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. While pre-consultations are no longer a required process under the Planning Act, the County of Dufferin strongly urges the undertaking of such process for any prospective applicants.
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. In addition to the necessary studies and reports, applicants are also required to complete a County Official Plan Amendment application form as part of the application process.
A current list of ongoing County Official Plan Amendments, as well as their submission materials, are provided below.
COPA 1-25 - 514504 2nd Line, Amaranth
1st Submission Materials
- Archaeological Assessment (Stage 1 & 2)
- Conceptual Grading and Servicing Plans
- Draft County Official Plan Amendment
- Draft Plan of Subdivision
- Environmental Impact Study
- Functional Servicing and Stormwater Management Report
- Geotechnical Investigation Report
- Hydrogeological Investigation Report
- Market and Socioeconomic Study
- Minimum Distance Separation Calculation Report
- Ministry of Citizenship and Multiculturalism Letter
- Planning Justification Report
- Traffic Impact Study
- Topographic Survey
- Tree Inventory and Preservation Plan
- Tree Inventory and Preservation Plan – Figures
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 2025-02, 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 Official Plan Amendment - Applicant Initiated | $4,000 | $15,000 |
| County Official Plan Amendment - Municipality Initiated | $2,500 | N/A |
| Combined County and Local Official Plan Amendments | $5,500 | $15,000 |
| Local Official Plan Amendment (Approver) | $1,250 | $2,000 |
| Major Applications | ||
| Local Official Plan Amendment | $750 | $2,000 |
| Zoning By-law Amendment | $500 | $2,000 |
| Site Plan Application | $500 | $2,000 |
| Additional Recirculation and Review Requests | $250 | N/A |
| Minor Applications | ||
| Pre-Consultation* | $750 | $10,000 |
| Draft Plan of Subdivision/Condominium | $250 | N/A |
| Minor Variance and Consent | $500 | N/A |
| Niagara Escarpment Commission Applications | $250 | N/A |
| Additional Recirculation and Review Requests | $100 | N/A |
| Aggregate Applications | ||
| Major (i.e., Official Plan Amendment, Zoning By-law Amendment) | $5,000 | $20,000 |
| Minor (i.e., Minor Variance, Consent) | $2,000 | $10,000 |
| Sub-Review | $750 | $10,000 |
All deposits will be assessed by planning staff on a case-by-case basis and may not be required.
Pre-consultation (*) is no longer a required planning process under the Planning Act; however, County Planning staff encourage prospective applicants to submit a pre-consultation application to provide all parties the opportunity to discuss the application prior to proceeding with any further planning applications.
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, R.S.O. 1990, as amended)
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.