Heritage Properties

An increased awareness and concern for the preservation of historic buildings and neighbourhoods led to the passage of the Ontario Heritage Act in 1975. This legislation enabled municipalities to protect properties of architectural and historical significance and to establish municipal heritage committees to advise City Councils on heritage matters.

The Ontario Heritage Act provides the City of Ottawa with three ways to recognize and protect properties of cultural heritage value on a municipal heritage register:

Individual designation under Part IV of the Ontario Heritage Act

Section 29 of the Ontario Heritage Act gives municipalities the authority to designate individual properties that have cultural heritage value. Properties must meet one of the three criteria for designation prescribed in Ontario Regulation 09/06 to be designated.

Heritage Conservation District under Part V of the Ontario Heritage Act

Section 41 of the Ontario Heritage Act gives municipalities the authority to designate areas as heritage conservation districts. District designation can apply to a collection of buildings, streets or open spaces that are of special significance to the community. Heritage conservation districts contribute to our understanding and appreciation of our cultural identity. Ottawa's 20 heritage conservation districts include the former 19th century village of New Edinburgh and the mid-20th residential neighbourhood of Briarcliffe.

Listing on the Heritage Register

Section 27 of the Ontario Heritage Act permits municipalities to add properties of cultural heritage value or interest to the Heritage Register. Listing under Section 27 requires property owners wanting to demolish a building listed on the Register to provide the City notice at least 60 days prior to the demolition. This allows the City enough time to negotiate with the owner to save the building or to propose its designation if warranted. There are no restrictions on alterations to properties listed under Section 27 of the Ontario Heritage Act. The City of Ottawa has approximately 3800 properties listed on the Heritage Register.

For more information please contact:

Heritage Planning
E-mail: heritage@ottawa.ca

Section 27 (1.2) of the Ontario Heritage Act allows municipalities to list non-designated properties of cultural heritage value or interest on a municipal heritage register.

Listing on a municipal heritage register provides interim protection for properties where an owner has applied for a demolition permit. If an owner wishes to demolish a building or structure on a property listed on the heritage register, Section 27 (3) of the OHA requires that they provide 60 days’ notice, in writing, of their intent to demolish.

The City’s Heritage Register procedures allow staff to use the 60 day notice period to further assess the property’s cultural heritage value to determine whether it meets the criteria for designation under Part IV of the Ontario Heritage Act contained in Ontario Regulation 09/06. If it does not merit designation, the 60-day notice period is allowed to expire and the owner is permitted to proceed with the demolition process.

There are no restrictions on alterations to properties listed under Section 27 of the Ontario Heritage Act.

Council approval is required to add or remove a listed property from the Heritage Register.

To request that a property be added to or removed from the Heritage Register, you must submit your request using the Form for Buildings Listed on the Heritage Register. This form is required to:

• Request that a property be listed on the Heritage Register
• Request that a listed property be removed from the Heritage Register
• Provide 60 days’ notice of intent to demolish a listed building

For more information, see Changes to listed heritage properties

Heritage Inventory Project

The Heritage Inventory Project, a city-wide heritage study, began in January 2016 and was completed in December 2019. City staff studied Ottawa’s urban, suburban and rural areas and evaluated buildings for design and context.

The project resulted in the inclusion of 3402 properties on the Heritage Register as non-designated listings.

The following map contains information about properties added to the Heritage Register since 2016: