Access Richmond Hill
The Access Richmond Hill Contact Centre provides assistance for general inquiries, responds to questions or concerns regarding programs and services as well as accepts in person payments.
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905-771-8800
Hours of Service:
Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
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There are costs that come with growth in our community. New developments need a number of municipal services, provided by Richmond Hill, during construction and after construction. The increase in services means an increase in costs. Development Charges are a way of covering the costs related to new developments and growth in the community.
All building permit and development proposal applicants should review the Development Charges By-laws. Then you can contact Richmond Hill's Capital and Development Financing Section in the Financial Services Division at 905-747-6313 to discuss which Development Charges apply to your project.
The Residential and Non-Residential Development Charges are summarized here:
Residential Development Charges
Non-Residential Development Charges
Notices
Local Planning Appeal Tribunal (LPAT) Decision - Case No. DC160010 - August 2020
On July 7, 2020, The City of Richmond Hill received the decision issued by the Local Planning Appeal Tribunal (LPAT) in Case No. DC160010, respecting appeals of three Richmond Hill Development Charges By-laws: No. 71-16 (Town-wide Development Charges By-law), No. 33-16 (North Leslie West Development Area), and No. 35-16 (West Gormley Development Area). The LPAT Decision approved the settlement which had been made by the City with some of the appellants by ordering the DC by-laws to be amended in accordance with the settlement, and dismissed the appeals by the remaining appellants.
In accordance with the settlement and LPAT Decision, the City will be issuing partial refunds of development charges (DCs), together with accrued interest, to all persons who paid DCs under the three by-laws.
Section 18 of the Development Charges Act, 1997 requires payment of DC refunds, together with accrued interest, within 30 days of an OMB/LPAT Order amending the DC by-law. However, under the Provincial emergency order relating to COVID-19.O.Reg. 73/20, which is currently in force, the deadlines imposed under Section 18 of the Act and under the LPAT Decision have been suspended until September 11, 2020. As a result, the City will be deferring the payment of DC development charge refunds pending the expiry of the Provincial emergency order on September 11, 2020, or such other date to which the current suspension period may be extended or shortened.
Once the Provincial emergency order has expired, the City will proceed thereafter to pay all required DC refunds, together with the accrued interest up to the date of payment.
Development Charge By-laws Adopted - May 28, 2019
Take notice that the Council of The Corporation of the City of Richmond Hill adopted at its meeting of May 28, 2019, a number of Development Charges By-laws in accordance with the Development Charges Act, 1997.
Notice of Development Charges - May 28, 2019
Development Charges Updates
2019 Development Charges Update
Richmond Hill’s 2019 Development Charges Update is currently underway, the following meetings have been scheduled:
- Stakeholder Consultation Meeting – Wednesday, March 20, 2 to 4 p.m. in main Municipal Offices, Committee Room 2. Presentations of the draft updated material will be made at the start of the meeting, followed by discussion and questions.
- Public Meeting – Wednesday, April 17, 5:30 p.m. in main Municipal Offices, Council Chambers.
The draft Development Charges Background Studies are available below:
2019 Development Charges Background Study
2019 Area Specific Development Charge Background Study
If you require a development charges document in an alternate format, please call Financial Services at 905-747-6454.
2014-2016 Development Charges Updates
Development charges were updated in 2014 and 2016. The following background studies provide information that guided the updates. The current development charges by-laws are at the bottom of the page.
- 2016 Development Charges Update Study - Engineering Services - May 11, 2016
- 2016 Area Specific Development Charges - Background Study - May 11, 2016
- 2014 Area Specific Development Charges Background Study and By-laws (Final Draft) - May 9, 2014
- 2014 City-wide Development Charges Background Study and By-law (Final Draft) - May 9, 2014
Paying Development Charges
Development Charges are paid by the developer or homeowner. All development projects in Richmond Hill will be charged a City-Wide Development Charge. An Area-Specific Development Charge may also apply to your project.
What projects do Development Charges apply to? |
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Development Charges apply to a number of residential and non-residential projects, including:
Richmond Hill's Council approved a number of exemptions, in addition to those already under the Development Charges Act. Exceptions to these charges are included in Richmond Hill's Development Charges By-laws. |
When do I need to pay my Development Charges? |
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Area-Specific Development Charges for subdivisions are collected when the subdivision agreement is complete. York Region Development Charges for hard services (road, water and sanitary sewer services) are paid directly to York Region by the developer when the subdivision agreement is registered. The remaining charges are paid to Richmond Hill before a building permit is issued. All other Development Charges must be paid in full before a building permit for the project can be issued. |
Who collects the Development Charges? |
| Richmond Hill collects Development Charges on behalf of the municipality, York Region, York Catholic District School Board and York Region District School Board.
Each area is responsible for setting the rates of their Development Charges, categorizing their rates and determining any exemptions. |
How much will I have to pay? |
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Development Charges are based on a number of things, including:
View the current Residential Development Charges and Non-Residential Development Charges. There are Provincial Grants and other sources of funding available to some developers. |
Do the rates ever change? |
| Richmond Hill reviews and indexes their rates every year on July 1. Area-Specific Development Charges for the Bayview Northeast Development Area and the Headford Development Area are reviewed each year on January 2 and July 2.
Contact York Region and the York Region School Boards for information about their Development Charges indexing dates. |
Who can I contact for help? |
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Call Richmond Hill's Capital and Development Financing Section of the Financial Services Division at 905-747-6313 for information about the municipality's by-laws. Call Mary Coats or Fabrizio Filipazzo at 905-731-0201 for information about York Region's Development Charges By-laws. Call Tom Pechkovsky at 416-221-5051, ext. 2374 for information about by-laws related to the York Region School Boards. |
By-laws
City-wide Development Charges By-laws establish Residential Development Charges and Non-Residential Development Charges for projects on all lands within the boundaries of Richmond Hill. Residential charges are based on the number and type of units. Non-residential charges are calculated per square meter of the total floor area of the building.
Area-Specific Development Charges are calculated per total developable hectare of land.
City-wide Development Charges By-laws |
Area-Specific Development Charges By-laws |
If you require these By-laws in an alternate format, contact Ilan Treiger, Financial Management Advisor, at 905-771-2415 or ilan.treiger@richmondhill.ca. |
Hard copies of by-laws |
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You can get hard copies of Richmond Hill's Development Charges By-laws from Office of the Clerk in the main Municipal Offices at: 225 East Beaver Creek Road, Ground Floor Richmond Hill, ON L4B 3P4 Hours of Operation: 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday to Friday |
Development Charges − Annual Reports and Statements
In accordance with Section 43 of the Development Charges Act, and Sections 42 and 37 of the Planning Act, Richmond Hill publishes a Development Charges, Cash in Lieu of Parkland and Section 37 Community Benefits Reserve Funds Statement. The annual report includes:
- Balances and transactions related to these reserve funds
- Capital projects financed through these reserves