The Town of The Blue Mountains would like to inform residents, builders and developers that Council has formally adopted By-law 2025-61 to replace the existing By-law 2022-14, Being a By-law for Fees related to Planning Matters and Engineering Services. The updated By-law was formally adopted at the October 20, 2025, Council Meeting.
The updated fees for Development Engineering services will take effect immediately, whereas the updated Planning Services fees will be phased in over three years. The first phase, reflecting 80% of the full fee plus Consumer Price Index (CPI), will begin on January 1, 2026. The second phase, reflecting 90% of the full fee plus CPI, will take effect on January 1, 2027, with the final phase, reflecting 100% of the full fee plus CPI, coming into effect on January 1, 2028. The full By-law and revised fee schedules can be found on the project webpage at www.thebluemountains.ca/PDSFeesReview.
This update follows the enactment of By-law 2025-40 in July 2025, which replaced By-law 2014-18, Being a By-law under the Building Code Act Respecting Permits and Related Matters. This By-law introduced revised fees for Building Services, which came into effect on September 1, 2025. Together, these updated By-laws complete the comprehensive review of Planning and Development Services fees.
In 2024, the Town retained Watson & Associated Economists Ltd. to conduct a detailed analysis of development-related fees, with the goal of supporting full cost recovery while maintaining competitive rates compared to similar municipalities. A Public Meeting was held on March 11, 2025, to present the proposed changes and gather input from community members and Council. Following the meeting, Watson prepared a comprehensive report outlining the legislative context for the changes, the cost recovery model and recommended fee schedules.
The revised fees are designed to improve the sustainability of the Town’s Development services, ensure financial responsibility in the delivery of services, enhance predictability in fee structure and support ongoing investment in the community.
For more details, please visit www.thebluemountains.ca/PDSFeesReview.
For more information, please contact:
Planning Services Division
Town of The Blue Mountains
(519) 599-3131 ext. 263
Development Engineering Division
Town of The Blue Mountains
(519) 599-3131 ext. 220