Fee Schedule

2026 Permits Fees

Our fees vary on the type and scale of a proposal.

Section 28 of the Conservation Authorities Act and Ontario Regulation 41/24	Permit Fees
Development – Small Scale	$561
Development – Medium Scale	$2,157
Development – Large Scale	$19,176
Development – Major Scale	$26,634
Interference with Wetlands and Alterations to Watercourses and Shorelines – Small Scale	$997
Interference with Wetlands and Alterations to Watercourses and Shorelines – Medium Scale	$7,191
Interference with Wetlands and Alterations to Watercourses and Shorelines – Large Scale	$23,438
Interference with Wetlands and Alterations to Watercourses and Shorelines – Major Scale	$30,896
Permit for Minor Works	$274
Permit Revisions Review of Repeat Submissions (after 3rd submission)	50% of current fee minimum 25% of current fee
Expedited Review (dedicated technical review and approvals team)	(minimum) Additional 100% of current fee(s)
Fill Placement (less than 500 m3)*	$879
Large Fill Placement (greater than 500 m3)*	$4,310 plus $1.00 per m3
Additional Site Visit Technical Review (per study/report) Unauthorized Works (violations)	$302 Scope study $2,854 Full report/assessment $5,627 Compliance 2x current fee Non compliance 3x current fee

Property Information	Fee
Solicitor/Realtor/Property Inquiry	$392**
GIS Information Request/Service	$301

Notes and Fee Policies

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1. HST does not apply to CVC permit fees.
2. An administrative fee may be applied (over and above the fees identified in the Fee Schedules) for electronic fee transactions, specifically for the purpose of recovering external processing fees for credit card transactions charged by CVC’s financial service provider.
3. The application fee must be paid at the time of filing an application. A permit will not be issued unless the application fee has been submitted.
4. All permits are issued for two years. Permit extensions may be granted upon request and justification as per provision found in the Conservation Authorities Act (CA Act). Renewals cannot be granted; however, applicants may re-apply for re-issuance of a new permit for the original approved works in accordance with the most recent legislation/regulation, CVC Watershed Planning and Regulation Policies, and CVC technical requirements.
5. For large fill placements, the CVC Procedural Guideline for receiving and processing applications to place fill in excess of 500 cubic metres should be referenced.
6. The ‘Technical Review’ application category applies to all technical report submissions not associated with a formal permit file that has already paid the appropriate CVC fee (e.g. applicant requests a review of a technical report during pre-consultation). Subsequently, if a formal Permit application is submitted in relation to the ‘Technical Review’ file, 50% of the ‘Technical Review’ fee previously paid is to be credited against the formal application fee.
7. Fees related to review of repeat submissions (more than 3 submissions) will be determined by CVC depending on the number, completeness and quality of the repeat submission(s). The minimum 25% of current fee applies to each resubmission (starting at 4^th submission).
8. Requests for ‘Expedited Reviews’ are subject to resource availability and service level agreement (SLA) – at the discretion of the Director, Watershed Management and Development Services.
9. CVC’s fees for plan review and permit applications will be consistent with CVC Board of Directors approved fee schedules. However, fees may be adjusted to a different fee category prior to the issuance of a permit (regardless of the initial fee paid upon submission) should it be determined the application requires/required a greater or lower level of resources to process and review. Any fee adjustments will be at the discretion of the Director, Watershed Management and Development Services.
10. CVC reserves the right to reassess fees owed/paid after two years of receipt of an application, based on timing and receipt of required technical information (i.e. an application submitted in one year, may be subject to additional fees where delays in submitting technical materials span multiple years – recognizing annual fee adjustments to meet program cost recovery targets).
11. CVC will not accept permit applications to recognize (existing) unauthorized works that are non-compliant with Section 28/28.1 of the CA Act, CA regulation, and/or CVC policies. (Existing) unauthorized works that are non-compliant are handled through CVC’s compliance and enforcement programming.
12. An applicant has the right to appeal should they be dissatisfied with the prescribed fee. Any appeal shall first be considered by CVC’s Chief Administrative Officer (CAO), and then through a deputation by the applicant to the CVC Board of Directors if not satisfied with the CAO’s decision.
13. The frequency and process for undertaking future permit fee and policy reviews shall be as follows:
    • Permit fees shall be reviewed on an annual basis as part of the budgeting process;
    • A comprehensive review of Permit fees and full costs of services shall be undertaken every 5 years (beginning for 2022 fees). This will include the following activities:
      • an assessment of the full cost of services;
      • a review of cost recovery targets;
      • considerations for variable pricing and categories to reflect the marginal costs and range of processing applications; and
      • a survey of CA and municipal fees to ensure consistency and fees meet industry standards and applicant affordability.
14. The development of Permit fees and policies shall incorporate an appropriate level of public consultation. At a minimum, this should include consultation with the Building Industry and Land Development Association (BILD), members of the public, adjacent CAs, and municipal partners.
15. Permit fees and policies shall be approved by the CVC Board of Directors prior to coming into effect. Once approved, updated fee schedules shall:
    • come into effect on January 1^st of the intended fee schedule year;
    • be applicable to all new permit application submissions and other fee categories – including permit revisions, repeat submissions, and unauthorized works; and
    • be posted on the CVC website and readily available in hard copy upon request.

