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How much does an Official Plan Amendment cost in Ontario?

Short answer: planning fees for an Official Plan Amendment start at $15,000, or $25,000 filed together with the rezoning most projects also need. As with any major application, the municipal fees and studies are the larger variable. Here is the breakdown.

The short answer

An Official Plan Amendment, applied for under Section 22 of the Planning Act, changes the policy designation that governs your site. You need one when your project does not conform to what the Official Plan permits, and it almost always travels with a Zoning By-law Amendment, because the zoning has to change to match the new policy.

Permit.Land's planning fee for an OPA is fixed and starts at $15,000. Because most projects need both an OPA and a rezoning, the more common figure is the combined fee of $25,000, which covers both filed as one application rather than $30,000 for the two run separately. On top of the planning fee sit the municipal application fee and the technical studies, both set by your municipality and your site.

OPA on its own, or with a rezoning

A standalone OPA is rare. It happens when the policy needs to change but the zoning already accommodates the result, or where a site-specific policy is the cleanest route. Far more often the Official Plan and the zoning both have to move, so the two amendments are prepared and filed together.

Filing together is both cheaper and faster: one Planning Justification Report covers both instruments, one submission, one statutory public meeting, one council decision. That is why the combined planning fee of $25,000 is the number most applicants should plan around.

What drives the total cost

As with a rezoning, the planning fee is often not the largest line. The municipal application fee for an OPA is set by each city and can be substantial, particularly in larger municipalities. Then come the studies the city requires at pre-consultation, which for a policy-level change can be extensive: planning rationale, urban design, traffic, servicing, environmental, and others depending on the site.

The fixed planning fee is the part you can lock down at the start. The municipal fee and the study list are confirmed at pre-consultation, which is the meeting that turns a rough budget into a real one.

OPA planning fee: from $15,000, or $25,000 with a rezoning

excl. HST, municipal fees, and studies · fixed, confirmed before work begins

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See the full pricing schedule or the Official Plan Amendment page.

FAQ

Common questions

Usually, but not always. If the Official Plan designation changes, the zoning almost always has to change to implement it, so the two are filed together. Occasionally the zoning already permits the result and only the policy needs amending, in which case an OPA can stand alone. We confirm which applies to your site as part of the quote.

It is cheaper and faster. One Planning Justification Report, one submission, one public meeting, and one council decision cover both. At Permit.Land the combined planning fee is $25,000 rather than $30,000 for the two run separately, and it saves months.

It is set by each municipality and varies widely, often into five figures in larger cities, scaled to the size of the project. We confirm the current fee for your municipality as part of every quote.

An OPA is a council decision and a policy-level change, so it is one of the longer planning processes, commonly many months and sometimes more than a year from pre-consultation to a decision, depending on the municipality, the complexity, and whether it is appealed.

Ready?

Tell us your address and what you want to build. We will confirm whether you need an Official Plan Amendment, a rezoning, or both, and give you a fixed planning fee. No commitment, no hourly clock.

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