Development
Development Review Process & Planning Act Applications
Explore the Town’s development review process and download Planning Act applications and related materials.
Development Review Process
This Development Review Process Guide is designed for property owners, developers, builders and others interested in obtaining approvals for developing property in the Town of New Tecumseth. It outlines the Town’s development review processes and the requirements you will need to meet when seeking planning approvals from the Town.
Inquiries are a critical first step before pre-consultation. We ensure that inquiries are categorized, prioritized, and routed to the appropriate staff member or team. This structured approach improves customer service by providing predictable response times and reducing confusion for applicants. Please fill out the Inquiry Form here: (Coming Soon).
Applicants may seek to go through pre-consultation, a process where the applicant will present their development proposals and concept plans to Town staff. This is an opportunity for applicants to receive guidance from staff before submitting a formal application. This step helps avoid having an incomplete application, which causes delays in the process.
Pre-consultation is strongly encouraged as it allows staff to:
- Identify key issues and provide preliminary written comments on the proposal;
- Clarify the application process and fees for the applicant;
- Identify complete application requirements; and
- Identify and confirm the plans, supporting studies, and other information that will need to be provided for the full development application to be considered complete.
Staff cannot scope formal submission requirements in the absence of a pre-consultation application.
If submitted, the pre-consultation application is circulated to the relevant Town departments and external agencies for review and commentary. A technical review meeting between the applicant, Town staff, and any necessary outside agencies will be scheduled within a minimum of four weeks from when a complete pre-consultation application is submitted.
Following pre-consultation (if desired by the applicant), the applicant may submit a formal Planning Act application to the Town.
Once an application has been received and confirmed as complete, it is assigned to an individual File Manager. This “one-window” approach gives the applicant a single point of contact with Town staff during the review process.
As part of the complete application process, a Public Notice sign must be posted on the subject lands. The planner assigned to the file will provide signage requirements, standards and wording. The applicant is responsible for all costs associated with preparing and posting the Public Notice.
A formal Public Meeting is required for a number of Planning Act Applications. The application will be introduced in front of Town Council, as required under the Planning Act. At this meeting, the applicant will present the proposed amendment and members of the public will have a chance to speak and ask questions. Members of the public can also make written submissions if they cannot attend the meeting. No decisions are made at this meeting. Notice of the Public Meeting is included in the sign posted on the subject lands.
In addition to conducting their own technical review, Planning staff circulate the application to other Town departments and to relevant outside agencies (such as Conservation Authorities or provincial ministries) for commentary.
Following this review, Planning staff submit a report making a recommendation to Committee of the Whole/Council regarding the proposed amendment. Committee of the Whole/Council will consider this report and will make a decision on the application.
Types of Applications
Committee of Adjustment Applications
The Ontario Planning Act establishes the authority for the Committee of Adjustment to make decisions on minor variances, permissions and consents on property submitted by the applicant and/or their agent. The Committee of Adjustment is a committee appointed by Council comprised of five Town of New Tecumseth residents that meet on a monthly basis.
A minor variance is an official permission granted by the Committee of Adjustment that allows a property owner to depart slightly from the requirements of the Town’s Zoning By-law.
If you are building an addition, constructing an accessory residential unit (ARU), or developing a new structure/building, a minor variance may be required if the proposed development does not fully comply with current zoning regulations.
Use our Minor Variance Application form to apply for a minor variance. Please ensure that your submission is complete and accurate to avoid any unnecessary delays. We will return any incomplete or inaccurate applications.
A Consent application is required to subdivide land without the requirement of a plan of subdivision. Consent applications can take the form of the creation of new lots, lot boundary adjustments, the creation of easements, and leases exceeding a period of 21 years.
Use our Consent Application form to apply for a consent to sever land. Please ensure that your submission is complete and accurate to avoid any unnecessary delays. We will return any incomplete or inaccurate applications.
Planning Act Applications (Pre-Consultation Strongly Encouraged)
An Official Plan Amendment (OPA) is a formal change to the Town’s Official Plan. You may need an OPA if your proposed development does not conform to the policies of the Official Plan, even if it meets zoning requirements (or can be adjusted through a zoning amendment or variance). An OPA is typically requested to change the land use designation (e.g., from low-rise residential to high-rise residential). County of Simcoe is the approval authority for all OPAs in the Town of New Tecumseth.
You may have to apply to amend the Zoning By-law and the Official Plan at the same time. If you submit these applications at the same time for the same property they will be reviewed together.
Please see the application for an Official Plan Amendment below.
If you want to use, alter or develop your property in ways that do not comply with the Zoning By-law, you must apply for a site-specific Zoning By-law Amendment (ZBA).
