BOULDER & BEAMOWEN SOUND & GREY-BRUCE Book Your Free Assessment
01  —  HOMEOWNER RESOURCES

The links we’d send you anyway.

Permit portals and zoning maps for every Grey-Bruce municipality, the rebate programs that are actually open, the products we build with, and the building-science reading behind how we work. Collected in one place so you don’t have to dig. Bookmark it.

16 MUNICIPALITIES BUILT FOR GREY-BRUCE LAST REVIEWED AUG 2026
Building Permits Zoning By-laws Conservation Authorities Rebates & Tax Credits Ontario Building Code Building Science Products We Trust Calculators & Maps Our Guides
02Permits & Zoning

Find your municipality.

Building permits and septic permits are issued by your local municipality’s building department — every one below now takes applications through the Cloudpermit portal. Zoning (setbacks, lot coverage, what you’re allowed to build) is a separate by-law, and for most of Grey-Bruce the fastest way to check your zone is the county’s interactive map. When you hire us, we handle the permit as part of the job.

Grey County

Owen Sound

Cloudpermit applications; the zoning page links the City’s own interactive GIS zoning map. Properties near the river or bay may also need a GSCA permit.

Grey County

Georgian Bluffs

Building and septic applications go through the Township building department. Zoning By-law 2020-020 text and schedules are on the planning page.

Grey County

Chatsworth

Cloudpermit applications. A new Comprehensive Zoning By-law (2025-12) was adopted in 2025 — check the planning page rather than an older PDF you may have saved.

Grey County

Meaford

New builds, additions, accessory structures, and septic systems all through the Meaford building department. Zoning By-law 60-2009 with PDF maps and an online zoning map.

Grey County

The Blue Mountains

Cloudpermit, residential permit guides, and septic permits. Escarpment properties often need Niagara Escarpment Commission approval before the Town will issue a permit.

Grey County

Grey Highlands

Building, demolition, and septic permits via Cloudpermit, plus septic-maintenance and radon resources. No interactive map on the zoning page — email Planning to confirm your zone.

Grey County

West Grey

Cloudpermit portal; septic permits use a Schedule 2A sewage form through the building department. Zoning By-law 37-2006, with instructions for finding your zone on Grey County Maps.

Grey County

Hanover

Permit requirements and the Cloudpermit application system. Comprehensive Zoning By-law with a Schedule A map on the planning page — no interactive viewer.

Grey County

Southgate

Cloudpermit applications; septic permits need a Schedule 2A form and a licensed installer. The planning page links the consolidated zoning by-law and points to Grey County Maps.

Bruce County

South Bruce Peninsula

Cloudpermit; sewage system permits are issued by the Town’s Building Division. Consolidated Zoning By-law 122-2009 — check your zone on Bruce County Maps under the Land Use Planning layers.

Bruce County

Northern Bruce Peninsula

Cloudpermit; the municipal Building Department issues septic permits and publishes its own Septic System Guidelines. Zoning By-law 2002-54 as amended, with a link to Bruce County mapping.

Bruce County

Saugeen Shores

Cloudpermit; a septic design and permit is part of the required documents for unserviced lots. The zoning page links the by-law and Bruce County’s interactive zoning map, searchable by address or roll number.

Bruce County

Kincardine

Cloudpermit; septic permits through the building department. A new Comprehensive Zoning By-law (2025-052) is in effect — the page links it and Bruce County’s zoning map viewer.

Bruce County

Brockton

Cloudpermit e-permitting (or by mail, email, or in person); a new septic system needs a building permit from the municipality. New Comprehensive Zoning By-law 2026-056, with Bruce County mapping.

Bruce County

Arran-Elderslie

Permit requirements and Cloudpermit tracking. Zoning By-law 36-09; planning services are provided by Bruce County planners out of the Chesley office.

Bruce County

Huron-Kinloss

Cloudpermit applications; sewage system permits are issued by the Township building department. Comprehensive Zoning By-law 2019-98 with an interactive zoning map.

Which approvals apply to your lot?

