Neighbourhood · 18 of 158 by permit count
Building permits in Kensington-Chinatown
The City of Toronto has 10,821 building permits on record for the Kensington-Chinatown neighbourhood, going back to 1974. That is the 18th busiest neighbourhood in the city. Those permits created 2,744 homes and removed 187, a net change of +2,557. Declared construction value totals $2.6B. Half of the 10,048 permits issued here came through within 30 days of the application. The most recent permit was applied for Oct 31, 2026 at 180 Simcoe St.
- Permits on record
- 10,8211974–2026
- Declared construction value
- $2.6Bas filed, not adjusted
- Homes created
- 2,744dwelling units
- Homes removed
- 187net +2,557
- Typical wait
- 30 days3 days slower than the city
Permits issued per year
20002026 (part year)
Zoning
- Most common zone
- CR62.2% of permits · by-law 40.10
- In detached-house zones
- 0.0%38.0% below the city’s 38.0%
- Permits with a zone
- 8,991of 10,821 on record
The zoning categories the permits in Kensington-Chinatown fall in, under Zoning By-law 569-2013. These are the City's own category names. This counts permits, not land: it says where the building work happened under which rules, not how the area is carved up. What each zone allows, and what gets built in it.
Minor variances at the Committee of Adjustment
- Applications on record
- 246since 2016
- Approved
- 85.5%5.3% below the city · 193 decided
- Median time to a decision
- 146 days26 days slower than the city
Some projects in Kensington-Chinatown need the Committee of Adjustment to approve a minor variance from the zoning by-law before a building permit can be applied for at all. Where that applies, the committee’s clock runs first and the permit wait above starts only once it has stopped. Back to back, that is about 176 days, not the 30 days the permit figure alone suggests. How variances work, and the approval rates.
Most common work
Structures worked on
Postal areas
Most recent permits
| Issued | Address | Work | What was filed | Value | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 31, 2026 | 180 Simcoe St | Building Permit Related(FS) | FS - Sprinkler Shop Drawing - Proposal interior alteration to existing Group D commercial office building. Basement, Ground, 6th & 9th Floors. | — | Open |
| Oct 30, 2026 | 20 Baldwin St | Building Permit Related(PS) | Plumbing - Proposal for a rear yard addition, Exhaust & Fire Suppression to the existing ground floor restaurant.Srr also 26 217430 WNP and 26 217555 WNP | — | Open |
| Oct 30, 2026 | 434 Dundas St W | Interior Alterations | Proposal for interior alterations for a wellness centre in basement | $150K | Open |
| Oct 29, 2026 | 658 Dundas St W | Interior Alterations | Order to comply remediation. Small scale basement demo, main floor renovation, second floor minor alterations. See cover letter for detail. | $125K | Open |
| Oct 29, 2026 | 35 Huron St | Deck | Proposal to rebuild rooftop balcony. | $2K | Open |
| Oct 29, 2026 | 456 Spadina Ave | Building Permit Related(MS) | REVISION - revised drawingsHVAC - Proposed interior alterations of existing restaurant | — | Open |
| Oct 29, 2026 | 179 John St | Interior Alterations | Interior alterations to existing office areas on Floors 5, 6 and 7, including new non-loadbearing partitions and doors, alterations to existing office and boardroom areas, removal of selected interior glazing, and associated architectural work. No change of use or major occupancy. | $100K | Open |
| Oct 28, 2026 | 96 St Patrick St | Piping: Other Buildings | Proposed replacement of hot water recirculation lines. | $100K | Open |
| Oct 28, 2026 | 184 Spadina Ave | Alternative Solution | Proposal for alternative solution | — | Open |
| Oct 28, 2026 | 184 Spadina Ave | Alternative Solution | An alternative solution for demonstrating the proposed alternative egress route through Exit Stair A-A, which continues upward to the Level 1 Mezzanine Level in a manner similar to a crossover floor, provides an alternative egress route that may be considered to satisfy the intent of the OBC. | — | Open |
| Oct 28, 2026 | 500 University Ave | Building Permit Related(MS) | HVAC - Proposal for interior alterations of ground level washrooms. | — | Open |
| Oct 28, 2026 | 77 Baldwin St | Multiple Projects | Proposed interior alterations, 3rd floor addition, and basement walk-out in front yard. | $400K | Open |
| Oct 28, 2026 | 500 University Ave | Building Permit Related(PS) | Plumbing - Proposal for interior alterations of ground level washrooms. | — | Open |
| Oct 26, 2026 | 298 Queen St W | Building Permit Related(MS) | HVAC - Interior renovation of north portion of basement (64.7m2) including 27.8 linear m of underpinning. Interior renovation of north portion of 1st floor (71.6m2). Interior renovation of 2nd floor (268.8m2) and 3rd floor (263.1m2). | — | Open |
| Oct 26, 2026 | 298 Queen St W | Interior Alterations | Interior renovation of north portion of basement (64.7m2) including 27.8 linear m of underpinning. Interior renovation of north portion of 1st floor (71.6m2). Interior renovation of 2nd floor (268.8m2) and 3rd floor (263.1m2). | $600K | Open |