You may have to apply to amend the Zoning By-law and the Official Plan at the same time. If you submit these applications at the same time for the same property they will be reviewed together.
Please see the application for a Zoning By-law Amendment below.
Section 51 of the Planning Act allows the Town to control how land is divided through Plans of Subdivision. When reviewing a subdivision, the Town looks at whether the land is suitable for the proposed use, how new streets will be laid out and connected, whether there are enough municipal services and utilities, and how natural heritage features will be protected.
Please see the application form for Draft Plan of Subdivision below:
Draft Plan of Subdivison Application Form
See our subdivision services page to find out how to enter into a Subdivision Agreement that ensures that your subdivision’s construction is safe and meets Town standards.
See our subdivision services page to find out how to enter into a Subdivision Agreement that ensures that your subdivision’s construction is safe and meets Town standards.
- Leasehold
- Freehold, of which there are four types:
- Common Elements
- Phased
- Standard
- Vacant Land
You will need to determine which type of condominium corporation you wish to establish before filing your application.
Section 51 of the Planning Act allows an application for condominium to be processed in a similar way to a Plan of Subdivision. This authority is used to regulate division of land and/or buildings into parcels or units that may be sold as part of a condominium corporation.
Please see the application form for Draft Plan of Condominium below:
Site plan control is a planning tool that a municipality uses to evaluate certain site elements, such as walkways, parking areas, landscaping or exterior design on a parcel of land where development is proposed.
See our Engineering department to learn about how to submit your site plan control application.
Additional Planning Applications
On February 10th, 2025, the Council of the Town of New Tecumseth adopted a motion to terminate the Town’s membership with Canadian Radiocommunications Information and Notification Service (CRINS), effective immediately.
As part of this decision, the Town will now follow the default public consultation process outlined in the updated Federal protocol of Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada (ISED), as cited in Client Procedure Circular (CPC) 2-0-03, Issue 6 (July 2022), for all future telecommunications siting applications.
All proponents are required to follow ISED’s default public consultation process as per their Federal protocol cited in CPC-2-0-03 mentioned above.
Proponents must ensure that the local public, Town Staff, and ISED are notified of the proposed antenna system. As a minimum, proponents must provide a public notification package as outlined in Annex A of CPC-2-0-03 to the local public (including nearby residences, community gathering areas, public institutions, schools, etc.), neighbouring land-use authorities, businesses, and property owners, etc. located within a radius of three times the tower height. Proponents of an antenna system proposed to be 30 metres or greater in height must place a legible notice in the ‘Public Notice Section’ of a local community newspaper circulating in the proposed area.
Town Staff shall provide written comments at the ‘Public Notification Stage’ that will be limited to recommendations or suggestions with regards to site selection only from a zoning perspective.
Once the proponent has satisfied all requirements based on ISED’s approval process they must provide all documentation to the Town and request the Town to issue a Letter of Concurrence to the proponent and to ISED. At this point, a Town Staff generated report will proceed to Council notifying them of the proposed new sites and making a recommendation to issue a Letter of Concurrence (or Non-Concurrence).
Application fees for a New Telecommunications Facility and for a Co-location Telecommunication Facility are applicable in accordance with the Town’s Fees and Charges by-law 2024-077, as amended.
Ontario’s Planning Act (Section 50) grants the Town the authority to pass a By-law to exempt lands within a Plan of Subdivision from the Part Lot Control provisions in the Act. This process is used to lift Part Lot Control restrictions from lands within registered plans of subdivision to create parcels for sale. It usually is used for townhouse developments after construction has started to accurately set the boundary lines between the townhouse units.
An approved Part Lot Control Exemption By-law is in place for two years. After that, the by-law expires and the Part Lot Control regulations of the Planning Act come back into effect.
Sometimes, a property’s zoning and intended use are already known, but development cannot move forward until certain conditions are met. The Planning Act allows the municipality to place a holding symbol (or “H”) on the property to prevent development until those conditions are satisfied. The Zoning By-law may also allow limited uses while the holding symbol is in place.
Before you can develop a property with a holding symbol, you must apply to have the “H” removed (often called “lifting the hold”). This application shows the Town that all required conditions have been met.
Once the Town is satisfied, the holding symbol is removed, and the property can be developed according to the zoning.
If you’re unsure whether a holding symbol applies to your property, or what conditions need to be met, please contact the Planning Department.
Please see below our Parkland Conveyance By-law.
As part of the development applications process, Town staff may request that specific studies & reports be completed. Staff have compiled terms of reference for each potential study/report required. Coming Soon!