name: General Ontario Planning Framework
description: Understand the legal hierarchy that governs all land use decisions in Ontario, key statutes, and data sources.
1. General Ontario Planning Framework
Before building any output, you must understand the legal hierarchy that governs all land use decisions in Ontario.
Legal Hierarchy (Top to Bottom)
Provincial Policy Statement (PPS) 2020
└── Now replaced by Provincial Planning Statement (PPS) 2024 (effective Oct 20, 2024)
└── A Place to Grow: Growth Plan for the Greater Golden Horseshoe (2020)
└── Greenbelt Plan (2017, amended 2023)
└── Official Plan (Municipal — e.g., City of Toronto Official Plan)
└── Secondary Plans / Area-Specific Policies
└── Zoning By-laws (e.g., Toronto By-law 569-2013)
└── Site-Specific By-laws / Amendments
└── Committee of Adjustment Decisions (Minor Variances)
└── Ontario Land Tribunal (OLT) Decisions
Key Statutes
| Statute |
What It Governs |
| Planning Act, R.S.O. 1990, c. P.13 |
All land use planning in Ontario — official plans, zoning by-laws, subdivisions, consents, minor variances, site plan control |
| Ontario Building Code Act, 1992, S.O. 1992, c. 23 |
Building permits, construction standards |
| Ontario Building Code, O. Reg. 332/12 |
Technical building standards |
| Development Charges Act, 1997, S.O. 1997, c. 27 |
Development charges imposed by municipalities |
| Municipal Act, 2001, S.O. 2001, c. 25 |
General municipal powers including licensing, taxation |
| Ontario Heritage Act, R.S.O. 1990, c. O.18 |
Heritage designation and conservation |
| Environmental Assessment Act, R.S.O. 1990, c. E.18 |
Environmental assessments for public projects |
| Conservation Authorities Act, R.S.O. 1990, c. C.27 |
Regulate development near watercourses, wetlands, hazard lands |
| Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act, 2005 (AODA) |
Accessibility standards in buildings |
| O. Reg. 299/19 (Additional Residential Units) |
Permits up to 2 additional residential units province-wide |
| O. Reg. 462/24 (As-of-Right Multiplexes) |
Permits up to 4 units on residential lots without rezoning (effective 2024) |
| Bill 185 (Cutting Red Tape to Build More Homes, 2024) |
Amends the Planning Act — third-party OLT appeals restricted, parking minimums removed near transit |
| Bill 23 (More Homes Built Faster Act, 2022) |
Amended Planning Act — site plan control changes, heritage changes, conservation authority scope reduction |
Key Data Sources
| Source |
URL / Access |
What It Provides |
| Municipal zoning by-laws |
Each municipality's website or open data portal |
Zone categories, permitted uses, development standards |
| Toronto Open Data — Zoning |
open.toronto.ca |
GIS layers for zoning, overlays, lot boundaries |
| MPAC (Municipal Property Assessment Corporation) |
mpac.ca (requires account) |
Lot dimensions, assessed values, property type |
| Geowarehouse / Teranet |
geowarehouse.ca |
Title searches, lot surveys, PIN lookups |
| Ontario e-Laws |
ontario.ca/laws |
All provincial statutes and regulations |
| CanLII |
canlii.ca |
OLT (formerly OMB) decisions, court decisions |
| Municipal Official Plans |
Each municipality's website |
Land use designations, growth policies |
| Provincial Planning Statement 2024 |
ontario.ca/page/provincial-planning-statement |
Provincial policy direction |
| TRCA / Conservation Authority mapping |
trca.ca |
Regulated areas, flood plains, natural heritage |
| Toronto Application Information Centre (AIC) |
app.toronto.ca/AIC |
Active and past development applications |
By