A building mover relocates the structure itself — the house, garage, barn, cottage or commercial building — not the furniture inside it. The crew jacks the structure off its existing foundation, carries it on a specialised transporter, and sets it down on a new foundation at the new site. It is a specialist trade with its own equipment, engineering and paperwork, and in Ottawa it begins with the City: a building permit is required to relocate an existing building or structure, and the owner is responsible for that process.
If you are searching for “building movers in Ottawa” companies, this guide explains what a structural relocation actually involves, what the City and the province will ask of you, what it costs, and how to tell a specialist structural mover from a truck-and-crew residential mover. It also covers the part most owners forget: what happens to the people living in the building, and their belongings, while the structure is in transit.
In this guide
- What “building movers” means — and the two services it gets confused with
- Why Ottawa owners move a building instead of demolishing it
- The Ottawa approval path: permits, heritage, utilities, taxes
- How a structural move actually works
- What a building move costs
- How to vet a building mover
- Where the DIY line sits
- What happens to the people and their belongings
What “building movers” means — and what it doesn’t
Three different services get sold under the same name, and they are not interchangeable.
| Service | What actually moves | Typical job | What to look for |
| Building / structure relocation | The whole building, off its foundation and onto a new one | House, garage, barn, cottage, commercial or industrial structure | A structural mover with hydraulic jacking equipment, steel support systems and engineering |
| House movers | The contents of a home — furniture, boxes, appliances | Household relocation within or across Ontario | Crews who pack, load, transport and set up — see our house moving services in Ottawa |
| Apartment and condo movers | The contents, inside a building that stays put | Elevator booking, certificates of insurance, tight staircases | Movers who handle condo rules — our residential movers in Ottawa cover this work |
When people search for building movers Ottawa businesses can hire, they almost always mean the first row — and that is a much narrower, more technical job than a household move. The rest of this guide is about the first row.
Why Ottawa owners move a building instead of demolishing it
The reasons are practical as often as they are sentimental: consolidating two lots so the land can be developed as one, clearing a setback or site-coverage problem, keeping a sound garage, workshop or outbuilding while the main house is rebuilt, satisfying a development agreement, or rescuing a structure that would otherwise be demolished.
Heritage buildings add a specific layer. Ontario’s own conservation guidance for built heritage properties says to respect the original location and not to “move buildings unless there is no other means to save them” — so, for a designated property, relocation is a last-resort conservation tool rather than a default. Municipal heritage staff treat it as one of several alternatives to demolition, and the Ontario Heritage Act gives council the power to refuse the removal of a building on a designated property unless the owner obtains written consent. Read more in the province’s guidance on demolition control for designated heritage properties and the eight guiding principles for conserving built heritage.
The Ottawa approval path: permits, heritage, utilities and taxes
In Ottawa, the paperwork is not the last step — it is the first. The City reviews a relocation as a demolition and relocation permit application, and checks it against the Ontario Heritage Act, the Zoning By-law and, in some areas, the Demolition Control By-law.
The permit that starts everything
The City of Ottawa is explicit: you need a building permit to relocate or demolish an existing building or structure, and the application is reviewed for compliance with the Ontario Heritage Act, the Zoning By-law and, in some areas, the Demolition Control By-law. City of Ottawa — demolition and relocation permits.
A few things that materially change your timeline:
- First review takes time. The City publishes an approximate first-review time of 10 business days for demolition and relocation applications — before any deficiencies, revisions or inspections.
- The owner is responsible. It is the owner’s responsibility to ensure a building permit is obtained when required. You can authorize a contractor or designer to apply on your behalf, but the City is clear that both the owner and the builder/contractor are responsible for the process and are equally liable under the Ontario Building Code Act. City of Ottawa building permits FAQ.
- A new foundation is new construction. The structure setting down on a new foundation is a new building at its new address, so the City reviews the new foundation and its zoning position — setbacks, lot coverage and height — against the new lot. Setback and coverage questions go through the City’s Development Information Officers.
