How do I check if previous bathroom work in my Toronto home was done with proper permits?

You can check permit history for your Toronto property through the City of Toronto's online portal or by contacting the Building Division directly. This is a smart step before starting a new bathroom renovation, because unpermitted previous work can create complications with your current project, affect your insurance coverage, and cause problems when you eventually sell the home.

The City of Toronto Building Division maintains records of all building, plumbing, and electrical permits issued for properties within the city. You can search permit records online through the city's Building Permits Online portal at toronto.ca. Enter your property address, and the system will show permits that have been issued, along with their status — whether they were closed (inspected and approved), still open (work started but never inspected), or expired. An open permit is a red flag — it means work was started under permit but the required inspections were never completed.

For electrical permits, the ESA (Electrical Safety Authority) maintains a separate database. You can search ESA permit records at esasafe.com or call them directly. Since bathroom renovations frequently involve electrical work — GFCI outlets, exhaust fans, heated floors, lighting circuits — checking ESA records is just as important as checking building permits.

What the Records Will Tell You

Permit records typically include the type of work permitted (plumbing, electrical, building), the date issued, the contractor or applicant name, and the inspection status. If you see that a plumbing permit was issued for your address 10 years ago and shows as "closed/final," that means the plumbing work was inspected and approved by the city. If there is no permit history at all for a property that clearly had bathroom work done — new plumbing fixtures in different locations, a basement bathroom that was added, upgraded electrical — that work was likely done without permits.

What to Do If You Find Unpermitted Work

Discovering unpermitted bathroom work does not mean you need to tear everything out. However, you should be aware of the implications. If you are planning a new renovation in the same space, your contractor and the city inspector may require that the previous unpermitted work be brought up to current code as part of the new permit. This can increase your project scope and cost.

For plumbing concerns, a licensed plumber can assess whether the existing drain, waste, and vent system meets code — proper drain slopes, adequate venting, correct pipe sizes, and watertight connections. For electrical concerns, a licensed electrician can verify that circuits are properly grounded, GFCI protection is in place, wire sizing is correct, and connections are safe. If the work is sound and meets current code, bringing it into compliance may simply require an inspection.

If you are purchasing a home in the GTA, checking permit history should be part of your due diligence before closing. Your real estate lawyer can request a permit search, or you can do it yourself through the city's online portal. Many Toronto home buyers have been surprised to discover that a "renovated bathroom" highlighted in the listing was done entirely without permits — which shifts the cost of compliance onto them after purchase.

For properties outside the City of Toronto but within the GTA — Mississauga, Brampton, Markham, Vaughan, Richmond Hill, Oakville, and other municipalities — each city has its own building department with permit records. The process is similar: contact the local building department with your property address.