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Toronto deploys AI planning review tool
Toronto is the latest city to pilot the guided AI plan review, which cut time to permit decision by 55 per cent for residential permits in Honolulu in early 2026.
At a glance
Who: Toronto; CivCheck; Clariti.
What: Toronto has launched a building permit application pre-check solution.
Why: The guided AI plan review platform is intended to improve the speed, clarity, and consistency of the building permitting process.
Where: Toronto is working to meet or exceed a provincial target of 285,000 new homes by 2031, alongside approving 65,000 rent-controlled homes by 2030.
The City of Toronto has announced the launch of a building permit application pre-check solution to speed up housing application approvals.
Leveraging CivCheck, Clariti’s guided AI plan review platform is reported to improve the speed, clarity, and consistency of the building permitting process.
Submit stronger applications
Starting with residential projects, the City reports applicants will now receive real-time feedback on missing documents, incomplete information, and certain zoning and Ontario Building Code issues within the pilot’s scope. It will also include a citation to the requirement behind each finding, so individuals can address or explain flagged items and submit stronger applications.
Toronto is working to meet or exceed a provincial target of 285,000 new homes by 2031, alongside approving 65,000 rent-controlled homes by 2030 through the HousingTO Action plan.
Permitting is one of the few levers a city controls directly on that timeline. Incomplete applications are among the most common causes of delay, and every round of corrections adds weeks that projects and applicants absorb. The CivCheck pilot is part of the City’s broader effort to speed up development and permitting approvals to meet that commitment.
“Toronto is tackling a housing affordability crisis head-on, and permitting is one of the levers cities can pull right now”
“Toronto is tackling a housing affordability crisis head-on, and permitting is one of the levers cities can pull right now,” said Cyrus Symoom, CEO of Clariti. “CivCheck shows applicants where their application stands before they ever submit. That means fewer correction cycles, faster reviews, and staff who can focus their expertise where it matters most. Cleaner applications are how a city turns a housing target into homes.”
CivCheck flags missing documents, incomplete information, and code and zoning issues, then explains what to address and points to the requirement behind it. Applicants can resolve or explain those items before they submit, entering the queue review-ready, reducing correction cycles and resubmissions.
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City staff make every decision on building permit applications and CivCheck generates the guidance. City reviewers continue to review every application, validating or overriding findings as part of their normal review.
According to CivCheck, it does not approve, refuse, or delay any permit. Use of the tool is voluntary and does not change the City’s formal application or review requirements. The pilot aligns with the City’s Digital Infrastructure Strategic framework and its commitment to using AI responsibly and transparently to improve public services.
The pilot aligns with the City’s Digital Infrastructure Strategic framework and its commitment to using AI responsibly and transparently to improve public services
CivCheck claims Toronto’s pilot adds to a “growing wave” of cities using AI to speed up permitting. In Honolulu, it reckons applicants using CivCheck have saved more than 40 days per permit on average, with residential permits reaching decisions 55 per cent faster than non-CivCheck applications.
Meanwhile, Denver recently selected Clariti’s guided AI plan review solution to improve its own permitting process, and the company also launched AI Studio, which gives local government teams direct access to Clariti’s expertise in applying AI across permitting workflows.
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