- Speak to the Heritage Planning staff about your alteration plans before submitting your application. Show them your plans, photographs or sketches. Heritage staff will then advise you on what kind of permit you need. Call 613-546-4291 ext. 1389, email heritageplanning@cityofkingston.ca or visit the Heritage Resource Centre to discuss your project.
- Set up a DASH account
- Submit a completed permit application online. Upload all necessary plans, photos and supporting information to DASH prior to 4:30 p.m. on the appropriate deadline date.
- Applications that require Council approval are reviewed by City staff and provided to the Heritage Properties Committee for review and a recommendation to Council. Check out the agenda for each committee meeting, when available.
- You (or someone you have appointed to represent you) should attend the committee meeting. At the meeting, you can discuss your application with the committee. The committee will forward its recommendation to Council, as applicable.
- The Heritage Properties Committee will share its recommendation with City Council, who will decide whether to approve your application. This usually happens at the Council meeting about two weeks after the committee meets. Sometimes, if everyone agrees on the recommendation, the Director of Heritage Services can approve the application without involving Council.
- The Clerk's Office will send you a written notice of Council's decision. The Heritage Planning staff will send you a Scope of Work Form (your permit) for posting on the job site.
- The Building Department can then issue a building permit (if required) for the work.
- When the work is completed, contact Heritage Planning Staff who will arrange a time to inspect the work.
Heritage Permits
Canada Post mail could be disrupted as of Friday, Nov. 15, 2024. Please do not mail payments and other time-sensitive documents during a postal disruption. Learn about how to handle bills, payments, permit applications and more.
According to the Ontario Heritage Act, if you want to make changes to or remove anything on a heritage-designated property in a way that might affect its historical features, you need a permit.
For any property that is designated as heritage or located in a heritage conservation district, the City Council or the Director of Heritage Services on behalf of Council, must formally approve your plans before you can receive a Building Permit.
Apply online through DASH (Development and Services Hub), our online portal that gives you 24/7 access to municipal development services and active development activity.
What changes require council or staff approval?
These changes could involve:
- Altering or tearing down parts of a building, like the roof, porch, steps, windows or trim
- Repairing the masonry
- Making big changes to the landscaping
- Adding new structures to the property, whether they are attached to the main building or separate from it
However, if Council defines your changes as maintenance, you don't need approval. This rule applies to all individually designated properties and those within Heritage Conservation Districts. You can find out more about the requirements around window or masonry work on your heritage property by referring to the Heritage Masonry Restoration Policy or Window Renovations in Heritage Buildings Policy.
Heritage permit guide
Please check your property's heritage status. Is it designated under the Ontario Heritage Act, or is it just listed as a heritage property?
- If your property has a heritage designation, you need to apply for permission before making any changes or demolishing it.
- If your property is listed as a heritage property (not designated), it is a good idea to talk to the City's Heritage Planning staff about your plans, but you do not have to go through a formal approval process to make changes, but do need to give notice through DASH (apply for “Other Heritage Act Requests”) if you are planning to demolish any part of it.
Application submission checklist
Applications to the Heritage Properties Committee are due by 4:30 p.m. on the dates listed below.
All applications for Heritage Permit, Heritage Pre-Consultation or Other Heritage Act Requests are accepted through DASH.
| Due Date | Committee Meeting |
| Nov. 1, 2023 | Dec. 20, 2023 |
| Dec. 7, 2023 | Jan. 24, 2024 |
| Jan. 3, 2024 | Feb. 21, 2024 |
| Jan. 31, 2024 | March 20, 2024 |
| Feb. 28, 2024 | April 17, 2024 |
| March 27, 2024 | May 15, 2024 |
| May 1, 2024 | June 19, 2024 |
| May 29, 2024 | July 17, 2024 |
| July 3, 2024 | Aug. 21, 2024 |
| July 31, 2024 | Sept. 18, 2024 |
| Aug. 28, 2024 | Oct. 16, 2024 |
| Oct. 2, 2024 | Nov. 20, 2024 |
| Oct. 30, 2024 | Dec. 18, 2024 |
Heritage Bylaw and Grants
The Heritage Bylaw aims to protect cultural heritage resources by outlining the framework for managing heritage properties in Kingston. The bylaw includes definitions, permit application processes, and delegation of authority information.
As a Heritage property owner, you can apply for a heritage grant to help fund your conservation or restoration projects.
Contact
Heritage Services Department
216 Ontario Street
Kingston, ON K7L 2Z3
heritageplanning
@cityokingston.ca
Phone: 613-546-4291 ext. 1389
Fax: 613-542-9965
The City of Kingston acknowledges that we are on the traditional homeland of the Anishinaabe, Haudenosaunee and the Huron-Wendat, and thanks these nations for their care and stewardship over this shared land.
Today, the City is committed to working with Indigenous peoples and all residents to pursue a united path of reconciliation.
Learn more about the City's reconciliation initiatives.
