How to Draw a Site Plan for a Building Permit in Mississauga

If you are applying for a building permit in City of Mississauga, the site plan needs to do more than show where the project goes. City of Mississauga's residential permit guidance asks for a metric-scale drawing with the municipal address, legal description, dimensioned property lines, existing buildings, proposed construction, setbacks, rights-of-way, easements, landscaped areas, hard surfaces, and project-specific site statistics.

This guide explains how to draw a site plan for a building permit in City of Mississauga for common homeowner projects, including accessory structures, garage conversions, additional residential units, below-grade entrances, decks, porches, balconies, basement work, garden suites, and residential exterior alterations.

New to site plans?

If this is your first one, read what a site plan is and why you need one in Ontario first. It covers how a site plan differs from a survey, a floor plan and an elevation, what setbacks and easements actually mean, and why municipalities ask for the drawing at all. Then come back here for what City of Mississauga expects on top of that.

City of Mississauga repeatedly asks for metric scale, dimensioned property lines, and a legal description with lot and plan numbers, so the final permit plan has to sit on a reliable survey, property records, or another accurate scaled base drawing. Online maps can help with early planning, but they are not a substitute for a permit-ready City of Mississauga site plan.

Do you need a site plan?

You usually need a site plan for City of Mississauga residential permit projects that change the exterior of the property, add a structure, convert space in a way that affects parking or entrances, or require zoning review.

City of Mississauga publishes a "drawings and documents you need" page for each project type — find yours and read it alongside this page:

• Deck, porch or balcony
• Accessory structure — shed, gazebo, detached garage
• Below-grade entrance
• Additional residential unit conversions
• Garage conversion
• Residential exterior alteration
• New house or garden suite
• Finished basement

The site plan is especially important when the project affects setbacks, lot coverage, driveway width, walkway attachments, hard landscaped areas, soft landscaped areas, grading, parking, entrances, easements, rights-of-way, or the relationship between the house and accessory structures.

Create a site plan for free using HomeCat that gets your building permit approved in City of Mississauga. Get started

Site plan requirements for building permits in City of Mississauga

The exact City of Mississauga requirements depend on the project type, but a residential site plan commonly needs:

• Metric scale
• North arrow
• Municipal address
• Legal description, including lot and plan numbers
• Dimensioned property lines
• Existing buildings and accessory structures labelled "existing"
• Proposed construction hatched and labelled "PROPOSED"
• Overall building dimensions
• Rights-of-way and easements
• Landscaped areas and hard surfaces, including driveways and walkways
• Setbacks from property lines to new structures or project features
• Site statistics, such as lot area, lot frontage, lot coverage, and what is included in coverage when required
• Driveway width, driveway setbacks, driveway surface treatment, and walkway attachment width when the project affects driveway or walkway review
• Grading information, established grade calculations, and grade points when required

Use the City of Mississauga permit page for your project type first. The same base plan can often be reused, but each project emphasizes different details.

Accessory structures, sheds, gazebos, and detached garages

For an accessory structure such as a shed, gazebo, or detached garage, show the proposed construction hatched and labelled "PROPOSED" in capital letters. Add metric scale, north arrow, municipal address, legal description, dimensioned property lines, existing buildings, overall building dimensions, rights-of-way, easements, hard surfaces, landscaped areas, setbacks from all property lines to all new structures, and site statistics.

City of Mississauga also asks for driveway and walkway details for this permit type, including driveway width, driveway setback to adjacent property lines, driveway surface treatment, and the width of any walkway attachment to the driveway. Where grading applies, include the established grade calculation and show the points used for established grade on the site plan.

Garage Site plan example in City of Mississauga

Additional residential unit conversions and garage conversions

For an additional residential unit conversion or garage conversion, the site plan should clearly show the house, porch, exterior stairs, accessory buildings, deck, pool, driveway, walkways, patios, entrances, setbacks, and dimensions.

Label entrances to the existing house, the proposed accessory apartment, and any secondary or other entrances. Show setbacks for the house, accessory buildings, deck, pool, driveway, walkways, and patios. Add property-line dimensions, driveway dimensions, and the interior dimensions of the garage when the project is a garage conversion. Review the zoning by-law parking requirements and indicate the applicable parking information in the site statistics.

