County Planning Application Process
The County of Dufferin’s planning application process centres around three specific application types – Pre-Consultation, County Official Plan Amendment, and Local Official Plan Amendment.
Besides a County Pre-Consultation and a County Official Plan Amendment, all planning applications are to be submitted through the Town or Township and will be circulated to the County by the local planning staff. Further information and details on each process is available through the flow charts provided in the link below.
Applicants may be required to consult with the Department of Development and Tourism if you are filing an application to amend a local municipal official plan or zoning by-law or filing an application for approval of a draft plan of subdivision/condominium, consent, or minor variance.
For questions about Pre-Consultation, Local Official Plan Amendment, and County Official Plan amendment processes, as well as associated fees and costs for planning applications, please contact planner@dufferincounty.ca.
Pre-Consultation Process
The pre-consultation process acts as a starting point of conversation for both the applicant and the County of Dufferin. Here the applicant will be provided the opportunity to describe their development proposal, how it aligns with Provincial, County, and Local planning policies, and any important details relating to transportation, engineering, sustainability, and environmental functionality.
Prior to submitting a pre-consultation application, applicants are encouraged to review the County Pre-Consultation By-law.
Official Plan Amendment
There are two streams of Official Plan Amendments, Local and County. For Local Official Plan Amendments, applicants are to submit their materials through the Town and Township, which will then be circulated to the County for review and commenting. County Official Plan Amendments are to be submitted through the County who will then circulate the respective materials to all necessary agencies.
Terms of Reference
For a County and Local Official Plan Amendment application, as well as all municipal level planning applications (i.e., zoning by-law amendment, minor variance, consents), the County of Dufferin may request the applicant submit a particular study and/or a combination of studies. Provided below are Terms of Reference (ToR) for potential studies that may be requested by the County, which includes a description of specific elements and data that should be a part of the associated study.
Should the applicant and/or consultant require any clarification on a Terms of Reference, please reach out to County Planning staff.
Fees and Costs
Through By-law 2015-38, the County of Dufferin outlines a range of planning activities that correspond to a specific fee and/or deposit. A high-level overview of County Planning fees and costs is provided in the table below.
| Application/Activity | Fees | Deposit |
| County OPA - Major | $4,000 | $15,000 |
| County OPA - Minor | $1,750 | $10,000 |
| County OPA - Municipality Initiated | $750 | N/A |
| Combined County OPA and Local OPA - Major | $3,000 | $15,000 |
| Combined County OPA and Local OPA - Minor | $1,500 | $10,000 |
| Local OPA (Approver) - Major | $1,250 | $2,000 |
| Local OPA (Approver) - Minor | $750 | $1,000 |
| Local OPA (Commenter) - Major | $500 | $2,000* |
| Local OPA (Commenter) - Minor | $200 | $1,000* |
| Other Major Applications Requiring Comment | N/A | $1,000* |
| Aggregate Application | $2,000 | $25,000 |
| Pre-Consultation - Major Application | $1,000 | $10,000* |
| Pre-Consultation - Minor Application | $500 | $3,000 |
| Sub-Review | N/A | $10,000* |
Deposits with an (*) annotation next to the amount will be assessed by planning staff and depending on the complexity of the application may be reduced or adjusted accordingly. Minor applications are site specific.
There is $500 non-refundable fee if application is withdrawn during approval process prior to draft approval (Legislative authority: Section 69 of the Planning Act)
Method of Payment:
Fees can be paid by cheque, made payable to the County of Dufferin. Cheques can be mailed to or dropped off at 30 Centre Street, Orangeville, ON L9W 2X1.
Fees can also be paid online by credit card.