- The largest city in the York Region has integrated Archistar AI PreCheck with its existing ePLAN permit portal, giving applicants a seamless experience.
- Applicants for New Single Detached House building permits can choose to check their drawings against Markham’s zoning by-laws before they formally submit a building permit application, at no additional cost.
- Markham joins Archistar’s growing network of more than 30 cities and municipalities in production with AI PreCheck across the United States, Canada, and Australia.
Markham, Ontario – Archistar proudly announces the City of Markham as the latest addition to a growing list of 30-plus municipalities in production with Archistar AI PreCheck. Markham has integrated AI-powered zoning review directly within its own building permit portal, giving applicants a clear assessment of their plans’ completeness before they formally submit.
The City of Markham lies about 30 kilometers northeast of Toronto in Ontario’s Greater Toronto Area. Often referred to as Canada’s high-tech capital, it is home to approximately 9,900 businesses, including more than 650 corporate head offices and more than 1,500 tech and life science companies.
Markham is a city with rich history and heritage, award-winning community planning and services, and a strong local economy. With nearly 370,000 residents, Markham is Canada’s most diverse city. It continues to grow, with a focus on creating a vibrant and inclusive community that fosters innovation, economic activity, and civic pride.
Partnering with Archistar
The City of Markham continues to look at ways it can be innovative and improve processes. As part of this, its Building Standards department thoroughly reviewed options to further modernize its permitting process, and it selected the Archistar AI PreCheck platform.
In the first phase of the tool’s rollout, Markham is applying AI PreCheck’s Compliance Analysis tool to evaluate uploaded drawings in New Single Detached House permit applications against Zoning By-law 2024-19.
Markham’s deployment builds AI PreCheck technology straight into the City’s existing ePLAN Portal. Users do not need a new login, and there are no changes to existing intake, fees, or other established workflows. It doesn’t block or delay an application, and the City of Markham staff make every final zoning and permitting decision.
“Innovation is important at the City of Markham, and we’re excited to offer AI PreCheck as a new tool in our permit portal,” says Stephanie Mezzone, Chief Building Official and Director of the Building Standards Department at the City of Markham. “This technology will help improve processes for applicants, enabling them to check New Single Detached House drawings against our zoning by-laws before they formally submit. This will result in cleaner applications and a smoother permitting experience overall for applicants.”
The City of Markham is joining a growing list of Canadian cities to onboard AI PreCheck, and it’s the first to fully integrate the platform with its existing technology. “Markham is the first city in Canada to put AI-powered zoning review directly inside its own permit portal,” says Joe Philbrook, VP of Customer at Archistar. “Applicants sign in once, upload their drawings, and get a clear compliance report quickly, with no change to how they apply. They can correct their drawings and re-check them before they formally submit a building permit application, which means fewer surprises and fewer resubmissions.”
Philbrook emphasizes that both applicants and city staff retain their full autonomy. “Markham has set a standard here that other municipalities will follow,” he says.
Markham, Ontario is about 30km northeast of downtown Toronto, which is visible on the horizon.
Markham Applicants’ Customer Experience
Applicants start a New Single Detached House permit in the City of Markham portal exactly as before. If their application is eligible, they can choose the currently optional AI PreCheck and upload their plans.
AI PreCheck evaluates the drawings against Markham’s zoning bylaws and emails the applicant with a report, typically within one business day. Applicants can then correct their plans and run the check again or proceed straight to formal submission.
Each report returns clear pass/fail results, with detailed feedback that cites specific bylaws for every finding and a list of necessary corrections. AI PreCheck flags potential compliance gaps against the City of Markham’s zoning by-laws. Building Standards staff then review every finding as part of the formal permit process and make all final zoning and permit decisions.
Pursuing Goals and AI Governance
With its AI PreCheck deployment, Markham aims to surface zoning issues before formal submission rather than after staff review. By doing so, the goal is to reduce resubmissions and review cycles, cut avoidable deficiencies at intake, and advance the city’s digital service objectives. Applicants get a more predictable permitting path with quick, plain-language feedback, at no additional cost.
Underpinning the rollout is Archistar’s commitment to AI governance and data security. The company is ISO/IEC 27001 and 42001 certified. AI PreCheck processes drawings in logically isolated environments and never uses customer data to train models without consent. The AI’s role is deliberately bounded to detect drawing elements and flag compliance gaps, rather than making decisions. With manual override, escalation controls, and full auditability, Markham’s Building Standards staff retains full authority throughout the process.
To learn more about AI PreCheck in Markham, visit the City of Markham’s Building News page.
