Zoning Updates

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Engagement for this project is now closed. This zoning by-law amendment was approved on February 27, 2024 and the project is now complete. Thank you for your participation!

Section 34 of the Planning Act allows a municipality to create a Zoning By-Law, like the one in the County of Brant (By-Law 61-16). This by-law, established in 2017, helps put the goals of the Official Plan into action. The purpose of making technical and housekeeping changes to the Zoning By-Law is to improve its relevance, fix small issues, and ensure it aligns with the Official Plan and provincial policies. Regular updates maintain a responsive zoning framework that meets the County's evolving needs.

This project does not involve site-specific rezoning's for individual properties. It proposes general changes to County-wide zoning provisions that will make the By-Law easier to understand.

Staff are continually monitoring changes needed for the Zoning By-Law, considering them for future housekeeping projects. The County's brand new Comprehensive Zoning By-Law will be a separate project that will commence when the County's new Official Plan is approved by the Province.

The chart below contains a list of proposed changes for the next housekeeping project that will be presented to the Planning and Development Committee to be adopted by Council before the end of February 2024.

Summary of proposed changes

Key Items

Summary of proposed changes

Improving Parking OpportunitiesThe parking zoning study presented two housekeeping changes to improve parking opportunities in new subdivision as follows:
  • Remove the front-yard landscaped open space requirement to allow for additional parking on private property
  • Remove a 1.8m requirement for separation between houses to allow pairing of driveways and increase the space in between for on-street parking purposes.
Dwelling Units and Accessory StructuresPreparing for the new Zoning By-Law and expanding housing options, these preliminary minor changes will align provisions with the Building Code and clarify permissions for ARUs in certain situations.
Protecting and Prioritizing AgricultureFurther to the updates made during the 6th and 7th housekeeping, minor changes are proposed to provide additional direction and clarity that aligns with the OMAFRA Guidelines on Permitted Uses in Ontario’s Prime Agricultural Areas.
Home-Based Business Pilot Project
  • To align with the new Zoning By-Law project and provide time for additional public input, the temporary permissions will be extended to 2026 to assist business owners benefitting from this framework.
Improving Implementation and Addressing Errors
  • These changes will remove redundancies, address errors, and align provisions with the policies of the Official Plan.
  • They will also help improve implementation for development review and enforcement purposes.


Stay Informed

Scroll down to see the news feed of information as well as links to engage, a timeline of events, and more.

Subscribe for updates and be the first to learn more information about this project. Add your email to the Stay Informed box on this page and click ‘Subscribe'.

Section 34 of the Planning Act allows a municipality to create a Zoning By-Law, like the one in the County of Brant (By-Law 61-16). This by-law, established in 2017, helps put the goals of the Official Plan into action. The purpose of making technical and housekeeping changes to the Zoning By-Law is to improve its relevance, fix small issues, and ensure it aligns with the Official Plan and provincial policies. Regular updates maintain a responsive zoning framework that meets the County's evolving needs.

This project does not involve site-specific rezoning's for individual properties. It proposes general changes to County-wide zoning provisions that will make the By-Law easier to understand.

Staff are continually monitoring changes needed for the Zoning By-Law, considering them for future housekeeping projects. The County's brand new Comprehensive Zoning By-Law will be a separate project that will commence when the County's new Official Plan is approved by the Province.

The chart below contains a list of proposed changes for the next housekeeping project that will be presented to the Planning and Development Committee to be adopted by Council before the end of February 2024.

Summary of proposed changes

Key Items

Summary of proposed changes

Improving Parking OpportunitiesThe parking zoning study presented two housekeeping changes to improve parking opportunities in new subdivision as follows:
  • Remove the front-yard landscaped open space requirement to allow for additional parking on private property
  • Remove a 1.8m requirement for separation between houses to allow pairing of driveways and increase the space in between for on-street parking purposes.
Dwelling Units and Accessory StructuresPreparing for the new Zoning By-Law and expanding housing options, these preliminary minor changes will align provisions with the Building Code and clarify permissions for ARUs in certain situations.
Protecting and Prioritizing AgricultureFurther to the updates made during the 6th and 7th housekeeping, minor changes are proposed to provide additional direction and clarity that aligns with the OMAFRA Guidelines on Permitted Uses in Ontario’s Prime Agricultural Areas.
Home-Based Business Pilot Project
  • To align with the new Zoning By-Law project and provide time for additional public input, the temporary permissions will be extended to 2026 to assist business owners benefitting from this framework.
Improving Implementation and Addressing Errors
  • These changes will remove redundancies, address errors, and align provisions with the policies of the Official Plan.
  • They will also help improve implementation for development review and enforcement purposes.


Stay Informed

Scroll down to see the news feed of information as well as links to engage, a timeline of events, and more.

Subscribe for updates and be the first to learn more information about this project. Add your email to the Stay Informed box on this page and click ‘Subscribe'.

Engagement for this project is now closed. This zoning by-law amendment was approved on February 27, 2024 and the project is now complete. Thank you for your participation!

  • Notice of Passing - Housekeeping Zoning By-Law Amendment

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    The proposed changes to the Zoning By-law, By-Law 016-24, were adopted by County of Brant Council on February 27, 2024.

    What’s changed?

    This Housekeeping Zoning By-law Amendment made general changes to the Zoning By-Law that apply across the entire County of Brant. These changes address the following:

    • Improving Parking Opportunities
    • Dwelling Units and Accessory Structures
    • Home-based business pilot project
    • Improving Implementation and Addressing Errors


    Appealing a Zoning By-Law Amendment

    This zoning by-law amendment has been passed by Council and any appeal of this amendment must be filed with the clerk of the municipality or the secretary-treasurer of the planning board before March 25 at 4:30pm. The submission must set out the reasons for the appeal, and must be accompanied by the fee required by the County of Brant and the Tribunal.

    Only individuals, corporations and public bodies may appeal a by-law to the Ontario Land Tribunal. A notice of appeal may not be filed by an unincorporated association or group. However, a notice of appeal may be filed in the name of an individual who is a member of the association or the group on its behalf.

    No person or public body shall be added as a party to the hearing of the appeal unless, before the by-law was passed, the person or public body made oral submissions at a public meeting or written submissions to the council or, in the opinion of the Tribunal, there are reasonable grounds to add the person or public body as a party.

    Staff contact

    Brandon Kortleve, Planner, Policy Planning Division
    policy@brant.ca
    66 Grand River St. N, Paris, ON N3L 2M2
    519.44BRANT (519.442.7268) x 3012

  • Engage with us

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    We invite all residents to participate by sharing your feedback on the proposed changes to the Zoning By-law.

    Share your feedback regarding the zoning updates. All constructive feedback and recommendations will be presented to Council for consideration. Online engagement closes on February 9, 2024.

    		Have questions about the zoning updates? Let us know.

    		Attend a Public Meeting on Tuesday, February 13, 2024 at 6:00 pm inside the County of Brant Council Chambers (7 Broadway Street West, Paris). The meeting can also be viewed online by visiting www.brant.ca/Live.
    Any person may make a “written submission” via mail, e-mail, or transcribed message by staff up to 2:00 pm the day of the meeting. Please forward your submission to policy@brant.ca and clerks@brant.ca.


    For more information about zoning in the County of Brant, please visit www.brant.ca/Zoning.