---
title: "Second-storey additions in Ajax: height and fees"
url: "https://www.jarviscontracting.ca/second-storey-additions/ajax"
description: "Second storeys in Ajax: the 11.0 m height rule and how Ajax measures it, how many homes predate 1981, heritage permits and the permit fee unit, Oct 2026."
publisher: "Jarvis Contracting"
dateModified: "2026-11-02"
---
# Second-storey additions in Ajax

**Is my Ajax bungalow allowed to go up a full storey under the town's height limit?**

Usually, yes. Every R1 and R2 zone in Ajax's Zoning By-law 95-2003 permits 11.0 m as of October 2026, measured from the street's grade to halfway up a pitched roof, which leaves room for a second floor on a bungalow. The harder questions are whether the footings and walls can carry it, which a structural engineer answers, and the Town of Ajax building permit. (Checked 2026-10-05.)

## Key takeaways

- Ajax allows a maximum height of 11.0 m in the R1-A to R1-F, R2 and R3 zones ([By-law 95-2003, residential zone standards](https://ajax.ca/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/6-Section-6-Zone-Provisions_2026-March-Consolidation-Final.pdf)).
- Ajax measures a pitched roof's height to the mean between eaves and ridge, starting from the average grade of the street in front ([By-law 95-2003, Section 3](https://ajax.ca/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/3-Section-3-Definitions_2026-March-Consolidation-Final.pdf)).
- About 9,100 of Ajax's 39,490 occupied homes, roughly 23%, were built before 1981 ([Statistics Canada, 2021 Census](https://www12.statcan.gc.ca/census-recensement/2021/dp-pd/prof/details/page.cfm?Lang=E&DGUIDlist=2021A00053518005)).
- Ajax prices new floor area for houses and additions at $14.22 times the floor area, and its 2026 schedule doesn't print the unit ([Building By-law 48-2023, Schedule A](https://ajax.ca/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/Building-By-law-48-2023-Sch_A-Jan-01-2026.pdf)).
- In Ajax's Pickering Village Heritage Conservation District (58 properties, designated 2013), a new storey needs a heritage permit, and the Town must decide within 90 days ([Town of Ajax, heritage](https://ajax.ca/build-invest/for-developers-builders/heritage-considerations/)).

## Permits for this work in Ajax

| Item | What applies | Source | Checked |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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 |
| Addition permit fee | $14.22 times the floor area; the Ajax schedule doesn't say whether the area is measured in m2 or sq ft | [ajax.ca](https://ajax.ca/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/Building-By-law-48-2023-Sch_A-Jan-01-2026.pdf) | 2026-10-05 |
| 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 |
| Conservation authority (2) | Central Lake Ontario Conservation Authority (CLOCA) | [www.cloca.com](https://www.cloca.com/regulation-area-mapping) | 2026-10-05 |
| Zoning by-law | Zoning By-law 95-2003 (Office Consolidation March 6, 2026) | [ajax.ca](https://ajax.ca/build-invest/for-developers-builders/zoning-land-use/) | 2026-10-05 |
| Minor variance (Committee of Adjustment) fee | $1,638.90 flat | [ajax.ca](https://ajax.ca/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/By-law-61-2024-2025-User-Fees-By-law.pdf) | 2026-10-05 |

Fees and rules as published by Ajax and the agencies linked, checked 6 October 2026. Confirm with the building department before you apply.

## The nearest finished jobs

- [West Lynde: a Whitby bungalow made two storeys in 4.5 months](https://www.jarviscontracting.ca/projects/west-lynde): Whitby, 8 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.
- [Greenwood: a new top storey and rear extension in Toronto](https://www.jarviscontracting.ca/projects/greenwood): Toronto, 32 km away, 2026. Top floor replaced with a new storey, rear extension, basement enlarged, full interior design and build.

## What it costs

| Work | Range (CAD) | Basis | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Second-storey addition, 600 to 1,200 sq ft | 300000 to 800000 | GTA, 2026. The new floor; a kitchen or bathrooms below add to it. Before 13% HST. | Our 2026 price |

Our 2026 ranges, not quotes: every job is priced after a site visit.

