLOCA, Ganaraska in the east, Kawartha in the north | service.clarington.net | Beech Avenue, Bowmanville |
| Uxbridge | 81-19 | Lake Simcoe Region, TRCA, CLOCA | Cloudpermit | None found |
| Scugog | 14-14, with ADU by-law 12-25 | Kawartha for most, Lake Simcoe Region, CLOCA | Cloudpermit | Downtown Port Perry |

Note: by-laws, authorities and districts as each municipality and authority names them; Brock is left out because we take only additions, basements and whole-home work there, and a lot's own zone can carry exceptions this table doesn't show.

Some of these rulebooks are moving. [Clarington's zoning page](https://www.clarington.net/planning-and-development/official-plan-and-zoning/current-zoning-by-laws/) warns its by-law texts and schedules are out of date, so we confirm a Clarington lot's zone on the municipality's map before drawing. Pickering still applies its old by-laws in the Brock Mixed Node and Kingston Road Corridor. Rural lots add one more office: the Durham Region Health Department issues septic permits for townships such as [Uxbridge](https://www.uxbridge.ca/doing-business/building-and-construction/septic-systems).

## How does Jarvis run design and construction as one team?

Ceara Jarvis designs through Juliette Interiors, her own studio. James Jarvis runs construction. The same people take a job from measured drawings to permit to finished rooms, so when the site turns up something the drawings didn't show, the fix goes back to the designer who drew them.

[Greenwood](https://www.jarviscontracting.ca/projects/greenwood) in Toronto shows how that plays out. Over 10 months of permit, interior design and construction, the owners decided mid-job to remove a basement brick wall. That meant fresh engineering and an amended permit. We lost time on it, but the people who drew the change were the people building it. Our finished jobs in Durham Region are [West Lynde](https://www.jarviscontracting.ca/projects/west-lynde) in Whitby and [Orra](https://www.jarviscontracting.ca/projects/orra) in Ajax; the rest are in Toronto and Scarborough.

## How the job runs in Durham Region

1. **Meet James.** James meets you at the house, hears what you want and gives you a rough estimate on the spot. The first estimate is free.
2. **Proposal and contract.** If the estimate works for you, James prepares a detailed proposal. The whole project is priced, and the contract signed with a 10% deposit, before any design work begins.
3. **Design onboarding.** Our designer sends you an onboarding email with some homework: your style, how your family uses the house, and what you need and want. You share Pinterest boards, then go through them together on a Zoom call: what you like in the pictures, and what you don't.
4. **Measure and floor plans.** The designer measures the house and draws the floor plan: which walls come out, where the stairs land, how new space joins the old. We go through it with you until it's confirmed.
5. **Drawings and 3D rendering.** With the plan confirmed, she draws the elevations and the millwork, then puts it all into a 3D rendering, so you see the rooms before anyone orders a cabinet.
6. **Finishes presentation.** We don't take you round the stores: there are too many options. Using what she learned in onboarding, the designer narrows the tile, flooring, quartz, plumbing fixtures and the rest to a few choices that suit your style, collects the samples and presents them to you in our office. If a selection changes the price, the change goes through a change order you sign.
7. **Permits and engineering.** We prepare the permit drawings, bring in the structural engineer wherever a beam or a load changes, and apply to the municipality. If the plan changes after the permit is issued, we file the amendment. Each municipality in Durham Region takes its own applications; the table above names where.
8. **Construction.** Our crew and trades build it, with one point of contact from demolition to the last coat of paint. Our site supervisors write a job log every day, which you can follow in our online app. When we open a wall and find a problem, you hear about it, and what it costs, before we fix it.
9. **Inspections.** The municipal building inspector checks the work at each stage the permit sets, before it gets covered up. Inspections are booked with the local building department.
10. **Handover.** We walk the finished house with you and put right anything that isn't. On one job a stair stain didn't match the new floor, so we refinished the stairs.

## Credentials

- Written warranty: 1 year workmanship and materials, 2 years plumbing, heating, electrical and building envelope, 7 years structural
- BBB Accredited Business: Accredited by the Better Business Bureau since November 2025 (https://www.bbb.org/ca/on/ajax/profile/general-contractor/jarvis-contracting-inc-0107-1416595)
- Durham Region Home Builders' Association: Member, Renovators (https://www.drhba.com/Sys/PublicProfile/99587295/5125036)
- RenoMark: RenoMark renovator, through the DRHBA (https://renomark.ca/find-a-renovator/)

## Questions

### Does Durham Region approve building permits or zoning?

No. Since 1 January 2025 Durham Region has been an upper-tier municipality without planning responsibilities, according to the Town of Ajax. Zoning, minor variances and building permits belong to each town's building department and Committee of Adjustment. The Region still sets its own development charges, which the towns collect, and its Health Department handles private septic systems.

### Which conservation authorities cover Durham Region, and what changes in 2027?

Five authorities regulate land in the Durham towns we work in: CLOCA in the middle, TRCA in the west, Ganaraska in east Clarington, Kawartha in Scugog and north Clarington, and Lake Simcoe Region in Uxbridge and Scugog. From 1 February 2027, Bill 97 folds CLOCA and TRCA together as the Central Lake Ontario Regional Conservation Authority, puts Ganaraska and Kawartha into the Eastern Lake Ontario regional body, and moves Lake Simcoe Region into the Lake Huron one. Pending permit applications carry over to the new body.