- Fees and charges are due early. The permit fee is set under the City’s Building By-law and is payable with the application; the City also notes that projects may attract development charges, calculated at the time the permit is issued.
- Permits expire. The City notes that construction under a building permit must seriously commence within six months of the permit being issued, or the permit can be revoked. A relocation that drifts for a year can lose its permit.
Heritage properties and demolition control
If the property is designated under the Ontario Heritage Act, the owner must apply to council in writing for consent to demolish or remove the building, and council may require documentation of the building before it is moved. Where a building is relocated to a new property, council then has to determine whether the receiving property meets the criteria for cultural heritage value. The clock is defined too: council must seek the advice of its municipal heritage committee, make a decision and serve notice within 90 days of a notice of complete application, and a refusal can be appealed to the Ontario Land Tribunal within 30 days of receiving the decision. Inside the City’s Area of Demolition Control, demolition control approval is a separate step, and the rules sit in Demolition Control By-law No. 2012-377.
For planning purposes, treat heritage consent as a council decision on the public record, not a formality. Start it in parallel with the engineering, not after it.
Utilities, wells, septic and the tax file
- Utility clearance is part of the permit. The City requires clearance authorization from utilities confirming that services have been appropriately disconnected or capped. Hydro Ottawa asks for moving requests at least 10 business days before the move date, and each account number is tied to a single address — so the new site needs its own service and its own account. Hydro Ottawa — moving.
- The service entrance has to move too. Re-establishing hydro, gas and telecom at the new location is separate physical work from the structural move, and it is where many projects discover extra cost.
- Wells and septic. Abandoning a well follows the Ontario Well Water Regulation; abandoning a septic system means pumping out the tank, filling it with sand and capping it. If the receiving site needs a septic system, the City directs owners to apply for a septic permit through the Ottawa Septic System Office.
- Property tax follows the structure, not the story. After a demolition, property tax adjustments are not automatic — the owner must apply to the City before February 28 of the year following the year of demolition, under section 357 of the Municipal Act.
- Crossing into Québec is another permit regime. A move from Ottawa to Gatineau needs Québec approvals on top of the Ontario ones. Québec’s Transport ministry issues permis spécial de circulation by class: class 1 covers out-of-gauge transport, class 2 is limited to new prefabricated buildings, and class 7 covers oversize transport requiring a ministry feasibility review. Transport Québec — classes of special circulation permits.
- Staging in the road allowance needs an Encroachment Permit. It is the owner’s responsibility to make sure the appropriate encroachment permit is obtained before the City road allowance is used to store materials or stage the work.
| Approval | What it covers | Where it comes from |
| Building permit — relocation and demolition | The relocation itself, the new foundation, inspections | City of Ottawa, Building Code Services |
| Heritage consent | Removal of a building on a designated property | Municipal council, on the advice of the municipal heritage committee |
| Demolition control approval | Buildings in the Area of Demolition Control | City of Ottawa, Demolition Control By-law |
| Encroachment permit | Staging or storing materials in the road allowance | City of Ottawa, Right of Way Permits |
| Utility clearance authorization | Disconnection and capping of hydro, gas, water and telecom | City of Ottawa plus each utility |
| Septic permit | A new or replacement septic system at the receiving site | Ottawa Septic System Office |
| Tax adjustment application | Property tax relief once a structure leaves a lot | City of Ottawa, Municipal Act s. 357 |
| Québec special circulation permit | Transport of an out-of-gauge structure in Québec | Transport Québec |
How a structural move actually works
- Assessment and engineering. The structure is inspected for condition, weight, foundation type and soil, and the route is surveyed for width, turning radius, overhead lines, bridges, wires and tree conflicts. An engineer typically confirms the building can be lifted and carried.
- Permits and site preparation. The approvals above are obtained, the new foundation is poured and cured, and the receiving site is prepared for the structure.
- Disconnection and preparation. Services are disconnected and capped, contents are removed, fragile fixtures are protected, and the building is separated from its existing foundation.
