If you want to use or develop your property in a way that is not allowed by the zoning by-law, you may apply for a zoning change, also known as a zoning by-law amendment or a rezoning. But council can consider a change only if the new use is allowed by the official plan. The rezoning application can be found under the Applications & Forms section. The fee for processing Re-Zoning Applications is $600.00.

Before you apply for rezoning, you should talk to the municipal staff for advice and information. You must complete an application form which requires information identified by the Minister and the municipality.

The process for dealing with zoning by-law amendments is the same as for a zoning by-law. If local council refuses your zoning application, or if it does not make a decision within 120 days of the receipt of your application containing the prescribed information, you may appeal to the Ontario Municipal Board.

The Ontario Municipal Board is an independent administrative tribunal that is responsible for hearing appeals and that decides on a variety of contentious municipal matters.