The Official Plan guides the development of the city by identifying where and under what circumstances certain types of lands uses can be located. If a proposal to develop land does not conform to the Official Plan policies and/or land use designation applied to those lands, an Official Plan Amendment will need to be made.
Apply for an Official Plan Amendment
The process to obtain an Official Plan Amendment may take a minimum of four to six months to complete, after we receive your completed application including any supporting studies. The level of complexity and issues related to your proposal will affect this timeline.
Before submitting an application, a Formal Consultation is often required.
The purpose of this consultation is to:
- Confirm whether an Official Plan Amendment is necessary
- Provide initial feedback on the proposed amendment
- Outline information, studies, and reports such as noise or vibration studies, traffic impact studies, environmental assessments or archaeological assessments that you need to support your application
- Confirm whether you will need other approvals such as an Zoning By-law Amendment
Before you submit your application Planning staff may suggest that you consult with other City departments or agencies. You may also want to schedule a community information meeting.
This application form is to be used by persons or public bodies wishing to amend the land use designations (official plan or zoning) for a specific property in the City of Hamilton. In this form, the term "subject land" means the land that is subject of the proposed amendment. It is also to be used for any proposal to amend existing approved official plan policy or zone provisions.
Complete Official Plan Amendment Application Form
Are you eligible for fee exemptions? Are you applying for Eligible New Non-Profit Affordable Housing?
Complete Non-Profit Affordable Housing Fee Exemption Application Form
You will have to pay the application fee when you submit your application. Applications fees are non- refundable whether the application is approved or denied.
Fees can be paid by cheque or credit card. Cheques must be made payable to the City of Hamilton.
Application type | Fee |
---|---|
Amendment to establish of a new Pit or Quarry | $156,615 |
Pit or Quarry Expansion (In addition to base fee, the owner or applicant shall bear any and all cost pertaining to peer reviews and for an aggregate advisor, if required) | $62,655 |
Urban Boundary Expansion (comprised of Phase 1 and Phase 2 fees) | $78,850 |
Phase 1 - Services up to City Council Report | $65,295 |
Phase 2 - Services subsequent to Council Resolution approval | $13,555 |
Rural or Urban Application | $42,520 |
Recirculation with no advertising required | $1,290 |
Public Notice recirculation due to cancellation of a Public Meeting by the applicant or agent | $1,290 |
Advertising Fee (minimum charge) | $1,660 |
Amended application with public consultation | $4,585 |
Non-Profit Affordable Housing (subject to eligibility as outlined on application form) | fees waived |
Conservation Authority Plan Review Fee
The Conservation Authorities within the city of Hamilton charge fees for their review of Planning Act applications. Once you submit your application, City staff will advise you if your application requires Conservation Authority review, and if so, which Conservation Authority your project falls within:
- Conservation Halton Review Fees
- Hamilton Conservation Authority Review Fees
- Niagara Peninsula Conservation Authority Review Fees
- Grand River Conservation Authority Review Fees
The fee is to be made payable to the appropriate Conservation Authority and you will have to pay the fee to the City upon request. We will forward the fee along with the application to the Conservation Authority. Combined applications will only be charged at the highest rate. The Conservation Authority reserves the right to request additional fees should the review require a substantially greater level of effort.
All applications are required to be submitted in electronic format (PDF) via the CitySHARE link or on a USB stick.
To initiate a digital application submission, email [email protected] to obtain a CitySHARE link to upload the completed application form, supporting information and materials. To complete the digital submission process, email [email protected] with subject line “NEW SUBMISSION – [Insert File Type] – [Insert Address]” to confirm that the upload to CitySHARE is complete.
Alternatively, the application can be mailed or delivered in person to:
City of Hamilton
71 Main Street West, 5th Floor
Hamilton, Ontario, L8P 4Y5
Attention: Planning Division
Application Fees can be paid by cheque or credit card to The City of Hamilton. If the Application Fee is being paid by cheque, please note that a photocopy of the cheque is to accompany the electronic submission.
These submission requirements will be further refined in January 2023.
The complete submission should include:
- The completed Application Form with all applicable sections completed and signed.
- The required Application Fee per the current City of Hamilton Planning Division Fee Structure.
- A valid Formal Consultation Document signed by the Owner/Applicant.
- All of the Required Materials and Information as identified through the Formal Consultation process.
- The Public Consultation Summary and Response Report.
After Submission
- We will send you a notification of the completeness of the application within 30 days of receiving your application.
- If you did not provide the required information or fees with your application, we will return it to you with a request for the outstanding items. The incomplete application does not move forward to step three until we receive all required information or fees.