Decks & Porches in Hamilton

Usually not for the deck. Hamilton’s by-law 19-286 reaches house lots, but it exempts minor landscaping and work done under an issued building permit, and the deck has a permit of its own. What we check is the yard work beyond it, such as a regraded slope or a new patio, before the drawings go to the City of Hamilton Building Division.

Where the lot is in a regulated area, yes. Under Ontario Regulation 41/24 that area can reach 15 m past the stable top of a valley bank and 30 m out from a wetland, and building a structure inside it, a deck included, needs an HCA permit before the City of Hamilton Building Division issues the building permit. In east Stoney Creek and Glanbrook the permit comes from the NPCA instead, and in parts of Flamborough from the Grand River Conservation Authority. We check each authority’s map against the survey.

Yes. We take on decks & porches across Hamilton, including Ancaster and Dundas, within an hour of our Richmond Hill office. The first consultation is free, by phone or on site.

Three things to start: property address; photos of the yard and the wall the structure would attach to; and rough size, and whether you want it covered. Send those and we tell you what the City of Hamilton Building Division will ask for before we quote.

It can. Digging footings cuts roots, and a private tree in Hamilton is protected by the by-law of the former municipality the lot is in, such as Dundas By-law No. 4513-99 or Ancaster By-law No. 2000-118. We plot the trees from your survey and space the footings around their roots, and the layout goes to the City of Hamilton Building Division with that settled.

That depends on what the district asks, so we find out first. If the house is in one of Hamilton’s eight Part V districts, such as Mill Street or Melville-Park West, a porch seen from the street is the kind of change we raise with the City before designing it, including its roof shape, posts and railing. Once that is known, the footing and framing sheets for the porch are filed with the City of Hamilton Building Division.

The one your lot is under: Zoning By-law No. 05-200 for most addresses, or the by-law of the former community for the rest, such as Stoney Creek’s 3692-92 or the former City of Hamilton’s 6593. We check the address, read the distances a deck must keep from the lot lines in that by-law, and draw the deck inside them on the site plan the City of Hamilton Building Division reviews.

We apply. The drawings go to the City through its Customer Portal, which you sign into at my.hamilton.ca, and comments from the City of Hamilton Building Division come back to us to answer. Once the permit is issued, the same portal is where each deck inspection is requested and where you can follow the file’s status.

It can, and then it is designed as part of the unit. Hamilton has allowed additional dwelling units since May 2021, and where the unit’s entrance is reached by steps and a landing, those go on the unit’s drawings with guards and stairs drawn to the Building Code. The City of Hamilton Building Division then reviews the deck and the unit together.

Only as far as the front setback in Zoning By-law No. 05-200, or your lot’s former community by-law, allows, measured from the property line on the survey. Part of what looks like your front lawn may be City road allowance, which is why many front-lawn trees belong to the City and fall under By-law No. 15-125. We keep the porch inside your lot and its footings clear of any City tree’s roots.