- Jacking and support. Hydraulic jacks and steel beams lift the structure onto a support frame, keeping it level and braced so it can be carried without racking.
- Transport. The structure travels on a multi-axle or self-propelled transporter, escorted where the route and load require it.
- Setting down, releveling and reconnecting. The building is set on the new foundation, releveled, tied in, reconnected to utilities, and inspected.
The foundation usually governs the schedule, not the lift. In cold weather, the Ontario Building Code’s cold weather requirements apply: when the air temperature is below 5 °C, concrete must be kept at not less than 10 °C and not more than 25 °C while it is mixed and placed, and maintained at 10 °C or above for 72 hours after placing. Regional Municipalities of Canada–Ontario, residential concrete requirements (OBC 9.3.1.9). That single rule is why many Ottawa structural moves are planned from late spring through early fall: a new foundation cannot be poured casually in January.
For the mechanics of a structural move across Ontario more broadly, see our building movers Ontario overview.
What a building move costs
Structural relocations are quoted per project, not per kilometre, because the work is custom. The price is driven by:
- The structure itself — size, weight, and whether it is framed, masonry or a slab-on-grade building.
- The route — distance, street width, turning radius, overhead lines, bridges, rail crossings and traffic control.
- Professional input — engineering, surveys, permit fees and heritage advice.
- The foundation — whether a new one is needed, and whether the existing foundation can travel with the building.
- Utilities — disconnection, new service entrances, reconnection, and any well or septic work.
- Site work — excavation, driveways, landscaping and restoring the ground at both ends.
- Protection — insurance, escorts, and the cost of a structure sitting open to the weather mid-project.
For scale, CBC reported that moving the 111-year-old Henry Hudson schoolhouse by barge to the Squamish Nation reserve cost $150,000 — an unusual project with water transport, and a useful reminder that a whole-structure relocation is a five-figure-plus commitment with a significant share of the budget sitting outside the mover’s own scope.
When you compare quotes, ask for an itemized written estimate that states what is included and excluded — permits, engineering, foundation, utility work, landscaping repair — what happens if the structure is damaged, who carries the risk while it is in transit, and what would trigger a price change. The same “read the estimate, not the headline rate” thinking we use in our guide to house movers quotes in Ottawa applies to structural bids, where the exclusions matter more.
How to vet a building mover
- Insurance. Ask for a certificate of liability insurance that covers structural relocation on your project, with the limits stated and the owner named where appropriate.
- Comparable project experience. Have they moved structures of similar size, weight, construction type and route length? A mover who relocates small sheds is not automatically qualified for a two-storey masonry house.
- Engineering. Who signs off on the lift — an engineer of record, or a structural engineer retained by the mover?
- Equipment. Hydraulic jacking systems, steel support beams and transporters sized for the load, not just a truck and a set of dollies.
- Permit handling. Which permits do they obtain, and which stay with you? Get the answer in writing before you sign.
- Route survey. Will they survey the route for clearance, overhead lines, bridges and turning radius before quoting?
- Damage liability. What happens if the structure, a utility pole, a tree or the road surface is damaged during the move?
- Written scope and exclusions. See the cost section above — the exclusions are where the surprises live.
- References and photographs. Ask to see comparable projects and talk to a past client.
- Safety record. Confirm WSIB coverage and a documented safety program.
Where the DIY line sits
Two things decide it. First, the permit: Ottawa requires a building permit to relocate an existing building or structure, and the application is reviewed against the Ontario Heritage Act, the Zoning By-law and, in some areas, the Demolition Control By-law. There is no exemption for a move that stays on the same lot, so “we’ll shift it across the yard this weekend” is not a way around the City.
Second, the physics. Supporting a structure while it is lifted, keeping it rigid enough to travel, and setting it back down within tolerance is skilled work with expensive steel, jacks and transporters. The realistic DIY territory in Ottawa is a small, light, simple accessory structure on a site with no heritage, utility or zoning complications — and even then, equipment rental, utility disconnection, and the risk of cracking a floor or heaving a foundation are real costs. For anything occupied, masonry, weather-tight, or older than a few decades, professional structural movers are the sensible call.
