Development Charges

Municipal Development Charges

Municipal Development Charges are collected from new construction projects to help offset the cost of municipal services such as sewers, roads, fire, emergency services, etc.  Rates were revised by an indexing factor of 3.2% and came into effect on February 1, 2017.  

No Industrial Charges - see more below:

Industrial Development Charges Moratorium

For new and expanding industrial buildings, municipal development charges are not applicable under the City's Industrial Development Charges Moratorium. An industrial building is defined as being designed or intended for use for manufacturing, processing, fabricating, or assembly of raw goods, warehousing or bulk storage of goods, and includes on-site office uses where such uses are accessory to an industrial use, but does not include the sale of commodities to the general public through a warehouse club or otherwise. The suspension of fees for all industrial zoned properties (as set out above) assists developers by removing the cost of municipal development charges for new and expanding buildings.  School Board DC's are still applicable.   This initiative was first instituted in 2010 to encourage growth in the manufacturing sector.  With the moratorium set to expire June 30, 2017, Council approved an extension of the incentive until the end of 2021. For more information on the Industrial DC Moratorium or commercial/industrial properties for sale or for lease, please contact the Economic Development Office at 705-325-4900 or edc@orillia.ca.

Development Charges are calculated by the Building Division of Development Services and Engineering Department, as part of the Building Permit and concurrent Site Plan Approvals Process. 

Current Development Charges

On February 12, 2018, Council passed By-law No. 2018-14 being a by-law to impose development charges on residential, commercial and other non-residential development.

• Development Charges Pamphlet - as of February 1, 2021
• Development Charges Pamphlet - as of February 1, 2020
  
• Development Charge By-law No. 2018-14 - February 12, 2018
• December 8, 2017 Development Charges Background Study
• Notice of the Passing of a Development Charges By-law - February 15, 2018

The City of Orillia development charges are indexed annually on February 1^st each year in accordance with the most recent twelve-month change in the Statistics Canada Quarterly, "Construction Price Statistics" (Catalogue Number 62-007).

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Changes to the Development Charges Act, 1997

Effective January 1, 2020 changes to the Development Charges Act, 1997 (DCA) were made related to the timing and calculation of the development charge payments as part of the Bill 108 - More Homes, More Choice Act, 2019.

DCA, Section 26.1 - Instalment Plans

1. For rental housing that is not non-profit housing (minimum 4 units - all of which are intended for rental use): Development charges will be due in 6 equal annual payments plus interest commencing on the earlier of the date of the issuance of an occupancy permit or the date  the building is first occupied. The person required to pay development charges is required to notify the City within 5 business days of the building first being occupied. Failure to notify the City will result in the development charges, including interest payable becoming due and payable immediately.
2. For institutional development: Development charges will be due in 6 equal annual payments plus interest commencing on the earlier of the date of the issuance of an occupancy permit or the date the building is first occupied. The person required to pay development charges is required to notify the City within 5 business days of the building first being occupied. Failure to notify the City will result in the development charges, including interest payable becoming due and payable immediately.
3. For non-profit housing development:  Development charges will be due in 21 equal annual payments commencing on the earlier of the date of the issuance of an occupancy permit or the date the building is first occupied. The person required to pay development charges is required to notify the City within 5 business days of the building first being occupied. Failure to notify the City will result in the development charges, including interest payable becoming due and payable immediately.

Interest is accrued from the date the development charge is calculated until the final payment is received. Interest is to be paid on each instalment until the final payment is received.

DCA, Section 26.2 - Development Charge Rate Freeze

The following applies to complete Site Plan Applications and Zoning By-law Amendment Applications accepted by the City on or after January 1, 2020. The amount of the development charges are determined on:

a) the day an application for an approval of a Site Plan application was made in respect of the development;

b) if the clause a) does not apply, the day a Zoning By-law Amendment Application was made in respect of the development; or

c) if neither clause a) or b) applies, the day the Building Permit is issued.

The development charge rate is then frozen from the date of the application approval in clause a) or b) for a period of 2 years. If a Building Permit has not been issued within the two year period following the application approval, the development charge rate will revert back to the charges in effect on the date a Building Permit is issued. Interest applies when a Building Permit has been issued within the frozen period. Interest shall accrue from the date the complete application is received.