Conversion Site plan example in City of Mississauga

Below-grade entrances

For a below-grade entrance, hatch the proposed entrance and label it "PROPOSED" in capital letters. Include the metric scale, north arrow, municipal address, legal description, dimensioned property lines, existing buildings and accessory structures, overall building dimensions, rights-of-way, easements, landscaped areas, hard surfaces, and setbacks from all property lines to the proposed below-grade entrance.

Because below-grade entrances can affect side-yard space, stairs, drainage, and nearby hard surfaces, make the entrance location and dimensions easy to find.

Decks, porches, and balconies

For a deck, porch, or balcony, show the proposed construction hatched and labelled "PROPOSED." Add the metric scale, north arrow, municipal address, legal description, dimensioned property lines, existing buildings and accessory structures, overall building dimensions, rights-of-way, easements, landscaped areas, hard surfaces, and setbacks from all property lines to new and existing structures.

City of Mississauga also asks for site statistics for this project type, including lot area, lot frontage, lot coverage in square metres and percent, and a breakdown of what is included in lot coverage.

Finished basements

For a finished basement, the site plan still needs the property context even though the work is inside the house. Show the metric scale, north arrow, municipal address, legal description, existing buildings and accessory structures labelled "existing," dimensioned property lines, overall building dimensions, rights-of-way, easements, landscaped areas, and hard surfaces such as driveways and walkways.

Garden suites

For a garden suite, prepare a detailed site plan. Show the proposed construction hatched and labelled "PROPOSED" in capital letters, existing buildings and accessory structures, property-line dimensions, overall building dimensions, rights-of-way, easements, landscaped areas, hard surfaces, and setbacks from all property lines to new and existing structures and encroachments such as porches, stairs, window wells, and decks.

Add the site statistics City of Mississauga asks for: lot area, lot frontage, lot coverage, gross floor area infill residential figure with floor-by-floor breakdown, garage area, driveway-yard area, and landscaped soft area of the yard where the driveway is located. Also include driveway width, driveway setbacks, driveway surface treatment, walkway attachment width, air conditioner location and setback, window well locations and setbacks, and dwelling unit depth.

Residential exterior alterations

For residential exterior alterations, show the proposed construction hatched and labelled "PROPOSED" in capital letters. Include the metric scale, north arrow, municipal address, legal description, existing buildings, accessory structures, dimensioned property lines, overall building dimensions, rights-of-way, easements, landscaped areas, hard surfaces, and setbacks from all property lines to the proposed alteration.

How to draw your City of Mississauga site plan

The quickest route is to create a site plan with HomeCat — walk your property with your phone and get a permit-ready drawing back, free.

If you would rather draw it yourself, our DIY guide to drawing a site plan in Ontario covers all three methods step by step: from a survey, from a Google Maps screenshot, or by hand.

For City of Mississauga, go straight to the survey method. The City's checklists ask for metric scale, a legal description with lot and plan numbers, and dimensioned property lines, and a boundary traced from an aerial photo will not carry any of that reliably.

If you do not have a survey, look through your closing documents, ask your real estate lawyer, closing agent, or mortgage company, or submit a Freedom of Information request to City of Mississauga. Read our guide to getting a property survey in Ontario before paying for a new one.

Once the base drawing is done, add the City of Mississauga layer on top: hatch the proposed construction and label it "PROPOSED" in capital letters, label existing buildings and accessory structures "existing," and put the site statistics beside the plan as a small table rather than loose notes — lot area, lot frontage, lot coverage in square metres and percent, and, depending on the project, driveway width and surface treatment, walkway attachment width, and the established grade calculation with the points used for it.

Create a site plan for free using HomeCat that gets your building permit approved in City of Mississauga. Get started

Site plan examples for permit for City of Mississauga

City of Mississauga provides local site plan examples for an accessory structure or detached garage and for additional residential unit or garage conversion work. Use the example closest to your project and copy the level of detail, not the sample dimensions.

The garage example is useful for accessory structures because it shows how to organize proposed construction, setbacks, property information, site statistics, driveway details, hard surfaces, landscaping, and grading notes.

Garage Site plan example in City of Mississauga

The conversion example is useful when the project affects entrances, parking, garage dimensions, driveway information, and the relationship between the house, accessory buildings, decks, pools, walkways, patios, and property lines.

Conversion Site plan example in City of Mississauga

Common site plan mistakes that delay your building permit in City of Mississauga

Most City of Mississauga site plan delays come from missing property information, missing metric dimensions, or leaving out the project-specific details listed on the permit page.

