---
title: "Whole-home renovations in Whitby, Ontario"
url: "https://www.jarviscontracting.ca/whole-home-renovations/whitby"
description: "Renovating a whole house in Whitby: the $10.65 per m2 alteration fee, plumbing per fixture, late-permit penalties and heritage permits in two districts."
publisher: "Jarvis Contracting"
dateModified: "2026-11-02"
---
# Whole-home renovations in Whitby

**What permit fees and heritage rules apply to a whole-home renovation in Whitby?**

As of October 2026, the Town of Whitby charges $10.65 per m² of altered floor area to permit a house renovation, plus $27.80 per plumbing fixture, with a $305 minimum. Houses in the Werden's Plan or Brooklin Heritage Conservation Districts also need a heritage permit from the Town's heritage planning staff, and applying for one costs nothing. (Checked 2026-10-05.)

## Key takeaways

- Whitby's 2026 fee for renovating a house is $10.65 per m2 of floor area altered, with a $305 minimum permit fee ([Town of Whitby fee schedule, 2026](https://media-003-ca.cdn.govstack.com/whitby-ca/media/5aqjt5ww/2026-building-permit-fees-schedule-n.pdf)).
- Starting work before you apply adds the greater of $100 or 25% of the application fee in Whitby, and 15% if you start after applying but before the permit is issued ([Town of Whitby fee schedule, 2026](https://media-003-ca.cdn.govstack.com/whitby-ca/media/5aqjt5ww/2026-building-permit-fees-schedule-n.pdf)).
- Whitby has two Heritage Conservation Districts: Werden's Plan with 250 properties and Brooklin with 169 ([Town of Whitby, Heritage Conservation Districts](https://www.whitby.ca/explore-and-enjoy/heritage/heritage-conservation-districts/)).
- A Whitby heritage permit costs $0 to apply for; heritage planning staff review it, and larger files also go to an advisory committee ([Town of Whitby, Heritage permits](https://www.whitby.ca/services-and-payments/building-and-renovating/heritage-permits/)).
- About one home in four in Whitby was built before 1981, according to the [Statistics Canada 2021 Census](https://www12.statcan.gc.ca/census-recensement/2021/dp-pd/prof/details/page.cfm?Lang=E&DGUIDlist=2021A00053518009) (24.8%, our arithmetic from its counts).

## Permits for this work in Whitby

| Item | What applies | Source | Checked |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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 |
| Interior alteration permit fee | $10.65 per m2 | [media-003-ca.cdn.govstack.com](https://media-003-ca.cdn.govstack.com/whitby-ca/media/5aqjt5ww/2026-building-permit-fees-schedule-n.pdf) | 2026-10-05 |
| 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 |
| Zoning by-law | Three zoning by-laws: 2585 (Downtown Whitby), 1784 (former Township of Whitby, incl. Brooklin), 5581-05 (Oak Ridges Moraine); comprehensive new by-law targeted 2025/27 | [www.whitby.ca](https://www.whitby.ca/business-and-economy/planning-and-development/zoning/) | 2026-10-05 |
| Minor variance (Committee of Adjustment) fee | $1,526 flat | [media-003-ca.cdn.govstack.com](https://media-003-ca.cdn.govstack.com/whitby-ca/media/txxlnw3w/pl-application_minorvariance.pdf) | 2026-10-05 |

Fees and rules as published by Whitby 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, 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.
- [Orra: two load-bearing walls out of a childhood home](https://www.jarviscontracting.ca/projects/orra): Ajax, 8 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.
- [Bellamy: opening up a brick bungalow without an addition](https://www.jarviscontracting.ca/projects/bellamy): Scarborough, Toronto, 29 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:
- How much of the house changes
- Load-bearing walls, and the beams that replace them
- What's behind the walls: asbestos, knob-and-tube wiring, water damage
- Hiding pipes and ducts without bulkheads
- Finish level, and 13% HST on top

## What does Whitby charge to permit a gut renovation?

The Town of Whitby building division prices a renovation by the floor area you alter, not by the contract value. Schedule N puts a house alteration at $10.65 per m2 (fee BGP-11), and plumbing is its own line at $27.80 per fixture (BGP-59). Here is how that adds up for a two-floor gut with a new kitchen and two bathrooms, our arithmetic:

| Line in Schedule N | Rate | Quantity | Fee |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alterations, house (BGP-11) | $10.65 per m2 | 150 m2 | $1,597.50 |
| Plumbing fixtures (BGP-59) | $27.80 each | 7 fixtures | $194.60 |
| Total | | | $1,792.10 |

Note: an example of how the 2026 rates apply, not a quote from the Town; the Town sets the area and the fixture count.

Two lines matter once walls come down. If the drawings change after the permit is issued, a minor revision is $305 and a major revision or re-examination is $1,401. And if a crew starts before anyone applies, Whitby adds the greater of $100 or 25% of the application fee. On the example above that is about $399, money that buys nothing. We apply first.

## Is my house in Whitby's Werden's Plan or Brooklin heritage district?

Check before you pick windows. The Town says Werden's Plan holds "the greatest number of historic residential streetscapes in Downtown Whitby," and the Brooklin district covers 169 properties in downtown Brooklin. In 2026 council adopted updated district plans through By-laws 8279-26 and 8280-26, so the guidelines your house is judged against are new.

