Regional Official Plan Requirements

Please note: Pursuant to Bill 23, as of January 1, 2025, the Region of Durham is defined by the province as an "upper-tier municipality without planning responsibilities". While this does not mean the elimination of the upper-tier planning function, Durham's eight area municipalities have assumed approval authority for all Planning Act decisions, except as prescribed by the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing. Envision Durham, the new Regional Official Plan (ROP), has now become part of the Area Municipal Official Plans of Durham's eight municipalities. Each area municipality may repeal or amend it, meaning that Clarington will have responsibility for the ROP as it pertains to the municipality.

Pre-consultation

Prior to submitting an application on Service Clarington, the owner/applicant is highly encouraged to arrange a pre-consultation meeting with municipal staff.

How do I apply?

As of October 2025, Clarington is accepting digital applications (and payments under $10,000) through Service Clarington. On the platform, you’ll find instructions for creating an account and links to apply for a Regional Official Plan Amendment online.

This change aims to help streamline the development process, enhance efficiency and give applicants the ability to view their application within the Service Clarington portal.

What happens next?

A Planner will be assigned to your application and will circulate it to the public bodies required under the Planning Act.

You will be given information on how to post a sign on the property advertising the Official Plan Amendment application and the date of the public meeting. A sign is required to inform the public of the proposed application on the subject land. The Planning and Infrastructure Services Department will advise the applicant of the Public Meeting date and prepare the necessary text on the notice sign to be erected by the applicant at the applicant’s expense. The Municipality will also mail notice of your proposal to all property owners within 120 metres (400 feet) of the property boundaries. Notice of the Public Meeting may be placed in local newspapers.

The Planning and Development Committee will hold a public meeting in Council Chambers at the Municipal Administrative Centre at 40 Temperance Street in Bowmanville.

A public meeting report will be prepared by staff detailing the application and is available in the Planning and Infrastructure Services Department generally on the Thursday afternoon before the public meeting.

Additional information about an application is available from the Planning and Infrastructure Services Department. Typically, at a public meeting the Planning and Development Committee will refer the application back to staff for further review and to consider all comments expressed at the public meeting.

The applicant may also be asked to provide additional information or to provide revised drawings to reflect any comments from other departments such as the Building Services Division. The Planning and Infrastructure Services Department will prepare a second report incorporating comments that have been received and addressing planning-related concerns. The report will also include a recommendation of approval or denial of the application. Again, the report is generally available the Thursday afternoon before the meeting.

The decision of Committee will be ratified by Council the following Monday evening. The Municipality is the approval authority, and the Clerk of the Municipality will issue a Notice of Decision. Appeal of the decision to Ontario Land Tribunal (OLT) must be submitted to the approval authority’s Clerk within 20 days of the issuance of the Notice of Decision. If no appeal is filed, you will receive a letter advising you that the decision is final and binding.

What are the fees?

A non-refundable processing fee for the Municipality and applicable Agencies is required. See the Clarington Planning and Infrastructure Services Fee Schedule and Agency Review Fees Schedule for applicable fees or contact developmentapplicationscoordinators@clarington.net.

All applications must be signed before a Commissioner of Oaths. The Municipality of Clarington provides this service.

How long does it take?

The Regional Official Plan Amendment application procedure described here applies to most applications and takes approximately six months. The timeframe will vary for complicated applications and is affected by Council’s schedule and the number of applications processed at any given time.

Once the required information has been received, the submission will be reviewed to determine whether it constitutes a complete application. An application is considered complete only if all required plans, studies, and fees have been provided. If any of these elements are missing, the application will be deemed incomplete until the outstanding items are submitted.

Prior to rendering a final decision on the application, the Municipality will require written confirmation that all Municipal taxes are current and up to date.

Can the decision be appealed?

If the Municipality fails to make a decision within a prescribed timeframe the applicant has the right to appeal the non-decision to the Ontario Land Tribunal (OLT). An appeal may also be made within 20 days of issuance of the Notice of Decision. Any person who has an interest in the application, including the applicant or agent and has a valid reason for disagreeing with the decision may lodge an appeal. An appeal must include a completed OLT Appeal Form and be accompanied by a cheque payable to the Minister of Finance. All appeals and fees must be submitted to the approval authority’s Clerk.