A building permit is only the last step. Depending on where the property sits you may first need a conservation authority permit (near water, wetlands, slopes, or floodplain), a Niagara Escarpment Commission development permit (inside the Escarpment Plan area), or a county planning approval (severance, minor variance). Every agency below publishes a map — check your address on each before you fall in love with a design.

County planning & approval agencies
Grey County — Land Use Planning The county planning hub: application forms, active development, and planner contacts. Severances and most planning applications in Grey municipalities route through here. grey.ca Grey County Maps Interactive mapping for property lines, zoning, and planning layers across Grey County. Several municipalities point you here to find your zone. maps.grey.ca Grey County Official Plan (Recolour Grey) The county-wide policy layer that sits above every local zoning by-law — where land-use designations, settlement boundaries, and rural policies come from. grey.ca Bruce County — Planning & Development Bruce County planners handle the planning applications for all Bruce municipalities — severances, minor variances, zoning amendments. brucecounty.on.ca Bruce County Maps The interactive maps hub with land-use, zoning, and property layers for every Bruce municipality. Search by address or roll number. gis.brucecounty.on.ca Bruce County Official Plan (Plan the Bruce) A new County Official Plan was adopted by Council in July 2026 and is awaiting provincial approval — the current plan stays in effect until then. This is where to follow it. planthebruce.ca IN TRANSITION Grey Sauble Conservation — Permits & Regulations Ontario Reg. 41/24 permits for work near watercourses, wetlands, shorelines, and hazard lands in GSCA’s member municipalities (Owen Sound, Georgian Bluffs, Meaford, and more). greysauble.on.ca GSCA — Regulated Area Map Type in your address to see whether any part of the property falls inside a GSCA-regulated area. Do this before you plan an addition toward the water. greysauble.on.ca Saugeen Valley Conservation — Permits & Planning Property map and online permit application for the Saugeen watershed — most of Bruce County and southern Grey. Straight septic replacements usually don’t need an SVCA permit. saugeenconservation.ca Nottawasaga Valley Conservation — Find Your Property Parts of The Blue Mountains and Grey Highlands drain to the Nottawasaga, so NVCA is the authority there. Check the map, then see their how-to-apply page. nvca.on.ca Niagara Escarpment — Am I in the Plan Area? Interactive map of the Niagara Escarpment Plan Area and Area of Development Control. Inside it, the NEC — not just the municipality — has to approve most construction. escarpment.org Niagara Escarpment — Do You Need a Permit? The three-step check: location, exemptions, and applying through the NEC’s online portal. Budget extra time — NEC approval comes before the municipal permit, not alongside it. escarpment.org Grey County — Road & Entrance Permits A new or widened driveway onto a County road needs a County entrance permit — allow up to four weeks. New garages and additions get stalled on this more often than on the building permit. Local roads: ask your municipality instead. grey.ca Bruce County — Transportation Permits Entrance permits for driveways onto Bruce County roads come from Transportation & Environmental Services. Contact them before any grading — a culvert placed without the permit gets pulled. brucecounty.on.ca MTO — Building & Entrance Permits Near Highways On a provincial highway (6, 10, 21, 26) the Ministry — not the county — permits new entrances, buildings, and even grading within the corridor setback. Applications go through the online HCMS portal. ontario.ca MNRF — Shore Land Work Permits Anything built or placed below the high-water mark — docks, shoreline stairs, fill, retaining walls — usually needs a Public Lands Act work permit, with small docks exempt. Fish habitat rules from DFO can apply on top. Check before the waterfront stairs. ontario.ca Ontario One Call — Locates Before You Dig Free, and legally required before any excavation — fence posts, deck footings, septic beds, foundations. Allow several business days; nobody digs without the locate paperwork on site. ontarioonecall.ca Ontario Citizen’s Guide to Land Use Planning Plain-language provincial explainer for official plans, zoning by-laws, minor variances, severances, and appeals. Read the zoning and severance chapters before your first meeting with a planner. ontario.ca
03Rules & Hiring

The code, your rights, and who’s allowed to do what.

The Ontario Building Code sets the floor for every project. Electrical and fuel work are licensed trades with their own regulators, and anyone can verify a contractor’s coverage in a few minutes. We’d rather you check us than take our word for it.

Ontario’s Building Code The provincial hub for the Code — what’s in force, how to get a copy, and compliance guidance. The 2024 Code took effect January 1, 2025. ontario.ca 2024 Building Code Compendium (free PDF) The full two-volume Code as a free download. Volume 2 holds SB-1 — the table of design snow loads, wind pressures, and heating degree-days for Owen Sound, Wiarton, and every other Ontario location. publications.gov.on.ca Building Code Updates & Amendments Where the province posts changes to the Code after an edition is published. Worth a glance if your project was designed a while ago. ontario.ca Your Rights When Starting Home Renovations Consumer Protection Ontario’s guide to renovation contracts: what has to be in writing, deposit rules, and the 10-day cooling-off period on contracts signed in your home. ontario.ca WSIB — Clearance Certificates A clearance means the contractor’s WSIB account is in good standing — so a worker hurt on your property isn’t your liability. Anyone can look one up by business name; ask for it before work starts. wsib.ca Skilled Trades Ontario — Public Register Look up whether a tradesperson holds a valid Certificate of Qualification or is a registered apprentice. Red Seal carpenters, electricians, and plumbers all appear here. skilledtradesontario.ca ESA — Hire a Licensed Electrical Contractor Only a Licensed Electrical Contractor can legally do electrical work in your home, and nearly all of it needs an ESA notification filed before it starts. Here’s how to verify a licence. esasafe.com TSSA — Find a Registered Fuel Contractor Anyone touching a gas, propane, or oil appliance has to be TSSA-registered. Search the registry before a furnace swap, fireplace install, or propane line. tssa.org CHBA — How to Find a Renovator The national builders’ association’s guide to hiring: written contracts, insurance, warranties, and why the cash deal always costs more than it saves. chba.ca Insurance Bureau of Canada — Home Insurance Basics Tell your insurer before a major renovation — it’s your responsibility, and an unreported addition or a house left empty during a reno can void a claim. Ask your broker about vacancy clauses and whether the contractor’s liability is confirmed. ibc.ca Who Is the “Constructor”? (OHSA) Hire several trades yourself with no general contractor and you can legally become the site’s “constructor” under the Occupational Health and Safety Act — with the safety liability that comes with it. The Ministry’s guideline explains where the line is. ontario.ca Construction Act — Holdbacks & Liens Ontario law requires owners to hold back 10% of every payment until the lien period ends. It’s why a proper contractor invoices the way they do, and the protection you lose when you pay cash. The Act itself; ask us for the plain-language version. ontario.ca OnLand — Ontario Land Registry Search title records, easements, and registered documents by address or PIN. A registered easement or right-of-way can quietly kill an addition location — find out early. onland.ca WETT — Find a Certified Wood-Heat Professional Insurers want a WETT inspection on any wood stove or fireplace, and a WETT-certified installer for a new one. Half the houses in Grey-Bruce burn wood; this is the search tool. wettinc.ca HCRA — Ontario Builder Directory If you’re buying or commissioning a brand-new home, the builder must be licensed by the HCRA — the directory shows licence status and any regulatory history. Renovations and additions fall outside it. hcraontario.ca Tarion — The New Home Warranty What the statutory warranty on a new Ontario home covers, for how long, and how claims work. Doesn’t apply to renovation work — that’s on your contract. tarion.com
04Rebates & Tax Credits

What’s actually open right now.

Rebate programs open, close, and get renamed faster than most websites update. This list was checked in August 2026 — each card says whether the program is taking applications. If you’re planning insulation, air-sealing, or a heat pump, read the assessment card first: most of the money requires an energy assessment before the work starts.

Home Renovation Savings Program Ontario’s current rebate program (Enbridge + Save on Energy): heat pumps, insulation, air sealing, windows and doors, solar and batteries. This replaced both the Greener Homes Grant and Enbridge HER+. homerenovationsavings.ca OPEN HRSP — Upgrades That Need an Assessment Insulation, air sealing, windows/doors, and heat-pump water heaters only qualify if a registered energy advisor assesses the house first. Bundling upgrades raises the total. homerenovationsavings.ca OPEN Find a Registered Energy Advisor Natural Resources Canada’s list of service organizations that do EnerGuide home evaluations — the assessment the rebate programs require. Book this before you book the contractor. natural-resources.canada.ca Save on Energy — For Your Home The IESO’s hub for residential programs, including the income-qualified Energy Affordability Program and Peak Perks. Check here for anything the HRSP doesn’t cover. saveonenergy.ca OPEN Multigenerational Home Renovation Tax Credit A refundable federal credit on up to $50,000 of costs to build a self-contained secondary unit for a senior or an adult with a disability — the in-law suite addition, basically. canada.ca ACTIVE Home Accessibility Tax Credit Non-refundable federal credit on up to $20,000 a year of accessibility and safety renovations for homeowners 65+ or eligible for the disability tax credit. Ramps, walk-in showers, wider doors. canada.ca ACTIVE CMHC — Refinancing to Add a Secondary Suite Insured refinancing up to 90% of the home’s value to build a legal secondary suite. Talk to your lender; the rules on unit count and owner-occupancy matter. cmhc-schl.gc.ca ACTIVE Ontario Renovates — Grey County Income-tested forgivable loans for major repairs and grants for accessibility modifications, run by Grey County housing. Limited funding, first-come first-served — apply early in the year. grey.ca ACTIVE Ontario Renovates — Bruce County The Bruce County version: income-tested home repair and accessibility funding through Human Services. Intake opens and closes with the budget; call to check status. brucecounty.on.ca ACTIVE GST/HST Rebate for Substantial Renovations A whole-home renovation (90%+ of the interior) or a major addition combined with one can qualify for the federal GST/HST new housing rebate. Almost nobody claims it. CRA guide RC4028 has the test. canada.ca ACTIVE Canada Greener Homes Loan Closed to new applications — the funding is fully committed. Listed here because people still ask; only previously approved loans are being funded. natural-resources.canada.ca CLOSED Enbridge Home Efficiency Rebate Plus (HER+) Closed — intake ended in 2025. If you started a HER+ file, this page still has the wind-down details. Everyone else: the Home Renovation Savings Program is the successor. enbridgegas.com CLOSED
A word on timing

Most envelope and heat-pump rebates are void if the work starts before the pre-assessment. If a rebate matters to your budget, tell us at the first meeting — we’ll sequence the job around the assessment rather than the other way round. Program terms are the program’s, not ours; confirm eligibility on their site before you count on a number.

05Building Science

Why we build the way we build.

Everything on our Air / Water / Thermal page traces back to a handful of sources. If you want to understand what your builder should be doing — or catch one who isn’t — start here. None of it requires an engineering degree.

BSC — The Perfect Wall Joe Lstiburek’s ten-page classic. Every wall, roof, and foundation needs four control layers — water, air, vapour, thermal — in the right order. Read this one if you read nothing else. buildingscience.com NRCan — Keeping the Heat In The free federal homeowner guide to insulation and air-sealing retrofits, room by room: attics, walls, basements, windows. Canadian climate, Canadian assemblies. natural-resources.canada.ca BC Housing — Illustrated Guide to R22+ Walls Clear drawings of wood-frame wall assemblies that hit R22+ effective, with exterior insulation and control layers shown properly. The best pictures of what we’re describing. bchousing.org BSC — Understanding Vapor Barriers The difference between a vapour barrier and an air barrier, and why the 6-mil poly reflex causes rot in a lot of Ontario walls. Read before anyone says “just add poly.” buildingscience.com BSC — Dam Ice Dam Why ice dams form (attic heat melting the snow, not the roof itself) and why the fix is air sealing and insulation, not heat cables. The February question, answered. buildingscience.com Pretty Good House The practical middle ground: a high-performance home without chasing certification. The clearest plain-language book on what’s worth paying for in a build or deep renovation. prettygoodhouse.org CMHC — Moisture and Air: A Householder’s Guide An older CMHC guide that’s still the clearest explanation of condensation, damp basements, and air leakage — and why “just add a vapour barrier” so often makes things worse. publications.gc.ca Green Building Advisor The deep end: thousands of articles and Q&A threads on high-performance details. Some content is paywalled; the free layer is still more than most homeowners will ever need. greenbuildingadvisor.com Passive House Canada The national body for the Passive House standard — the most rigorous performance target in residential building, and the training behind a lot of how we detail envelopes. passivehousecanada.com Health Canada — Radon in Your Home Grey-Bruce sits on limestone and glacial till; radon is common and invisible. What the levels mean, how to test, and what mitigation looks like. Testing is cheap — do it. canada.ca C-NRPP — Find a Certified Radon Professional The Canadian certification for radon measurement and mitigation. If a test comes back high, hire from this list — not whoever answers the phone first. c-nrpp.ca Take Action on Radon — Free Test Kits National program that hands municipalities 100 free long-term radon test kits for residents each fall. Ask your municipality if it’s in; if not, a kit is about $50 and the test runs over winter. takeactiononradon.ca Ontario — Septic Systems The provincial overview of how a septic system works and what you’re responsible for as the owner. Pair it with our septic page and guide below. ontario.ca SepticSmart — Understanding Your Wastewater System Ontario’s homeowner PDF: inspect the tank every 3–5 years, pump when sludge and scum fill about a third of it, and the list of things that should never go down the drain. ontario.ca · PDF Efficiency Canada National research and policy group on energy efficiency. Useful for following where codes and retrofit programs are heading before they land in Ontario. efficiencycanada.org Our Air / Water / Thermal Control page How the four control layers show up on a real Grey-Bruce job — with photos of the membranes, tapes, and insulation before the drywall hides them. boulderandbeam.com
06Products We Use

Buried in the wall for decades. Chosen accordingly.

Membranes, tapes, insulation, and forms disappear into the assembly and have to perform there unseen for the life of the building. These are the systems we love to use on our projects. Nobody pays us to list them, and we’ll happily explain why we’d pick one over the cheaper thing at the box store.

Pro Clima INTELLO PLUS A smart vapour retarder: tightens up in winter, opens in summer so the wall or roof cavity can dry inward. The interior air-sealing layer behind our drywall. foursevenfive.ca · membranes Pro Clima ADHERO 3000 Self-adhered, vapour-open air and water barrier for the outside of the sheathing. Peel-and-stick, no fasteners through it, no flapping house-wrap — the wall is airtight and watertight before the cladding goes on, and can still dry outward. 475.supply · membranes SIGA Swiss air-sealing tapes and membranes (Wigluv, Majvest, Majrex) that stay stuck for decades. The tape at a window flange is the detail that decides whether the wall leaks in year fifteen. siga.swiss · tapes & membranes Huber ZIP System Structural wall and roof sheathing with the water and air barrier bonded on at the factory, seams taped instead of relying on house-wrap flapping in the wind. huberwood.com · sheathing VETTA Windows & Doors Ontario-made, triple-glazed, aluminum-clad wood windows and doors, Passive House certified. Windows are the weakest point in any envelope — these are the ones that don’t undo the rest of the wall. vettawindows.com · windows & doors Sashco Big Stretch Sealant Elastomeric sealant that stretches up to 500% and stays flexible, so exterior joints at trim, siding, and windows survive freeze-thaw movement instead of cracking in the first winter. Our default caulk. sashco.com · sealants Huber AdvanTech Subflooring High-density engineered subfloor panels that shrug off the rain a build site gets before the roof is on. Stiffer, flatter, holds fasteners harder — the reason our floors don’t squeak in year five. huberwood.com · subfloor Stego — StegoHome Below-Slab Barrier Heavy-duty barrier under the basement slab that stops ground moisture and soil gases like radon before they reach your floor. The 6-mil poly it replaces tears if you look at it. stegoindustries.com · below grade ROCKWOOL Comfortboard Rigid stone-wool board used as continuous exterior insulation outside the studs. Non-combustible, drains water, and doesn’t care about getting wet — which in Grey-Bruce it will. rockwool.com · insulation ROCKWOOL — Homeowner Resources The plain-language guides to stone-wool batts for walls, attics, and sound control — and why it behaves differently from fibreglass when there’s fire or moisture involved. rockwool.com · insulation Havelock Wool Sheep’s-wool batt and blow-in insulation. Manages moisture naturally, no chemical binders, and it’s the material we reach for in older houses that need to breathe. havelockwool.com · insulation Hempitecture HempWool Plant-based hemp-fibre batts, roughly R-3.7 per inch, non-toxic and safe to handle without a suit and respirator. Where a client wants low-carbon materials, this is the answer. hempitecture.com · insulation Euroshield Rubber Roofing Recycled-tire rubber shingles made in Calgary, in slate and shake profiles. Hail-rated, won’t crack in a Grey-Bruce freeze-thaw, and carries a 50-year warranty — our composite roofing pick when metal isn’t the look. euroshieldroofing.com · roofing Nexcem ICF Insulated concrete forms made of cement-bonded wood fibre — no polystyrene. Vapour-open, fire-resistant, made in Ontario, and plaster sticks straight to it. nexcembuild.com · foundations Element ICF The system that replaced Logix ICF in 2025 — insulated, reinforced concrete walls formed in one step. Our other go-to for foundations and full-height ICF walls. elementicf.com · foundations Sage Restoration Kingston, Ontario supplier of restoration, conservation, and natural-building materials — the place we source wool insulation, lime, and the traditional products that box stores don’t stock. Homeowners can order direct. sagerestoration.com · supplier Our Concrete Slabs & ICF page Why ICF, how we pour, and what a foundation done properly looks like before the backfill goes in. boulderandbeam.com
07Tools & Maps