Definitions

1. Small Scale: an application is determined to be “Small Scale” where no technical studies are required.
2. Medium Scale: an application is determined to be “Medium Scale” where limited or scoped technical studies are required.
3. Large Scale: an application is determined to be “Large Scale” where technical studies are required.
4. Major Scale: an application is determined to be “Major Scale” where a number of technical studies are required (hydraulic analysis, storm water management, geotechnical, etc.).

2026 Plan Review Fees

Application-Collected by Municipality	Fees*
Minor Variance	$489
Consents (Severances)	Minor $1,257 Major $3,732
Site Plan (Residential)	Minor $1,083 Intermediate $6,559 Major $8,826
Site Plan (Commercial, Industrial, Institutional)	Minor $2,703 Intermediate $7,237 Major $12,642
Site Plan Multi-unit Building and Condominiums Clearances	Minor $7,463 Intermediate $14,957 Major $39,469 Minor $3,573 Intermediate/Major $7,148
Site Plan Water Balance Review Only (WHPA Q2 Area)	$1,866
Official Plan Amendment	Minor $1,074 Intermediate $2,487 Major $5,432
Zoning By-law Amendment	Minor $1,074 Intermediate $2,587 Major $5,432
Subdivisions Clearances Technical Review (per study report) Review of Repeat Submissions (after 3rd submission)	$4,261 per net ha 50% at EIR or EMP submission** 25% at draft plan submission 25% at draft plan approval Minor $6,019 Major $14,446 Scoped study $2,854 Full report/assessment $5,627 (minimum) 25% of current fee

Application-Collected by CVC	Fees*
Golf Courses	$18,960
Aggregate Operations	Minor $7,463 Intermediate $24,920 Major $74,639
Class EA review-Schedule A	N/A Permit Fee Only
Class EA review-Schedule B	$6,182 plus permit fee
Class EA review-Schedule C	$11,859 plus permit fee
Individual EA/Master Plan	$18,058

Notes and Fee Policies

1. All fees include HST.
2. An administrative fee may be applied (over and above the fees identified in the Fee Schedules) for electronic fee transactions, specifically for the purpose of recovering external processing fees for credit card transactions charged by CVC’s financial service provider.
3. The application fee must be paid at the time of filing an application and/or within 30 days of CVC notification in writing. For outstanding payments, CVC may place the application on hold upon review until satisfactory arrangements are established. 
4. When processing and reviewing consolidated applications (ZBA/OPA applications), the highest rate of fees will apply.
5. Separate fees will apply for the processing of associated CVC permit approvals, with the exception of Subdivision applications.
6. The ‘Technical Review’ application category applies to all technical report submissions not associated with a formal Plan Review file that has already paid the appropriate CVC fee (e.g. applicant requests a review of a technical report during pre-consultation). Subsequently, if a formal Plan Review application is submitted in relation to the ‘Technical Review’ file, 50% of the ‘Technical Review’ fee previously paid is to be credited against the formal application fee.
7. Fees related to review of repeat submissions (more than 3 submissions) will be determined by CVC depending on the number, completeness and quality of the repeat submission(s). The minimum 25% of current fee applies to each resubmission (starting at 4^th submission).
8. Requests for ‘Expedited Reviews’ are subject to resource availability and service level agreement (SLA) – at the discretion of the Director, Watershed Management and Development Services.
9. CVC’s fees for plan review and permit applications will be consistent with CVC Board of Directors approved fee schedules. However, fees may be adjusted to a different fee category prior to the issuance final comments or clearances (regardless of the initial fee paid upon submission) should it be determined the application requires/required a greater or lower level of resources to process and review. Any fee adjustments will be at the discretion of the Director, Watershed Management and Development Services.
10. CVC reserves the right to reassess fees owed/paid after two years of receipt of an application, based on timing and receipt of required technical information (i.e. an application submitted in one year, may be subject to additional fees where delays in submitting technical materials span multiple years – recognizing annual fee adjustments to meet program cost recovery targets).
11. An applicant has the right to appeal should they be dissatisfied with the prescribed fee. Any appeal shall first be considered by CVC’s Chief Administrative Officer (CAO), and then through a deputation by the applicant to the CVC Board of Directors if not satisfied with the CAO’s decision.
12. The frequency and process for undertaking future Plan Reivew fee and policy reviews shall be as follows:
    • Plan Review fees shall be reviewed on an annual basis as part of the budgeting process;
    • A comprehensive review of Plan Review fees and full costs of services shall be undertaken every 5 years (beginning for 2022 fees). This will include the following activities:
      • an assessment of the full cost of services;
      • a review of cost recovery targets;
      • considerations for variable pricing and categories to reflect marginal costs and range of processing applications; and
      • a survey of CA and municipal fees to ensure consistency and fees meet industry standards and applicant affordability.
13. The development of Plan Review fees and policies shall incorporate an appropriate level of public consultation. At a minimum, this should include consultation with the Building Industry and Land Development Association (BILD), members of the public, adjacent CAs, and municipal partners.
14. Plan Review fees and policies shall be approved by the CVC Board of Directors prior to coming into effect. Once approved, updated fee schedules shall:
    • come into effect on January 1^st of the intended fee schedule year;
    • be applicable to all new plan review applications and other fee categories – including clearances and repeat submissions; and
    • be posted on the CVC website and readily available in hard copy upon request.

