Development Charges

The Ontario Land Tribunal has approved amended Regional Development Charges (DC) rates for the Region of Durham. The new rates are effective as of July 1, 2023 and ensure that growth related capital costs related to essential services like water, wastewater, and transportation are appropriately funded. The updated rates are available and supporting information was posted in the Regional DC Background Study on Monday February 3, 2025.

The new Industrial DC Deferral Program allows eligible industrial developments to defer their development charges over a period of up to five years on permit applications submitted on or after February 1, 2025. This program supports economic growth and resilience in Durham Region during these uncertain economic times. For more information on eligibility and application process, please read the Council report.

On April 10, 2024 the Province released Bill 185, Cutting Red Tape to Build More Homes Act, 2024. The Bill received Royal Assent on June 6, 2024 making the following changes to the Development Charges Act, 1997:  

1.   Repeal the mandatory five-year phase-in of DC rates;
2.   Reinstate studies as an eligible capital cost;
3.   Streamlined process for extending DC By-laws; and
4.   Reduced time limit on the DC freeze (from 2 years to 18 months). 

To implement these changes, Bill 185 permits a unique six-month window for municipalities to undertake any minor amendments to the DC By-laws impacted by Bill 185 in a streamlined approach, eliminating the requirements for the statutory public process (i.e., no requirement for a public meeting or the completion of a background study and the amending by-law cannot be appealed to the Ontario Land Tribunal).

On May 14, 2024, staff presented Report #2024-F-10 to the Finance and Administration Committee that outlined recommended amendments to remove the phase-in schedules from the Regional Residential and Non-Residential Development Charges (DC) By-law #42-2023 in order to implement the full calculated rates. On May 29, 2024, Regional Council approved Report #2024-F-10 which directed that the full DC rates would come into effect five business days after Council approved the amending By-law.

On June 26, 2024, Regional Council approved Report #2024-F-16 which recommended that the full DC rates in Region-wide DC By-law #42-2023 and Regional Transit By-law #39-2022 be implemented effective July 1, 2024 to coincide with annual indexing.  Therefore, the full DC rates will be effective as of July 1, 2024.  

Regional development charges are collected from new developments. These charges pay for growth-related infrastructure, including:

• Roads
• Water treatment
• Sewage treatment

Charges are indexed annually on July 1.

Development charge form and application processing system

You can complete and submit the Development Charges Application form online, and track your forms through the application process.

Development charges resources