Tents and Awnings

You may wish to put a tent, awning or canopy over your outdoor patio to provide protection from the weather. This will allow your restaurant or bar to continue to serve outdoors during light rain. Depending on the size and type of tent, you may need to apply for a building permit.

Tents exempt from building permits

A tent or group of tents are exempt from building permits if they are:

Not more than 60-metres-squared in aggregate ground area
Not attached to a building
Constructed more than three metres from other structures

View an example diagram of tents not requiring a building permit.

Tents between 60 and 30 metres squared in area or aggregate area

If a tent is between 60 and 30 meters in aggregate area, it must be:

Flame retardant and pass the match flame test in NFPA 705, or meet the requirements of CAN/ULC S-109-M

In conformance with the Building Code

Tents under 30 metres squared in area or aggregate area

If a tent is less than 30 metres squared in aggregate area, you must follow these requirements:

The tent doesn't need to be fire retardant
Includes small pop-up tents used in isolation
No heat sources are permitted in small tents

Tents requiring a Building Permit

Tents greater than 60 metres squared in area or aggregate area:

Require a building permit
Shall be located a minimum of three metres from any property line
The tent will be required to be designed to handle area snow loads as per the Ontario Building Code. The Province recently introduced new sentence 4.1.6.14 into the Ontario Building Code for tents stating that: “Snow removal by mechanical, thermal, manual or other means shall not be used as a rationale to reduce design snow loads.”

Learn how to apply for building permit and view an example diagram of tents that require a building permit.

Location requirements

Ontario Building Code requires tents constructed under the benefit of a building permit to be located at least 3 m away from property lines and all other structures, including buildings on the same property.

Structural requirements

The structure and all components, connections, and fabric, as applicable, are required to be designed by a professional engineer. The design must be able to resist all snow and wind load requirements.

Fabric, textile or film requirements

All fabric, textile or film, as applicable, is required to be certified to CAN/ULC-S109 Flame Tests of Flame-Resistant Fabrics and Films or NFPA 701 Fire Tests for Flame Propagation. The certification of the fabric must form part of the design documents submitted for permit.

Mechanical requirements

Tents, awnings and canopies that are intended to be equipped with a fuel fired appliance or heater, as applicable, shall comply with the clearance and ventilation requirements provided by the manufacturer and all applicable standards.

Enclosure requirements

At least two full sides of the outdoor dining area must be open to the outdoors and must not be substantially blocked by any walls or other impermeable physical barriers as per Provincial legislation. The Ontario Building Code outlines the minimum requirements for all building construction and can be viewed at Ontario Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing.

Tent requirements

You must follow these requirements when installing a tent on your patio.

All tents

Shall be located a minimum 3 metres from any building or structure
Shall not be attached to a building
Smoking and open flame devices (i.e., propane heaters) shall not be used under any tent
Shall not project into or within 0.5 metres of any live traffic lane
Enclosed tents (those with more than 2 sides) will be considered interior spaces

Shall not obstruct sight lines:

Be mindful of adjacent traffic lanes and on-street parking
Positioning of tents are subject to review by the city for the purposes of evaluating potential impact

Multiple tents

Tents installed side-by-side are considered as one tent and their aggregate areas are used to calculate the area
A separation of three metres between tents is required to delineate separate tents.

View an example diagram of an aggregate area for multiple tents.