Do you need a permit to replace your roof? Seven cities compared
In most of the cities Straight Arrow Roofing & Siding works in, putting new shingles of the same kind on an existing house needs no building permit. Brantford, Hamilton, Burlington, Oakville and Cambridge all say so in writing. Changing the roofing material, repairing structure, adding a skylight or changing the slope is different, and Milton and the County of Brant publish no exemption list at all, so ask them.
Updated by Straight Arrow Roofing & Siding
What does each city say about re-roofing?
| Municipality | Same-material re-shingle | Needs a permit (roofing related) | Building department |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brantford | No permit: "Installing new shingles on existing roof"[1] | "Roof structures including a pergola or trellis 10 square meters and greater"; "Attached garage, carport, shed or other roof structure of any size" | 519-759-4150, building@brantford.ca |
| County of Brant (Paris) | No published exemption[2] | Ask the County | 519-442-7268, building@brant.ca |
| Hamilton (incl. Ancaster, Dundas, Waterdown) | No permit: "Re-shingling a roof with the same roofing material"[3] | "replacing roofing or exterior cladding with a different material"; "repairs to structural members (i.e. subfloor, roof sheathing, beams, lintels, etc.)" | 905-546-2720, building@hamilton.ca |
| Burlington | No permit: "Replacing shingles with the same material as long as the roof has less than three layers of shingles"[4] | A third layer, or a different material: ask the City | 905-335-7731, buildingpermits@burlington.ca |
| Oakville | No permit: "Re-shingling a roof"[5] | "Skylights"; "Roof extensions or alterations to increase the height or change the slope"; "Dormers"; "Solar panels"; "Re-cladding a building with new material" | 905-845-6601, service@oakville.ca |
| Milton | No published exemption[6] | "Before any construction of a new building or renovation can begin, you will need to obtain a building permit." | 905-878-7252 ext. 2397 |
| Cambridge | No permit: roof shingling, eaves troughs and "Replacement of siding" are common projects that need none[7] | Work must still "comply with the Zoning By-law and the Ontario Building Code" | 519-623-1340, building@cambridge.ca |
What is the pattern across the cities?
Swapping old shingles for new shingles of the same kind is treated as maintenance almost everywhere. What turns a roof job into a permit job is change: a different material (Hamilton, and Oakville for cladding), structural repairs (Hamilton names roof sheathing), a new opening (Oakville names skylights and dormers), a new shape (Oakville names height and slope), or too many layers (Burlington's three-layer limit).
If no permit is needed, are there no rules?
No. Cambridge puts it plainly: work that needs no permit "must still comply with the Zoning By-law and the Ontario Building Code".[7] Brantford warns that its own list "is not complete".[1] A permit is the city checking the work; the code applies either way.
Who gets the permit, you or the roofer?
Either can apply, but the permit is for your property, so make sure the contract says who is responsible for it and that the work does not start until it is issued. When a job of ours needs one, we say so in the estimate.
Can I share or reuse this table?
Yes. This table is free to use, quote or link to, by homeowners, other contractors, home inspectors or anyone else. The rules belong to the cities; we have only put them side by side. Please check the linked city pages before relying on them, because cities update these lists without notice. We last read every one on .
Sources
- Do I need a permit?, City of Brantford, Building Division, read 16 October 2026.
- Applying for a building permit, County of Brant, read 16 October 2026.
- Building permit for residential renovations, City of Hamilton, read 16 October 2026.
- Do I need a building permit?, City of Burlington, read 16 October 2026.
- Building permit application process, Town of Oakville, read 16 October 2026.
- Building permits, Town of Milton, read 16 October 2026.
- Building permits, City of Cambridge, read 16 October 2026.