Inside a district the Town's page asks for a heritage permit before any proposed work. Ontario's Heritage Act itself leaves out interiors in a district ([Ontario Heritage Act, s. 42](https://www.ontario.ca/laws/statute/90o18)), so a gutted kitchen may need nothing while new cladding, a porch or replacement windows will. We ask heritage staff early rather than guess. The application goes through the same [Whitby e-portal](https://portal.whitby.ca/) as the building permit and wants drawings, a site plan, photos and material samples. Staff approve the straightforward ones; bigger files also go to the Heritage Whitby Advisory Committee, which meets monthly.

Outside the districts, zoning rarely touches an interior renovation. It starts to matter when you change the footprint or add a unit, and Whitby has three zoning by-laws for that: 2585 for Downtown, 1784 for most of the town including Brooklin, and 5581-05 for the Oak Ridges Moraine.

## What opens up in an older Whitby house?

Three in four Whitby homes went up after 1980, so the older ones are a minority, and they're where we expect old wiring, sagging joists and patched plumbing behind the plaster. Rewiring goes to a licensed electrical contractor, who files with the [Electrical Safety Authority](https://esasafe.com/compliance/finding-the-right-contractor/) before starting.

Our closest example is [West Lynde](https://www.jarviscontracting.ca/projects/west-lynde), here in Whitby, where the house under a new second storey got a new kitchen, two bathrooms, floors, stairs and trim. [Orra](https://www.jarviscontracting.ca/projects/orra), about 8 km west in Ajax, lost two load-bearing walls. Older houses hide more: at [Aurelia](https://www.jarviscontracting.ca/projects/aurelia), about 100 years old and roughly 39 km west in Toronto, opening up meant replacing knob-and-tube wiring, fixing water damage and levelling floors.

## How the job runs in Whitby

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 Whitby, 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 Whitby'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

### Does a heritage permit cost anything in Whitby's Brooklin or Werden's Plan district?

No. As of October 2026 the Town of Whitby charges no fee to apply for a heritage permit in either Heritage Conservation District. You still pay the normal building permit fee for the renovation itself, and the heritage permit has to be in hand before work starts.

### Do I need a heritage permit to renovate the inside of a house in Werden's Plan?

Usually not for interior work alone. The Ontario Heritage Act requires a district heritage permit for changes to any part of a property other than its interior. Whitby's own page asks for a permit before any proposed work, so call the Town's heritage planning staff with your plans before demolition starts.

### What happens if renovation work starts in Whitby before a building permit is issued?

Whitby charges a penalty on top of the permit fee. If work began before you applied, it is the greater of $100 or 25% of the application fee; if you applied but started before issue, it is the greater of $100 or 15%.

### How is the plumbing part of a Whitby renovation permit priced?

The Town of Whitby charges $27.80 for each plumbing fixture in 2026, listed separately from the $10.65 per m2 alteration fee. A toilet, a vanity sink and a shower count as three fixtures, so a new bathroom adds about $83 to the permit.

### Which zoning by-law covers a house in Brooklin?

Brooklin falls under Whitby's Zoning By-law 1784, the by-law for the former Township of Whitby, which has its own Brooklin Secondary Plan residential zones. Downtown Whitby is under By-law 2585, and lands on the Oak Ridges Moraine are under By-law 5581-05.

## Sources

1. [Town of Whitby, Schedule N building permit fees 2026](https://media-003-ca.cdn.govstack.com/whitby-ca/media/5aqjt5ww/2026-building-permit-fees-schedule-n.pdf)
2. [Town of Whitby, Heritage Conservation Districts](https://www.whitby.ca/explore-and-enjoy/heritage/heritage-conservation-districts/)
3. [Town of Whitby, Heritage permits](https://www.whitby.ca/services-and-payments/building-and-renovating/heritage-permits/)
4. [Town of Whitby, Zoning](https://www.whitby.ca/business-and-economy/planning-and-development/zoning/)
5. [Statistics Canada, 2021 Census Profile, Whitby](https://www12.statcan.gc.ca/census-recensement/2021/dp-pd/prof/details/page.cfm?Lang=E&DGUIDlist=2021A00053518009)
6. [Ontario Heritage Act, s. 42](https://www.ontario.ca/laws/statute/90o18)
7. [Whitby e-portal](https://portal.whitby.ca/)
8. [Electrical Safety Authority](https://esasafe.com/compliance/finding-the-right-contractor/)
9. [Town of Whitby: Building permits](https://www.whitby.ca/services-and-payments/building-and-renovating/building-permits/)
10. [Town of Whitby: Pl application minorvariance](https://media-003-ca.cdn.govstack.com/whitby-ca/media/txxlnw3w/pl-application_minorvariance.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

- [Whole-home renovations: all areas](https://www.jarviscontracting.ca/whole-home-renovations)
- [Building in Whitby](https://www.jarviscontracting.ca/areas/whitby)
- [Home additions in Whitby](https://www.jarviscontracting.ca/home-additions/whitby)
- [Second-storey additions in Whitby](https://www.jarviscontracting.ca/second-storey-additions/whitby)
- [Basement renovations in Whitby](https://www.jarviscontracting.ca/basement-renovations/whitby)
- [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)
- [Should we add on or move? Costs compared for 2026](https://www.jarviscontracting.ca/guides/renovate-or-move)