Missing metric scale or legal property information

City of Mississauga's site plan checklists repeatedly ask for metric scale, municipal address, legal description, and dimensioned property lines. Add the lot and plan numbers, keep the drawing scaled, and make the property boundary dimensions visible.

Forgetting to label existing and proposed work

Label existing buildings and accessory structures as "existing." Hatch the new work and label it "PROPOSED" when City of Mississauga asks for that format. The reviewer should not have to infer which part of the drawing is new.

Missing setbacks

Setbacks are central to the review. Add dimensions from the proposed work to the relevant property lines. For projects such as additional residential unit conversions, garage conversions, decks, pools, driveways, walkways, and patios, show the setbacks that match the project type.

Leaving out hard surfaces, landscaped areas, or driveway details

Show driveways, walkways, patios, and landscaped areas when the permit guide asks for them. For accessory structures and garden suites, include driveway width, driveway setbacks to adjacent property lines, driveway surface treatment, and walkway attachment width where applicable.

Missing site statistics

For projects that require site statistics, add lot area, lot frontage, lot coverage in square metres and percent, and the breakdown of what is included in coverage. For garden suites and conversions, add the extra statistics City of Mississauga asks for, including parking, floor-area, garage-area, driveway-yard, and landscaped-soft-area information when relevant.

Treating grading as optional when the checklist asks for it

Accessory structures and some larger residential projects may need grading information, including an established grade calculation and the points used for the calculation. Put those notes on the site plan instead of waiting for a review comment.

Frequently asked questions about site plans

Can homeowners prepare and submit their own drawings in City of Mississauga?

Yes. In Ontario, homeowners can generally prepare drawings for a house they own because the Ontario Building Code exempts design work for "a house owned by the person" from the usual designer qualification requirements under Division C, Article 3.2.5.1.(3)(b)(i). City of Mississauga can still require the site plan to be scaled, dimensioned, complete, and detailed enough for permit review.

What if City of Mississauga asks me to fill out Schedule 1: Designer Information?

For "Design activities undertaken by individual identified in Section B," select House. In the description, enter the actual project, such as "deck," "porch," "below-grade entrance," "garage conversion," "accessory structure," or "garden suite."

Under "Declaration of Designer," choose The design work is exempt from the registration and qualification requirements of the Building Code. For "Basis for exemption from registration and qualification," write Homeowner.

Where can I get a legal property survey in City of Mississauga?

Start with your closing documents, then ask your real estate lawyer, closing agent, or mortgage company. If you still cannot find one, submit a Freedom of Information request to City of Mississauga for available records.

Read our Ontario ultimate guide for getting a property survey before ordering a new survey.

Does my survey need to be recent?

An older Ontario Land Surveyor survey can still be useful if it accurately shows the property boundaries and existing conditions. Update the site plan so it reflects the property today, including current accessory structures, driveways, walkways, patios, entrances, pools, window wells, air conditioner locations, hard surfaces, landscaped areas, and the proposed work.

If the survey does not match the current property or the project depends on exact setbacks, ask City of Mississauga what it will accept before submitting.

Can I use Google Maps for my City of Mississauga site plan?

Use Google Maps only for private planning. It can help you understand the lot layout before you draw, but City of Mississauga's permit checklists call for metric scale, legal description, dimensioned property lines, setbacks, and other details that an online map screenshot does not provide reliably.

What if City of Mississauga rejects my site plan?

Read the review comments and revise the drawing to answer each one directly. Common fixes include adding the metric scale, legal description, dimensioned property lines, north arrow, existing and proposed labels, setbacks, site statistics, driveway details, grading notes, hard surfaces, landscaped areas, easements, rights-of-way, entrance labels, or parking information.

When do I need a professional drawing?

You may need professional help when the project is structural, engineered, complex, tied to grading or drainage, close to a property line or easement, or when City of Mississauga specifically requires a qualified professional. For the property-location part of the package, start with accurate property information and the City of Mississauga checklist for your project type.

Conclusion

A good beginner site plan for City of Mississauga is a clear metric drawing that shows the property, existing conditions, proposed work, setbacks, hard surfaces, landscaped areas, rights-of-way, easements, and the project-specific statistics required for your building permit. Start from reliable property information, label the proposed work clearly, and make every required measurement easy for the reviewer to find.

Create a site plan for free using HomeCat that gets your building permit approved in City of Mississauga. Get started