Site Plan Control

Consult the Site Plan Control By-law to determine if a development is exempt from approval and, if not, what type of site plan control application is required. In general, the following developments may be exempt from approval if the property location, land use and parking count comply with the Site Plan Control By-law.

• A residential building that does not contain more than ten 10 dwelling units.
• A non-residential building that does not exceed a gross floor area of 600 square metres when serviced by municipal water and sanitary sewers or 300 square metres when privately serviced or unserviced.
• An accessory building or structure if the cumulative gross floor area of all accessory buildings and structures on the lot does not exceed 600 square metres.
• An outdoor commercial patio.
• An agricultural use.
• An existing non-residential building, where more than 460 square metres, may be expanded by 30 per cent in gross floor area if the addition does not exceed 600 square metres.
• Most non-residential conversions.
• The establishment or enlargement of a commercial surface parking area that does not add more than nine spaces.
• Minor changes to an approved site plan if permission from the City is granted.

In accordance with the By-law, a development that is exempt may be required to obtain site plan approval if required by the Planning, Real Estate and Economic Development Department.

To confirm that site plan control approval is not required telephone 3-1-1 to speak with a Development Information Officer. If approval is required, a building permit cannot be issued until it is granted.

Before making an application, you should discuss your proposal with staff. Pre-consultation with City staff is required for applications subject to public consultation. The pre-consultation process is designed to help promote the exchange of information and development considerations early in the planning process and a customized list of the studies and plans required in support of a development application is provided. If you fail to consult with staff, the City cannot guarantee the completeness or accuracy of your application submission which may result in processing delays.

Certain proposals are subject to the City's public notification and consultation process. In general, the following site plan proposals are subject to public notification and consultation.

• New residential buildings containing fourteen or more units, five or more storeys or with a gross floor area of 1,200 square metres or more;
• New planned unit developments;
• New mixed-use buildings containing fourteen or more units, five or more storeys or with a gross floor area of 1,400 square metres or more;
• New non-residential development of five or more storeys or with a gross floor area of 1,860 square metres or more;
• Drive-through facilities in the Site Plan Control Inner Area, as shown on Schedule C of the Site Plan Control By-law;
• Drive-through facilities abutting residential zones; and
• A revision, that would not otherwise trigger public consultation, to a previously approved site plan control application, for which the previously agreed upon conditions state the need to go through the public consultation process for such revisions.

Site plan control application approval timelines vary based on the development complexity, scale, and public consultation process if applicable. The legislated timeline under the Planning Act is 60 days.

Approval of site plan control applications is delegated to staff. When approval is granted there are typically a number of conditions to be met by the Owner and often includes the requirement for the Owner to enter into an agreement or undertaking with the City. Agreements are registered on title and remain in effect for the lifetime of the development. A request to release an agreement may be considered if all conditions of the approval have been met. A non-residential agreement must remain on title for at least five years after the release of all financial securities.

For additional details on the steps associated with the processing and review of development applications, please refer to the City’s development application process information.

The following fees (effective January 1, 2024) apply to an application for Site Plan Control.

Re-Application

A Site Plan Control application that has been withdrawn, in an effort to resolve circulation or City comments, may re-apply within a 60-day timeline at a reduced fee. The following are applicable Re-Application fees effective January 1, 2024:

Complex, Standard - Non-Rural, Standard – Rural

• $13,562.44 ($5,779.00 plus $6,888.00 Legal Fee + HST)

Revision Complex, Revision Standard - Non-Rural

• $9,686.54 ($5,779.00 plus $3,458.00 Legal Fee + HST)

Other Subtypes

• $5,779.00

New or Revised Application

An application is considered 'new' if site plan control approval has never been granted, changes are proposed more than 3 years after the previously approved site plan, or if a previous site plan control approval is no longer in effect through the following:

• Previous approval lapsed, or
• Site plan control agreement released, or
• Securities released under a letter of undertaking approval.

Rural-Based

Rural area site plan control applications are where the subject lands are located inside the area of Schedule B9 of the Official Plan of the City of Ottawa.

Rural Small

Rural Small applies in the following circumstances only.

• Where the development is on private services and proposes a non-residential use that has a gross floor area of 600 square metres or less.

Please see additional information related to the City’s Development Application Fees including information related to reductions for multiple applications, on-site signs, engineering design review and inspections, fourth and subsequent engineering reviews, as well as refunds.

Applications can be submitted to planningcirculations@ottawa.ca accompanied by required plans, studies and any other information that may be needed to assess your application.

• Note: If using a file sharing / transfer site to submit supporting documents, please select one that does not restrict access to a single planning staff member or email address.

Site Plan Control Application Form

Upon application submission, staff will provide confirmation of the amount due, the specific payment methods available for the application type, and the necessary details for the different payment methods.

Application commissioning, fees and payments

Client Service Centres will continue to offer commissioning services for applications and handle payments for new applications. Please ensure the payer’s name and address are indicated on the cheque.

If you require assistance using an electronic application form please contact a Development Information Officer, located at any of the Client Service Centres. You can make an appointment by calling 3-1-1 and asking to speak with a Development Information Officer.

If you would like to speak with planning staff please contact the appropriate development review Planner III by calling 3-1-1 and providing the address of the property you wish to discuss.