Look it up yourself.

Calculators and public records that answer the questions we get asked most — what’s your wall actually worth in R-value, how deep is the well, how much snow does the roof have to carry. Design decisions still need a professional; these get you to the conversation informed.

Effective R-Value Calculator Canadian Wood Council’s tool for the real, whole-wall R-value of common assemblies. Spoiler: an R-20 batt in a 2×6 wall is not an R-20 wall. This is why we put insulation outside the studs. cwc.ca Canadian Beam Calculator Checks wood beam capacity to the national code. Handy for a sanity check on a deck beam or header; anything holding up your house still gets stamped by an engineer. beamcalc.cwc.ca Wood Deck Span Guide Free CWC tables for joist spans, beam sizes, and post dimensions in Canadian lumber. The reference behind every deck permit drawing. cwc.ca Canadian Climate Normals Thirty-year averages for temperature, snowfall, and precipitation by station. Search “Wiarton” or “Owen Sound” to see what a building here actually has to live through. climate.weather.gc.ca AgMaps — Ontario Soil Survey Maps Ontario’s agricultural atlas has a soil-survey layer for every rural lot: soil type, drainage class, stoniness. It’s the first thing we check before talking septic bed or foundation drainage. ontario.ca Ontario Well Records Map Find reported wells near your property and read their records — depth, yield, construction. Essential before siting a septic bed or planning an addition on a rural lot. ontario.ca Grey Bruce Public Health — Well Water Testing Free bacterial testing for private wells, with drop-off locations across both counties. Test after any construction near the well, and at least a couple of times a year regardless. publichealthgreybruce.on.ca How to Read an EnerGuide Rating What the number on an EnerGuide label means (gigajoules per year, lower is better), and how to read the report an energy advisor leaves behind. natural-resources.canada.ca MPAC — AboutMyProperty Review your property assessment and compare with neighbours. Worth knowing that an addition or new garage will get reassessed — budget for the tax change, not just the build. mpac.ca Owen Sound — Waste & Transfer Station Where renovation and demolition debris goes in Owen Sound (Miller Waste transfer station, tipping fees apply). Grey County doesn’t run landfills — every other Grey municipality has its own site; check yours. owensound.ca Bruce County — Waste Management Finder for the municipal landfills and transfer stations across Bruce County, plus the County’s household hazardous waste program. Check hours and fees before loading the trailer. brucecounty.on.ca Deck Permit Checklist (Georgian Bluffs) A typical Grey County building-department checklist of what a deck permit application has to show. Other municipalities ask for nearly the same package — use it as a template. georgianbluffs.ca · PDF

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09  —  GET STARTED

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the links didn’t answer?

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