### Who does the design work at Jarvis Contracting?

Ceara Jarvis leads design through her studio, Juliette Interiors. Her husband James Jarvis runs construction. Permit drawings, interior design and the build sit with one team, so changes made on site go back through the people who drew the plans.

### Has Jarvis Contracting finished a project in Durham Region?

Yes, two so far. West Lynde in Whitby took a bungalow to two storeys and redid the kitchen and bathrooms below, and Orra in Ajax took out two load-bearing walls to swap the kitchen and living room. Our other finished case studies are in Toronto and Scarborough.

### Do heritage districts in Durham Region charge for a heritage permit?

Two towns say outright that they don't. Whitby states there is currently no fee for a heritage permit, which covers its Werden's Plan and Brooklin districts, and Clarington says the same for work on its designated properties, including the Beech Avenue district. Under the Ontario Heritage Act, exterior changes and new structures in any heritage district need a heritage permit.

## Sources

1. [Town of Ajax, zoning and land use](https://ajax.ca/build-invest/for-developers-builders/zoning-land-use/)
2. [Town of Whitby, zoning](https://www.whitby.ca/business-and-economy/planning-and-development/zoning/)
3. [City of Pickering, Zoning By-law 8149/24](https://corporate.pickering.ca/WebLink/DocView.aspx?id=258309&dbid=1&repo=PICKERING)
4. [Municipality of Clarington, current zoning by-laws](https://www.clarington.net/planning-and-development/official-plan-and-zoning/current-zoning-by-laws/)
5. [CLOCA, 2025 permit statistics](https://www.cloca.com/_files/ugd/b3995f_39e00c93c1474cd4b56145440a573905.pdf)
6. [TRCA, about](https://trca.ca/about/)
7. [Conservation Authorities Act (Bill 97 amendments)](https://www.ontario.ca/laws/statute/90c27)
8. [Township of Uxbridge, septic systems](https://www.uxbridge.ca/doing-business/building-and-construction/septic-systems)
9. [Township of Scugog, Downtown Port Perry Heritage Conservation District](https://www.scugog.ca/building-development/heritage/heritage-conservation-district/)
10. [Town of Ajax: Construction permits inspections](https://ajax.ca/life-in-ajax/town-services/construction-permits-inspections/)
11. [Municipality of Clarington: Building and demolition permits](https://www.clarington.net/homes-and-property/building-or-renovating/building-and-demolition-permits/)
12. [City of Oshawa: Building permits](https://www.oshawa.ca/living-here/building-and-renovating/building-permits/)
13. [City of Pickering: Building permits](https://www.pickering.ca/business-building-development/building-and-renovating/building-permits/)
14. [Township of Scugog: Building permits](https://www.scugog.ca/building-development/building-and-renovating/building-permits/)
15. [Township of Uxbridge: Building and construction](https://www.uxbridge.ca/doing-business/building-and-construction)
16. [Town of Whitby: Building permits](https://www.whitby.ca/services-and-payments/building-and-renovating/building-permits/)
17. [Town of Ajax: Committee of adjustment](https://ajax.ca/build-invest/for-developers-builders/committee-of-adjustment/)
18. [CLOCA: Regulation area mapping](https://www.cloca.com/regulation-area-mapping)
19. [CLOCA: About us](https://www.cloca.com/about-us)
20. [grca.on.ca](https://www.grca.on.ca/)
21. [Kawartha Conservation: About us](https://www.kawarthaconservation.com/about-us/)
22. [Township of Scugog: Additional dwelling units](https://www.scugog.ca/building-development/additional-dwelling-units/)
23. [LSRCA: Governance](https://www.lsrca.on.ca/index.php/about-us/governance/)
24. [Durham Region: Durham region wide development charge information jul 1 2026](https://media-003-ca.cdn.govstack.com/durham-ca/media/vybhyyp2/durham-region-wide-development-charge-information-jul-1-2026.pdf)
25. [City of Pickering: Developmentcharges citywide 2026](https://media-002-ca.cdn.govstack.com/pickeringca-009-ca/media/wl4en3hp/developmentcharges_citywide_2026-2027final.pdf)

## How this page was made

Written by Jarvis Contracting. Municipal facts checked 2026-10-06. Fact-checked by Space & Story on 2026-10-05.

## Keep reading

- [Design-build: all areas](https://www.jarviscontracting.ca/design-build)
- [Building in Ajax](https://www.jarviscontracting.ca/areas/ajax)
- [Building in Clarington](https://www.jarviscontracting.ca/areas/clarington)
- [Building in Oshawa](https://www.jarviscontracting.ca/areas/oshawa)
- [Building in Pickering](https://www.jarviscontracting.ca/areas/pickering)
- [Building in Scugog](https://www.jarviscontracting.ca/areas/scugog)
- [Building in Uxbridge](https://www.jarviscontracting.ca/areas/uxbridge)
- [Building in Whitby](https://www.jarviscontracting.ca/areas/whitby)
- [Home additions in Durham Region](https://www.jarviscontracting.ca/home-additions/durham-region)
- [Second-storey additions in Durham Region](https://www.jarviscontracting.ca/second-storey-additions/durham-region)
- [Design-build or architect plus contractor in Ontario?](https://www.jarviscontracting.ca/guides/design-build-vs-general-contractor)
- [Fixed price vs cost-plus contracts for Ontario renovations](https://www.jarviscontracting.ca/guides/fixed-price-vs-cost-plus)
- [Questions to ask a contractor in Ontario before you sign](https://www.jarviscontracting.ca/guides/questions-to-ask-a-contractor)