Zoning compliance letter

In the examples covered here, a zoning compliance letter comes from the municipality. Kitchener, Ontario, says that if you are buying, selling or mortgaging a property you may need one, and that you or your lawyer can request it. A buyer of a business that sits in a building can use one to compare the city’s record with the use the business actually has. See when a buyer needs a zoning compliance letter.

What one letter can cover

• Kitchener’s letter includes the Official Plan designation, the current zoning, and whether the proposed property use is compliant
• It also states any pending zoning
• It covers compliance with building setback regulations, if a current survey is available
• It reports the status of building and plumbing permits on file, any active zoning or property standard violations, and whether the property has heritage significance

Names and processes differ

Greater Sudbury describes a zoning confirmation letter as an application asking for review of its zoning by-law to confirm a permitted use for a property. Edmonton says a development permit is the document that gives City confirmation that a business can operate in a location, even where the activity is a listed permitted use. This entry covers Kitchener, Greater Sudbury and Edmonton only; ask the municipality that governs the property what it issues and what that document covers.