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.
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.
How to 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 recommended. The Formal Consultation process is no longer mandatory and is at the discretion of the Applicant.
The purpose of the Formal Consultation is to:
- Confirm whether an Official Plan Amendment is necessary
- Provide preliminary comments and feedback on the proposed amendment
- Tailor the submission requirements based on the context of the proposal.
- Confirm whether you will need other approvals such as an Zoning By-law Amendment
Submission Requirements & Information
Review Submission Requirements for Official Plan Amendment & Zoning By-law Amendment
If an Applicant chooses not to proceed with the Formal Consultation process, the submission requirements as set out in the Official Plan must be met. Refer to the new Official Plan Schedule - Other Information and Materials:
- Urban Hamilton Official Plan - Schedule I
- Rural Hamilton Official Plan - Schedule H
- Regional Hamilton OP - Schedule I
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.
Application Form
Download Official Plan Amendment Application Form
Are you eligible for fee exemptions? Are you applying for Eligible New Non-Profit Affordable Housing?
Download Non-Profit Affordable Housing Fee Exemption Application Form
All applications are required to be submitted in electronic format via the City of Hamilton’s Customer Portal. If you require alternate arrangements, contact the Planning Division at 905-546-2424 ext. 1355 or [email protected] for assistance.
Application fees must be made upon submission or the application is deemed incomplete. Fees are non-refundable. Fees can be paid online by credit card or by cheque or certified cheque (payable to “City of Hamilton”) and must be accompanied by a cover letter or Fee Intake Memo.(PDF, 129.58 KB)
Refer to the Planning Division Fees page for a complete list of application fees.
Review fees for other external agencies (Conservation Authority, Hamilton International Airport) may be applicable, and the applicant shall contact each agency for confirmation of their fees.
If this is your first time applying online with the City of Hamilton, you’ll need to complete two simple steps.
Step 1: Create a City of Hamilton Account (my.hamilton.ca)
You will need to create an account at my.hamilton.ca/
- This is the City’s centralized access point that allows you to easily view, access, and submit a wide range of City services using one account.
- Once your City account is created, you can sign in anytime to manage your services online.
Step 2: Access the Customer Portal
- After signing into my.hamilton.ca/, select the Planning & Development Applications category to create your Customer Portal account.
- Once you are setup on the Customer Portal, navigate to Getting Started and select Planning & Growth Management. Select an action and follow the steps.
Need Help?
- For assistance with my.hamilton.ca and login troubleshooting visit My.hamilton Portal FAQs
- For assistance with applying, visit Planning, Permitting, Licensing & By-Law System
If you already have:
- a my.hamilton.ca account, and
- a Customer Portal account,
Visit my.hamilton.ca/ and select the Planning & Development Applications category. Navigate to Getting Started and select Planning & Growth Management. Select an action and follow the steps.
Need Help?
- For assistance with my.hamilton.ca and login troubleshooting visit My.hamilton Portal FAQs
- For assistance with applying, visit Planning, Permitting, Licensing & By-Law System
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.
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