Great building projects begin with great plans. Whether you are curious about ongoing or planned developments in the Municipality or are ready to embark on a project of your own, here is an overview of our planning services, along with information on severances, easements, and more.
Services offered:
- Reviewing and processing of Land Use Planning Applications.
- Development and management of Land Use Policies, Zoning By-laws and Cultural Heritage matters.
- Monitoring of changing federal and provincial legislation, growth patterns and priorities.
- Providing Council with professional planning advice and recommendations to help them make informed decisions about land use and development in the Municipality.
Contact us if you’d like to open a planning file.
Development Process Planning and Building
Often the first step before building is checking planning. This is where we have a pre-consultation to check zoning, ensuring your property is suitable to complete your desired project. Once you have completed this, visit the building page.
Planning Application
Once the completed form and fees are received, a member of staff will contact you to schedule a meeting. The meeting will give staff a chance to better understand your project, and provide you with feedback. As the planning process is complex, a pre-consultation meeting is recommended for all applications (other than consent and minor variance which is fairly straightforward).
Complete pre-consultation application
Consent and Minor Variances
If you are thinking about severing a lot from your property or are looking for Minor Variance information, the Consent and Minor Variances page is the place to start! Here You will find detailed information about the process, along with application forms and meeting dates.
Other Applications
Other Planning Applications are more complex. Please confirm the scale (minor, major) and fees required prior to submitting. The Municipality collects fees for the County of Grey planning and ecology review, and for the Grey Sauble Conservation Authority review.
- Zoning By-law Amendment Application
- Site Plan Approval, Draft Plan of Subdivision or Subdivision Technical Review and Agreement (including a redline revision)
- Official Plan Amendment Application
Subdivisions and Condominiums
Please note that the County of Grey is the approval authority for Subdivisions and Condominiums. A separate County application is required.
Public Notices
To view the public notices, please visit our news and notices page.
Engineering Standards
The Municipality of Meaford Engineering Standards are intended as a guideline to provide an engineering basis for subdivision design within the urban and rural sections of the Municipality, site plan design and infill lot design, to establish a uniform criteria of minimum standards, and to improve the processing of engineering design submissions of development related works. Changes to these standards which improve or maintain the quality of the design will be considered for acceptance, subject to the approval of the Municipality.
It is understood that these standards will be referred to as a schedule in a development agreement and that the current revision of the standards are then considered to be part of the agreement.
Fees
For the full list of fees, please review the 2026 Fees & Charges.
The Municipality collects fees for the County of Grey planning and ecology review, and for the Grey Sauble Conservation Authority review.
Citizen’s Guide to Land Use Planning
The Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing has a guide to help residents learn the rules and processes municipalities follow for community growth and development in Ontario.
FAQ
Septic records are considered confidential and can only be released to the property owner. If the owner wishes, they may choose to share this information with others. There is a $51.50 fee for this search, this may be paid by the owner, realtor, or potential buyer using cash, cheque, or debit.If you have any questions, please contact Building Services at building@meaford.ca.
Most planning-related information is available on the Municipality of Meaford’s website. To access zoning information,
- Go to the main page of Meaford.ca
- Navigate to Business and Development, Planning and Development, and then Zoning. On this page, you will find both the interactive map and an updated PDF of Zoning By-law text
- Use the Online Mapping tool to locate your lot by entering the address or roll number in the search bar(The legend on the left allows you to view the zones).
- Refer to the Zoning By-law Text to find the tables on Permitted Uses and Zone Standards for those zones.
You may view approximate lot dimensions using the Grey County Public GIS Map; however, this mapping is not considered fully accurate for legal or detailed design purposes. For precise information, you must obtain an official survey. You can request your property survey documents through the Ontario Land Registry Office at onland.ca, or you may hire a licensed Ontario land surveyor to prepare a new survey. OnLand is your online source for property-related information and documents from the Ontario Land Registration System. You can hire private surveyors to do a complete and precise survey for you. There is a list of licensed surveyors available on the aols website.
You can call Planning Services at 519-538-10160 ext. 1127 or send an email to planning@meaford.ca to ask general questions about interpreting your zoning, checking feasibility of severance and other related matters. Before submitting major planning applications, staff also recommend scheduling a formal pre-consultation meeting. To do this, please complete the Meaford Pre-consultation and Guide form, and include the applicable fee, a sketch, and any studies completed to date. Once received, staff will circulate your proposal to internal departments and external agencies for comments.
While the Municipality does not control construction schedules and cannot confirm completion timelines, we maintain the Current Developments page on our website, which provides an overview of major development projects in Meaford. Each project page includes the current status, anticipated next steps, and an option to subscribe for updates as new information becomes available.
For detailed inquiries about construction timing, occupancy, or sales-related matters, please contact the developer or builder directly, as project timelines can change based on factors outside the Municipality’s approval process.
To determine whether your property may be eligible for a severance, start by reviewing the Meaford Official Plan Map to confirm your land use designation. Then consult the Official Plan text for the applicable designation and development policies, particularly the section titled “Creation of New Lots.” This section outlines requirements such as minimum lot size, frontage, and the Rural Density Policy, which may limit the number of new lots permitted.
After reviewing the Official Plan, refer to the Zoning By-law to confirm the Permitted Uses and the Zone Standards (such as minimum lot area, frontage, and setbacks) for the zoning that applies to your property.
The Municipality of Meaford is in the process of considering and adopting a short-term accommodations licensing by-law. This by-law will dictate the terms and conditions that short-term accommodation (such asAirbnb’s, cottage rentals, VRBO’s, etc.) must follow to operate within the Municipality. Please check the list of Q&A on the STA page here. Should you have any questions about this process, or wish to learn more, please contact sta@meaford.ca.
To request a Consent Certificate, all conditions outlined in the Notice of Decision must be fully satisfied. Once the conditions are cleared, a fee of $930 is required for deed stamping. After completing these steps, please emailplanning@meaford.ca to initiate the certificate process.
Please note that your lawyer should email the appropriate Form (as required under O. Reg. 197/96 of the Planning Act) directly to the Planning Department. The Secretary-Treasurer will review the submission, assign the official date, and sign the certificate.
For reference, the prescribed forms can be found under Ontario Regulation 197/96 of the Planning Act.
Based on section 4.24.1a) of the Zoning By-Law, it depends on your zone. If you are in permitted zones on this section and you have applied for a building permit that is already issued, you can have a trailer for a maximum of 2 years.
We do not have access to property title records, so unfortunately, the Planning Department is not able to see or confirm easements directly. This information might be available through the Land Registry system or via a real estate lawyer conducting a title search.
Easements are typically available through the Ontario Land Registry and can be accessed online via OnLand.ca. Easements are listed on the Parcel Register (PIN Abstract) and may include items such as: Hydro One utility easements, Bell Canada/telecommunication line easements, Right-of-way easements benefiting neighboring properties, Shoreline-related maintenance, or protection easements.
How to Check Easements on OnLand.ca
You can follow these steps:
- Go to www.onland.ca
- Select location(LRO16)→PropertySearch → Byaddress
- Buy and download the title search document
- Check the Registration Numbers on the left column on the PDF (easements are listed in the Legal Description)
- Go to the website again→Documents Tab→Type any of the Registration Numbers related to the easement / right of the way
- Buy and download the PDF