| Oct 26, 2026 | 298 Queen St W | Building Permit Related(PS) | Plumbing - Interior renovation of north portion of basement (64.7m2) including 27.8 linear m of underpinning. Interior renovation of north portion of 1st floor (71.6m2). Interior renovation of 2nd floor (268.8m2) and 3rd floor (263.1m2). | — | Open |
| Oct 26, 2026 | 610 University Ave | Interior Alterations | RENOVATION OF EXISTING VAULT 7 (ROOM NUMBER 2B-729), VAULT 8 (ROOM NUMBER 2B-721 ) AND CONTROL ROOMS 2B-720 AND 2B-723, TO ACCOMMODATE NEW RADIATION TREATMENT EQUIPMENT. | $2.5M | Open |
| Oct 26, 2026 | 700 University Ave | Interior Alterations | REVISION 3 - Removal of elevator lobbies and revised smoke dampers and seperations on floor 15INTERIOR ALTERATIONS OF EXISTING PREMISES TO EXISTING GROUP D OCCUPANCY. | — | Open |
| Oct 26, 2026 | 324 Queen St W | Sign Building Permit Related | 1 WALL SIGN**POP CORE** | — | Open |
| Oct 26, 2026 | 333 College St | Site Service | Conditional Permit - Drain - Proposal to construct 20 storey, 553 Unit (706 Beds), Student Residence building with retail on ground floor. | — | Open |
| Oct 26, 2026 | 700 University Ave | Building Permit Related(MS) | REVISION 2 - Removal of elevator lobbies and revised smoke dampers and seperations on floor 15INTERIOR ALTERATIONS OF EXISTING PREMISES TO EXISTING GROUP D OCCUPANCY. | — | Open |
| Oct 23, 2026 | 285 1/2 College St | Interior Alterations | Proposal for interior alterations for a restaurant | $100K | Open |
| Oct 23, 2026 | 285 1/2 College St | Building Permit Related(PS) | Plumbing - Proposal for interior alterations for a restaurant | — | Open |
| Oct 23, 2026 | 285 1/2 College St | Building Permit Related(MS) | HVAC - Proposal for interior alterations for a restaurant | — | Open |
| Oct 22, 2026 | 20 Baldwin St | Building Permit Related(MS) | HVAC - Proposal for a rear yard addition, Exhaust & Fire Suppression to the existing ground floor restaurant.Srr also 26 217430 WNP and 26 217555 WNP | — | Open |
| Oct 22, 2026 | 674 Dundas St W | Other(FS) | REVISION - revised sprinklersProposal to replace the sprinkler alarm valve, install new backflow on sprinkler line, replace underground fire standpipe line, replace fire pump | — | Open |
| Oct 22, 2026 | 34 Sullivan St | Building Permit Related(MS) | HVAC - Proposed a new two-storey detached ancillary building containing a two-unit laneway suite in the rear yard of a semi-detached dwelling. | — | Open |
| Oct 21, 2026 | 228A Queen St W | Sign Building Permit Related | 1 wall sign.***NAWABS LEGENDARY BBQ*** | — | Open |
| Oct 21, 2026 | 443 Bathurst St | Multiple Projects | Proposal to convert the existing dwelling to a four-unit dwelling | $650K | Open |
| Oct 21, 2026 | 443 Bathurst St | Building Permit Related(PS) | Plumbing - Proposal to convert the existing dwelling to a four-unit dwelling | — | Open |
| Oct 21, 2026 | 443 Bathurst St | Building Permit Related(MS) | HVAC - Proposal to convert the existing dwelling to a four-unit dwelling | — | Open |
| Oct 21, 2026 | 412 Dundas St W | Fire Alarm | Fire Alarm Panel and Annunciator Replacement. | $5K | Open |
| Oct 20, 2026 | 62 Henry St | Building Permit Related(PS) | Plumbing - Fire damage repair. | — | Open |
| Oct 20, 2026 | 482A Queen St W | Building Permit Related(MS) | HVAC - Proposed interior fit-out of an existing commercial unit for a new Mr. Sub Restaurant, | — | Open |
| Oct 20, 2026 | 28 Grange Ave | New Building | REVISION 2 - Major changes include interior layout modification to dwelling unit 3.Proposed 3 storey sixplex dwelling | — | New build |
| Oct 19, 2026 | 32 Augusta Ave | Garage | Repair of the existing detached wood-frame garage at the rear of the lot (32 Augusta Avenue), replacing deteriorated wall studs, plates, roof joists, roof deck, roofing, cladding and lane doors in kind. No addition, no demolition, no change of use, no change to the footprint or height. | $15K | Open |
| Oct 19, 2026 | 21 Oxford St | Building Permit Related(PS) | Plumbing - Propose to add a below grade separate entrance in the front yard, and legalize the existing finished basement as additional living space for the existing rooming house. | — | Open |
| Oct 19, 2026 | 21 Oxford St | Building Permit Related (DR) | Drain - Propose to add a below grade separate entrance in the front yard, and legalize the existing finished basement as additional living space for the existing rooming house. | — | Open |
| Oct 19, 2026 | 610 University Ave | Other(BA) | Structural Repairs and Minor Mechanical Work at Rooftop Cooling Tower | $450K | Open |
| Oct 19, 2026 | 522 University Ave | Interior Alterations | Proposal for Interior Alterations to 9th floor unit. Six New Offices in existing office space and Mechanical/Electrical work in the Lan/Electrical Room. | $200K | Open |
The 40 most recent of 10,821 permits on record. Figures come from the City’s active and cleared permit datasets, refreshed daily — what that covers, and what it misses.