What happens to the people and their belongings
Two jobs, two schedules. The structure is out of position for days or weeks. The people who live in it need somewhere to be in the meantime, and their contents need to be packed, moved and sometimes stored.
This is where household movers come in. A house move means contents out and into storage or a new address, careful packing, loading, transport and setup — the work our Ottawa house movers handle alongside furniture moving, piano moving and long-distance moves for households relocating from Ontario to another province.
Sequencing matters more than packing. A workable order is: confirm the structural move date and the foundation timeline, then book the household move and any storage, then disconnect household services, then move the contents, then let the structure go. If you also need people and heavy items moved before the structure lifts, our manpower service covers loading, unloading and heavy lifting on its own.
How to start: what to gather before you call
- The address of the current location and the target site, plus the distance and likely route
- Building dimensions (length, width, height) and construction type — frame, masonry, log, slab-on-grade
- Floor area, and any rough sense of the weight
- Foundation type: pier and beam, full basement, or slab
- Photographs of all four elevations, the roof, the foundation and any outbuildings
- Receiving site conditions: slope, soil, access width, overhead lines, driveway
- Utility details: which services serve the building, and whether a new service entrance is needed
- Heritage status: has the property been designated, or is it in an area of demolition control?
- Target date, and how flexible it can be
- Whether the building is occupied, and where the occupants go during the move
- Your budget range, and what the move is meant to achieve — a consolidated lot, a saved structure, a development condition
Questions people ask about building moves in Ottawa
Do I need a permit to move a building that only shifts a few metres on my own property? Yes. The City of Ottawa requires a building permit to relocate an existing building or structure, and reviews the application against the Ontario Heritage Act, the Zoning By-law and, in some areas, the Demolition Control By-law. There is no same-lot exemption.
Who applies for the permits — me or the mover? You do, as the owner. It is the owner’s responsibility to ensure a building permit is obtained when required, and the City states that both the owner and the builder or contractor are responsible for the process and equally liable under the Ontario Building Code Act. A contractor may apply on your authorization, but the obligation stays with the owner.
How long does a building move take in Ottawa? The City’s published estimate for the first review of a demolition or relocation application is 10 business days. Heritage consent can add a council decision — up to 90 days from a notice of complete application — plus a possible appeal. After that come engineering, a new foundation that has to be poured and cured, utility work, and the move itself. Plan in months, not days.
Can a building be moved during an Ottawa winter? Yes — the foundation is the constraint, not the lift. When the air temperature is below 5 °C, the Ontario Building Code requires concrete to be kept at 10 °C to 25 °C while mixed and placed and maintained at 10 °C or above for 72 hours afterwards, so most Ottawa structural moves are planned from late spring through early fall.
How much does it cost to move a house in Ottawa? It is quoted per project. Size and weight, distance and route, engineering and permits, whether a new foundation is required, utility work and site preparation drive the number. Treat any published figure as a snapshot of one specific project, and ask for an itemized written quote that states its exclusions.
Can I move a building from Ottawa into Gatineau? The move crosses into Québec’s permit system, where the Transport ministry issues permis spécial de circulation by class: class 1 covers out-of-gauge transport, class 2 applies only to new prefabricated buildings, and class 7 covers oversize transport requiring a ministry feasibility review. Add the municipal permits required on the Québec side to the Ontario ones.
What happens to my household contents during a building move? They need a separate plan — pack, move and possibly store, while the structure is out of position. Household moving and storage are distinct services from structural relocation, and the two need to be scheduled together.
Planning a move in Ottawa? If the job involves a house, apartment, office or the belongings inside a building that is being relocated, talk to Velox Moving Experts for a free, no-obligation quote, or call +1 (613) 292-9376. For the structure itself, start with a structural mover and a conversation with the City.
