Electronic Submission – CityView Portal - Town of Bradford West Gwillimbury

BWG's Building Division accepts and reviews all new permit applications and works with the community to ensure that their building/renovation projects meet all the applicable Laws and By-laws, Building Code Act, and the Ontario Building Code. Our services include issuing building permits and inspecting all newly constructed buildings.

These reviews and approvals are meant to ensure that the minimum construction standards established by the Ontario Building Code have been met to protect the health, safety and welfare of both inhabitants and users of buildings.

Electronic Submission Guidelines for Building Permit Application

The BWG's Building Division is now introducing a new building and development experience - CityView Portal.

Through the online portal users can:

Apply for a Building Permit
Check the Status of Applications & Permits
Request a Building Inspection (coming soon)
Pay Building Fees Online (credit card)

Click the button below to access Applications and Permits page within the Dashboard:

Applications and Permits

Building Division offers in-person assistance with electronic submissions at our location for applicants/homeowners who have difficulty with technology. Please ensure to upload all your documents and drawings on a USB drive prior to your visit.

For further information on electronic submission, please see the Frequently Asked Questions section at the bottom of this page or contact Building Division by email or phone 905-775-5366 ext. 1500

Click here to access our Portal Help page.

Submission Requirements

All electronic documents, plans and drawings must be submitted in PDF format.
Forms can be signed by hand or digitally.
Files must be unsecured and not password protected.
Keep filename consistent.
Avoid the use of characters, symbols, and extra spaces in your filenames. (For example, &, *, {}, <>, _)
Avoid inappropriate language in filenames.
Plans/Drawings with multiple pages and sets must be combined into a single Electronic Document (PDF format), flattened, and saved as a separate submittal.
The scale and page size of the plans/drawings on the PDF must match the scale and page size of the full-sized plans/drawings on paper.
Where applicable, Electrical / Emergency Lighting / Fire Alarm, Sprinkler and other Fire Safety Systems must be submitted as part of the Building Permit set.
Where a submission is being made to address a deficiency identified by an Examiner, an electronic copy of the revised plans must be submitted to the Examiner with the changes clearly labelled and red-lined.

Requirement for Scanning

All scanned documents must meet the following requirements:
Plans/drawings must be at a resolution that is easily legible on screen, and the pages must not be skewed.
Scanned resolutions of 1-bit black and white 300 dpi is usually acceptable. For plans/drawings containing fine lines and detail, 600 dpi resolution is required.
Do not reduce the scanned document size.
Scanning documents in full colour is only necessary if it contains photographs.

Portal/Email/USB

Online Portal

Building permit applications for decks, porches, garages, accessory dwelling units, and finished basements can be done through Portal.
Applicants can apply for building permits, check the status of applications, pay fees (credit card), and request Inspections

Email attachments cannot exceed 10MB. If your application package exceeds 10MB, please add a file-sharing application link like One Drive, Google Drive, Dropbox, etc. to the email.

USB drive containing the PDF files

Contain only the PDF files for the Building Permit application. There should be no additional, unrelated documents on the USB drive.
Not contain documents that are compressed or zipped.
For single permit application, must not contain folders of any kind. All files must be readily visible when the USB drive is accessed.
For multiple permit applications, must have their corresponding documents in separate folders.

Frequently Asked Questions

Below is a list of the most Frequently Asked Questions about the mandatory electronic submission of applications, the electronic review of applications and the issuance of building permits, as well as electronic signatures and stamps.

What is Electronic Plan Review?

BWG’s Building Division has an electronic plan review process. As a result, permit applications are processed electronically. If an application is approved, the permit will be issued in PDF format and sent to the applicant electronically.

The applicant must print the documents and drawings that form the Building Permit and keep them on the construction site.

What are complete submission and complete application?

Complete submission means a submission that meets the requirements set out in Section 4 and 5 of the Town's Building By-law.

Complete application means an application that meets the requirements for an application as per Sentence 1.3.1.3 (5) of Division C, Part 1 of the Building Code

Is a hard copy of drawings still required?

Yes, we require three hard copies of full-scale drawings only for large ICI and multi-residential projects or at the Chief Building Official’s request.

How will my permit be delivered?

Your permit will be issued in PDF format and can be downloaded from the CityView Portal.

What do I do next upon receiving the permit package?

You may start the construction at any point.

The permit placard, drawings, and supporting documents must be printed (full-sized and in colour) and kept on site for the Inspector. The permit placard must be displayed in a conspicuous place on the construction site.

An inspection shall be conducted at each stage of the construction – refer to the prescribed notices in the permit package.

Can I still apply in person with paper copies?

Yes, you can still apply in person with paper copies for other application types that are not included in this pilot CityView Portal project.

For in-person applications, all forms, reports, specifications, calculations, plans, and drawings must be submitted electronically on a USB drive. One set of full-scale paper drawings is required until the transition to full electronic processing is complete.

I don’t have an electronic copy of my drawings. How can I submit them?

All applicants including homeowners are required to provide the required information electronically on a USB drive. Applications that do not meet the submission guidelines will not be accepted.

If you do not have an electronic copy, you can either request an electronic copy from the designer or have the drawings scanned at a copy center.

Can BWG’s Building Division scan the drawings and documents for me?

Yes, forms and drawings (up to 11” x 17”) can be scanned by BWG’s Building Division staff.

Applications with illegible paper copies will not be scanned by BWG’s Building Division staff.

Are scanned copies of hand-drawn plans acceptable?

Yes, they are acceptable, as long as they are scanned at a sufficient resolution (300 dpi in general, 600 dpi where necessary for fine details), and meet all other submission requirements.

Can I sign forms digitally?

Yes, digital signatures are acceptable as long as they include full name and date/time stamp or a separate verification page.

Are the stamped and signed drawings to be scanned and submitted?

Unless drawings are manually drafted, scanning should be avoided as quality suffers and the size of the file increases.