Definitions

1. Minor: an application is determined to be “Minor” where no technical studies are required.
   
   Minor for the purposes of administering clearance fees is a subdivision clearance of draft plan conditions that is administrative in nature with no technical studies (e.g. preparation of a letter after confirming that CVC is satisfied with the registration of the subdivision and review is limited to grading and sediment and erosion control plans, etc.).
2. Intermediate: an application is determined to be “Intermediate” where a scoped technical study (for example as Stormwater Management Report) is required.
3. Major: an application is determined to be “Major” where technical studies (e.g. EIS, stormwater management, geotechnical) are required.
   
   Major for the purposes of administering clearance fees is a subdivision clearance of draft plan conditions prior to registration which requires significant work to review and clear conditions and requires the review of technical information (stormwater management ponds, hydrology or hydraulics, etc.).

CVC’s Comprehensive Fee Review

About Plan Review and Permitting

Credit Valley Conservation (CVC) provides Plan Review and Permitting services to watershed stakeholders including provincial agencies, municipalities, and landowners. CVC along with many other Conservation Authorities (CAs) requires a fee for these services on a cost recovery basis.

Recent Changes

Proposed changes to the Conservation Authorities Act (CAA) may affect some Plan Review and Permitting services and associated funding mechanisms. We anticipate our fees for service will continue on a cost recovery basis, however there will be a greater need for:

• Full cost accounting principles
• Increased transparency
• Increase consultation in the determination of fee schedules

Fee Review

In November 2020, CVC’s Board of Directors received a report by CVC’s Planning and Development Services (PDS) staff titled ‘Planning and Development Services Cost Recovery and Fee Schedule Update’. The purpose of the report was to:

• Inform the Board of the status of cost recovery for Plan Review and Permitting programs
• Seek approval of the proposed 2021 fee schedules
• Update the Board on CVC’s comprehensive fee review for Plan Review and Permitting programs

CVC retained Watson & Associates Economists Ltd. (Watson) to conduct a comprehensive review of current Plan Review and Permitting fees.

Report Objectives

The main objective was to conduct a comprehensive fee review to assess the current fees and fee structure, and to determine if they are sufficient to recover the anticipated and associated cost of services moving forward using full cost accounting principles.

Report Recommendations

The Comprehensive Fee Review includes the following recommendations:

• Updating the fee schedule and structure based on application type and service provided that’s more closely aligned to full cost of service and services provided
• Introducing a Fee Administration Policy in accordance with recent proposed changes to Section 21.2 of the Conservation Authorities Act

Review the full Watson Report with recommendations.

Fee Schedule Finalization

In May 2021, CVC’s Board considered the recommendations in a Board report titled ‘Planning and Development Services Comprehensive Plan Review and Permit Fee Schedule Review Update’. The Board endorsed the recommendations and resolved that staff continue to consult with the Building Industry and Land Development Association (BILD) and watershed stakeholders to refine the recommended full cost recovery fee schedules.

In November 2021, staff brought forward the final fee schedules and recommendations forward to the Board for endorsement and implementation starting in 2022.  See the final Board report and resolution #117/21 titled ‘Planning and Development Services Cost Recovery and Fee Schedule Update’.

Comprehensive Fee Review in 2026

In keeping with CVC fee policy, CVC is completing a comprehensive fee and fee policy review in 2026. The comprehensive fee and fee policy review will involve updating the CVC planning and permit fee review model prepared in 2021 to reflect legislated changes in roles and responsibilities, trends in the complexity of plan and permit reviews, and relevant new best practices for determining user fees and policies based on industry standards.

Contact Us

We continue to consult with watershed stakeholders and encourage individuals and organization who would like to learn more or provide input to contact our Director of Planning and Development Services at by email.