Toronto Property Information Report
A Property Information Report is a document issued by Toronto Building for a specific municipal address. Buyers, agents, and renovators request one to find out what the City has on file for a property before an offer or a permit application. Here is what it covers, how long it takes, how it differs from a building records request, and what you can check yourself in the meantime.
What a Property Information Report Covers
The City's report sets out, for one municipal address, the building permits issued and on file, the status of inspections, any outstanding orders under the Ontario Building Code, the Zoning By-law or the Property Standards By-law, and the zoning designation that applies to the property.
Processing time is approximately five business days. A separate application is required for each property, and a fee applies, listed under Information Services in the City of Toronto's fee schedule.
Property Information Report vs. Building Records Request
These are two different requests and they answer two different questions. The Property Information Report is a summary of a property's current standing: permits on file, inspection status, outstanding orders, zoning. A building records request is for the documents themselves, the permit drawings and plans held by Toronto Building.
Building records take longer. Toronto Building aims to process those requests within 30 business days of receiving the application, a separate application is required for each property, and fees apply when records are disclosed. Access to drawings can also depend on the property owner's permission.
Why Buyers Order One
Open permits transfer at closing
A permit issued but never closed with a final inspection stays attached to the property and becomes the buyer's problem.
Unpermitted work
Finished basements, decks, and additions with no matching permit can affect insurance, financing, and future renovation approvals.
Outstanding orders
Work orders and by-law violations on file are the City's to confirm, and they are a standard pre-closing check.
Zoning before a renovation
Confirming the designation that applies before drawing up plans or making a conditional offer.
Check the Permit Record Yourself, in Minutes
Much of a Toronto property's record is already public. Property Proof compiles the City of Toronto's published open data for any residential address into one report: the building permit history back to 2000 with work type, description, and dates; the zoning designation; TRCA floodplain mapping; sewer type from City manhole data; and distance to the nearest fire station and hydrant count within 150 metres.
It takes about five minutes and costs $49 CAD, which makes it useful for the stage where you are deciding whether to write an offer at all, rather than waiting on a five-day or thirty-day turnaround.
What a Property Proof Report Is Not
It is not the City's Property Information Report and it is not a substitute for one. Property Proof reports what the City publishes as open data. It does not include outstanding orders, by-law violations, or work orders, which are held in the City's internal systems and released only through Toronto Building.
If your transaction requires the official document, or if you need to confirm that a property is free of outstanding orders, order the Property Information Report from the City. Many buyers use both: the open-data report first to decide whether a property is worth pursuing, the City's report once it is.
Common Questions
How long does a Toronto Property Information Report take?
Approximately five business days. A building records request, which covers the permit drawings themselves, is processed on a longer timeline of up to 30 business days.
Can I look up Toronto building permits by address for free?
The City publishes building permit data through its open data portal, so the permit record is public. It is spread across several datasets and is not organized by address for the general reader, which is the gap a compiled report fills.
Does a Property Information Report show unpermitted work?
Not directly. It shows what the City has on file. Work with no matching permit appears as an absence in the record, which is why the permit timeline is worth reading against what you can see at the property.
What is the difference between a Property Information Report and a building records request?
The Property Information Report is a summary of a property's current standing: permits on file, inspection status, outstanding orders, and zoning. A building records request is for the documents themselves, the permit drawings and plans held by Toronto Building, on a longer timeline and subject to fees when records are disclosed.