You've decided to build that addition, finally tackle the deck, or knock out that wall that's been bothering you since 2018. You call us, we get to work — and then it happens. We ask for your property survey. Cue the sound of drawers being opened, old folders being rifled through, and the slow realization that you have absolutely no idea where it is. Sound familiar? You're not alone. The good news is that getting your hands on a property survey in the GTA is easier than you think — and we're going to walk you through exactly how to do it.
First — Why Do You Need a Survey?
A property survey (officially called a Plan of Survey or Reference Plan in Ontario) is a legal document prepared by a licensed Ontario Land Surveyor. It shows the exact boundaries of your property, the location of your home and any existing structures, and key measurements like setbacks and easements.
When you apply for a building permit in the GTA, your municipality needs to know precisely where your property lines are. Without this, we can't accurately show how far your proposed addition, deck, or garage sits from the boundary — and that setback information is non-negotiable for permit approval. In short: no survey, no permit drawings, no permit.
Not every project requires a brand new survey. In many cases, an existing survey from when you purchased your home is perfectly fine — as long as no major changes have been made to the property since. We'll always let you know what's needed for your specific project and municipality.
Two Ways to Get Your Survey
Search Online — protectyourboundaries.ca
The fastest option for most GTA homeowners is Protect Your Boundaries, an Ontario-based service that maintains the largest database of existing survey plans and property registry information in the province.
Simply search your address, and if a survey exists in their database, you can download it directly — often for a modest fee. The site also offers Buyer's Reports, Seller's Reports, Easement Reports, fence and boundary stakeouts, and the option to commission a brand new survey if one isn't available or if your property has changed significantly.
They're a proud member of the Association of Ontario Land Surveyors, so you know you're getting the real thing. It's the first place we recommend clients check.
Visit protectyourboundaries.ca →Request Historical Records from Your Municipality
Here's a lesser-known option that surprises a lot of homeowners: your municipality keeps historical records of every building permit, survey, and set of drawings ever filed for your property. In most GTA cities, you can request these records — sometimes for free, or for a small administrative fee.
If your home has had additions, renovations, or permit work done over the decades, there's a good chance a survey was submitted as part of those applications and is sitting in an archive at your local building department. This is especially useful for older homes where the original survey is hard to track down elsewhere.
City of Toronto
Visit the Toronto Building portal online or go in person to a building customer service counter. Request all historical permit records for your address, including any drawings and surveys on file.
City of Mississauga
Contact Mississauga's 311 service or visit the Civic Centre to request historical permit and drawing records through the Building division.
City of Brampton
Use Brampton's online permit inquiry portal or contact Building Services directly to request records on file for your property address.
All Other GTA Municipalities
The process is similar across Markham, Vaughan, Richmond Hill, Oakville, Burlington, and beyond — contact your local building department and ask for historical permit records for your address.
A Word of Warning — Or Rather, a Word of Curiosity
Here's where things get interesting. When you request your home's historical records from the city, you're not just getting surveys and site plans. You're getting everything ever filed for your property — every permit application, every set of drawings, every renovation recorded since the home was built.
For most people, this is a completely unremarkable pile of paperwork. But every now and then, a homeowner pulls their historical records and discovers something wonderfully unexpected. A room that doesn't appear on any current plans. A doorway that was sealed off decades ago and never mentioned again. A basement layout that looks nothing like what's actually down there today. An addition that was apparently permitted in 1974 and, based on the drawings, should be about six feet further to the left than it actually is.
We've heard stories. There may or may not be a secret room hiding behind a wall somewhere in a mid-century Toronto semi — and the only clue was a dusty set of permit drawings from 1962. We're not saying your home has a hidden room. But we're also not not saying that. Pull your records. You might be surprised what your house has been keeping from you.
On a more practical note — discovering discrepancies between your home's historical drawings and its current state is genuinely useful information for your permit application. If your home has been altered without permits over the years, we can address that through our permit legalization service, turning those records into a starting point for getting everything properly documented and approved.
What If No Survey Exists?
If your property isn't in the Protect Your Boundaries database and the city has nothing on file, you'll need a new survey commissioned from a licensed Ontario Land Surveyor. This is a standard part of many permit projects — particularly for new additions, garages, and anything requiring precise setback measurements.
Protect Your Boundaries offers a full new survey service through their platform at protectyourboundaries.ca. Alternatively, you can find a licensed surveyor through the Association of Ontario Land Surveyors (AOLS) directory at aols.org.
When you reach out to GTA Permits for a quote, just let us know your situation — whether you have an existing survey, think one might be on file with the city, or need to get one commissioned. We'll tell you exactly what's required for your project and take it from there.