What moves the number:
- Whether the foundation and walls can carry the new floor, or need reinforcing
- A full storey or a partial one
- Whether the main floor is redone at the same time
- The roof design and how it meets what's left
- Engineering, drawings and the permit
- Finish level, and 13% HST on top

## How much of Ajax is old enough to build up on

Less than people assume. Ajax is a young town by housing stock. Of 39,490 occupied homes in the [2021 Census](https://www12.statcan.gc.ca/census-recensement/2021/dp-pd/prof/details/page.cfm?Lang=E&DGUIDlist=2021A00053518005), 2,765 were built in 1960 or before and 6,345 between 1961 and 1980. That's about 9,100 homes, close to a quarter. Another 8,530 date from the 1980s, and 41% went up in 2001 or later.

The town's roots explain the old core. Ajax grew around the Defence Industries Limited shell-filling plant in the Second World War, and its workers were later offered the wartime houses. The Improvement District of Ajax followed in 1950 and the Town in 1955 ([Town of Ajax, history](https://ajax.ca/explore/things-to-do/arts-culture-heritage/)). Census counts give eras, not street names or storey counts, so we look at your house before we say anything about it.

## The 11.0 m rule, and the limit under the floor

Height in Ajax runs from the average level of the street in front of the house, not the ground at your back door, to a point halfway between eave and ridge if the roof is pitched ([Section 3](https://ajax.ca/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/3-Section-3-Definitions_2026-March-Consolidation-Final.pdf)). On a flat roof it's the top of the wall. Measured that way, a bungalow with a new floor and a modest pitch usually comes in under 11.0 m. If yours doesn't, the fix is a height variance from the [Committee of Adjustment](https://ajax.ca/build-invest/for-developers-builders/committee-of-adjustment/).

The real limit is under the floor. Before drawing, we have a structural engineer check whether the footings, foundation walls and bearing walls can take the new load, and where a steel beam or new posts need to land. Then the roof comes off. We stage the work so the house is closed in fast, but plan on living elsewhere. On Greenwood we kept the old double-brick side wall safe by opening the floor in stages and rebuilding each section before starting the next.

The Pickering Village Heritage Conservation District trips people up: despite the name, it's Ajax's old village core, not part of the City of Pickering. There, a new storey changes the outside of the house and needs a heritage permit. Ajax says minor applications can clear in a few days, while bigger ones go to the Heritage Advisory Committee and Council, with a 90-day limit ([Town of Ajax, heritage](https://ajax.ca/build-invest/for-developers-builders/heritage-considerations/)).

## The permit fee, with the unit problem

Ajax's [Schedule A](https://ajax.ca/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/Building-By-law-48-2023-Sch_A-Jan-01-2026.pdf) multiplies $14.22 by "the related floor area" and never prints the unit. A 75 m2 second floor works out to $1,066.50 if that's per m2, and about $11,480 if it's per sq ft (our arithmetic). The same schedule prices demolition per square metre, so m2 is the likely reading. Confirm it with Building Services before you budget.

Our nearest finished second storey is [West Lynde](https://www.jarviscontracting.ca/projects/west-lynde), about 8 km east in Whitby, where we took a bungalow to two storeys in about 4.5 months on site. [Greenwood](https://www.jarviscontracting.ca/projects/greenwood), roughly 32 km west in Toronto, got a top storey and a rear extension over 10 months, permit and design included.

## How the job runs in Ajax

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. In Ajax, applications go through the town's online permit portal.
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 Ajax's 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

### How is building height measured for an Ajax second storey?

Ajax's Zoning By-law 95-2003 measures height from the average level of the established grade of the street in front of the building. For a pitched roof it stops at the mean height between the eaves and the ridge; for a flat roof, at the highest point of the exterior wall. The limit in R1 and R2 zones is 11.0 m as of October 2026.

### Does a second storey in Pickering Village need a heritage permit?

Yes, if the house is in the Pickering Village Heritage Conservation District, which Ajax designated in 2013 and which covers 58 properties. Adding a storey changes the exterior, so the Town of Ajax has to issue a heritage permit before the building permit. The Town must decide within 90 days, and designated properties with a heritage easement can claim a 10% tax rebate.

### Does a second storey use up lot coverage in Ajax?

Not if it sits on the existing walls. Ajax's Zoning By-law 95-2003 measures lot coverage as the ground floor area of the buildings on a lot against the lot's area, so floor space added upstairs doesn't count toward the 30% to 45% caps. Any part of the job that pushes the footprint out, such as a larger entry or a new garage, does.

### Do I need a conservation authority permit to add a storey in Ajax?

Only if the lot is inside a regulated area. Under Ontario Regulation 41/24, an addition that enlarges a building there counts as development, so a lot near Duffins Creek or Carruthers Creek needs TRCA's permit, and one in the east end needs CLOCA's, before the Town of Ajax issues its own. Both authorities become the Central Lake Ontario Regional Conservation Authority on 1 February 2027.

## Sources

1. [Town of Ajax, Zoning By-law 95-2003, Section 6 Zone Provisions (March 2026 consolidation)](https://ajax.ca/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/6-Section-6-Zone-Provisions_2026-March-Consolidation-Final.pdf)
2. [Town of Ajax, Zoning By-law 95-2003, Section 3 Definitions (March 2026 consolidation)](https://ajax.ca/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/3-Section-3-Definitions_2026-March-Consolidation-Final.pdf)
3. [Statistics Canada, 2021 Census Profile, Ajax](https://www12.statcan.gc.ca/census-recensement/2021/dp-pd/prof/details/page.cfm?Lang=E&DGUIDlist=2021A00053518005)
4. [Town of Ajax, Building By-law 48-2023 Schedule A, 1 January 2026](https://ajax.ca/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/Building-By-law-48-2023-Sch_A-Jan-01-2026.pdf)
5. [Town of Ajax, Heritage considerations](https://ajax.ca/build-invest/for-developers-builders/heritage-considerations/)
6. [Town of Ajax, history](https://ajax.ca/explore/things-to-do/arts-culture-heritage/)
7. [Committee of Adjustment](https://ajax.ca/build-invest/for-developers-builders/committee-of-adjustment/)
8. [Town of Ajax: Construction permits inspections](https://ajax.ca/life-in-ajax/town-services/construction-permits-inspections/)
9. [CLOCA: Regulation area mapping](https://www.cloca.com/regulation-area-mapping)
10. [Town of Ajax: Zoning land use](https://ajax.ca/build-invest/for-developers-builders/zoning-land-use/)
11. [Town of Ajax: By law 61 2024 2025 User Fees By law](https://ajax.ca/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/By-law-61-2024-2025-User-Fees-By-law.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

- [Second-storey additions: all areas](https://www.jarviscontracting.ca/second-storey-additions)
- [Building in Ajax](https://www.jarviscontracting.ca/areas/ajax)
- [Second-storey additions in Pickering](https://www.jarviscontracting.ca/second-storey-additions/pickering) (6 km away)
- [Second-storey additions in Whitby](https://www.jarviscontracting.ca/second-storey-additions/whitby) (8 km away)
- [Second-storey additions in Oshawa](https://www.jarviscontracting.ca/second-storey-additions/oshawa) (13 km away)
- [Home additions in Ajax](https://www.jarviscontracting.ca/home-additions/ajax)
- [How much does a home addition cost in Ontario in 2026?](https://www.jarviscontracting.ca/guides/home-addition-cost-ontario)
- [How much does a second-storey addition cost in Ontario in 2026?](https://www.jarviscontracting.ca/guides/second-storey-addition-cost-ontario)
- [Is it cheaper to build up or out? 2026 Ontario costs](https://www.jarviscontracting.ca/guides/build-up-or-out)
- [Ontario HST relief for owner-built homes and big renovations, 2026](https://www.jarviscontracting.ca/guides/ontario-hst-relief-substantial-renovation)
- [Should we add on or move? Costs compared for 2026](https://www.jarviscontracting.ca/guides/renovate-or-move)