Is a heritage property exempt from Ottawa permit exemptions?

No: on a designated heritage property, the City of Ottawa's permit exemptions do not apply. The City states plainly that "Designated Heritage Buildings or buildings located within a Heritage District Overlay are not subject to exemptions."

That means work you might do on an ordinary house without a building permit, such as landscaping, still requires a permit on a designated property if it meets the definition of construction under the Building Code Act. Under that Act, "construct" includes "to do anything in the erection, installation, extension or material alteration or repair of a building," so even a repair can be construction requiring a permit.

Heritage approval adds a separate layer. Under the Ontario Heritage Act, a Part IV designated owner shall not alter the property in a way likely to affect its heritage attributes without council's written consent. In a heritage conservation district, no owner shall alter any part of the property other than the interior without a heritage permit, except for minor alterations described in the district plan. The City notes that heritage approval does not meet the requirements for a building permit: you may need both, separately.

Some district plans do carve out routine maintenance from the heritage permit requirement. The Centretown and Minto Park plan, for example, lists "regular ongoing maintenance such as repointing and foundation repairs using heritage methods and materials" as not requiring a heritage permit. The Wilbrod/Laurier and Daly Avenue plans carry a similar maintenance exemption. If your property is in one of the other 17 districts, check your district's plan or contact the City's heritage staff at heritage@ottawa.ca. For a Part IV designated property, check your designation by-law.

For the building permit side, repointing, brick replacement and stone wall repair are not listed on the City's exempt projects list, nor on its permit-required list. The guidance is to ask the City directly at buildingpermits@ottawa.ca. For any structural repair or rebuilding of a wall section, it may be construction under the Act; ask the City before work begins.

Before any quote is accepted, ask the mason whether the work as quoted needs a heritage permit, a building permit, both or neither, and who will apply.