Apply for site plan approval

Site plan approval is required for most land development before a building permit is issued. For example, when there's a substantial change in land or building use or an increase in size. 

On this page

  1. When to proceed directly to building permit application
  2. Learn about the Site Plan Review Committee
  3. Apply for mandatory pre-submission consultation
  4. Submit a formal site application
  5. How to pay fees
  6. View municipal system alterations requirements

When to proceed directly to building permit application

In the City of Waterloo, most land development requires site plan approval before issuing a building permit. Site plan approval is not required for the following types of land development, construction, and site alteration:  

  • development on a parcel of land containing no more than 10 residential units and no other land uses  
  • education institutional development, as defined by the Site Plan Control By-law
  • farm-related development, as defined by the Site Plan Control By-law
  • extractive uses, as defined by the Site Plan Control By-law
  • construction or alteration of a building or structure that does not substantially increase the size or usability of the building or site, as confirmed through consultation with the city’s Site Plan Review Committee 
  • site works not requiring a building permit, other than the laying out and establishment of a commercial parking lot or the locating of three or more trailers, as confirmed through consultation with the city’s Site Plan Review Committee  

If a property has previously approved site plans and a site plan agreement registered on title, the Site Plan Review Committee must be consulted to confirm whether site plan approval is required for the proposed development, construction and/or site alteration.


Learn about the Site Plan Review Committee

The Site Plan Review Committee (SPRC) reviews applications in accordance with the Site Plan Control Bylaw.

The committee consists of a team of city staff from different divisions, including planning, transportation services, engineering services, and building standards, and representatives from other applicable review agencies such as the Region of Waterloo, Enova Power, Grand River Conservation Authority, and Enbridge Gas.

The Director of Planning has delegated authority to grant final site plan approval.

The Site Plan Coordinator is Jasmine Kaur. Contact Jasmine by email at jasmine.kaur@waterloo.ca or by telephone at 519-747-6108.

The Committee Chairperson is Amanda Wyszynski. Contact Amanda by email at amanda.wyszynski@waterloo.ca or by telephone at 519-886-1550 ext 78759.


Apply for mandatory pre-submission consultation

Before you begin

You need to determine if your proposal requires a Zoning Bylaw or Official Plan amendment. Unless otherwise directed by the city's planning division, these amendments must be completed before submitting a site plan application. If amendments are required, start that process by submitting a pre-submission consultation request for a Zoning Bylaw or Official Plan amendment.

Review the zone change application page, Zoning Bylaw and Official Plan to determine if your site plan application should go through that process first.

Pre-submission consultation process for site plan application

  1.  Apply for a pre-submission consultation by emailing preconsultation@waterloo.ca
    • Required documents to include:
      • cover letter
      • application form (PDF)
      • site plan
      • floorplans
      • cross sections
      • building elevations
      • lighting (photometric) plan
      • landscape plan
      • functional grading plan
      • functional servicing plan
      • for buildings with a height of 6 storeys or more, or 3 storeys or more in Uptown, a preliminary wind assessment
      • for buildings with a height of 6 storeys or more, or 3 storeys or more in Uptown, a preliminary shadow analysis
      • Section 59 Notice. Create the Source Water Protection Map on the Region of Waterloo website
    • Name all submitted materials with the following naming convention: "Address_Document Type_MM/DD/YEAR" — here are some examples:
      • 100 Regina Street S_Site Plan_01/31/2024
      • 123 Main Street_Tree Management Plan_02/02/2024
    • view the terms of reference documents to help you create the supporting documents
    • the Director of Planning or their designate may, at their discretion, occasionally allow exceptions to this requirement
  2. Pay the applicable fee, determined by the Chair, using one of the payment methods listed below.
  3. The Site Plan Coordinator will circulate your submission and be in contact within 10 business days to let you know if the application can be deemed complete. They will circulate the submission to the required reviewers.
  4. In approximately 3 to 4 weeks, the Record of Site Plan Pre-Application Consultation will be issued to the applicant by the Site Plan Review Committee, containing initial comments on the proposal and advising of the application type and submission requirements for a complete site plan application. The Record of Site Plan Pre-Application Consultation is typically valid for up to 2 years, after which it may only be deemed valid by the Director of Planning or their designate.

Meetings with the Site Plan Review Committee are available upon request. Please contact the Site Plan Coordinator to schedule.


Submit a formal site plan application

Staff requires a pre-consultation application before accepting a formal site plan application. 

The formal site plan application must comply with the proposal reviewed in the pre-consultation. Otherwise, the Site Plan Chair will determine the need for an additional pre-consultation.

All formal applications must comply with zoning regulations and require conditional endorsement from the Site Plan Review Committee before seeking relief through the Committee of Adjustment.

The Record of Site Plan Pre-Application Consultation will specify additional approvals. They may include, but are not limited to:

  • Minor Variance
  • Zoning By-law Amendment, including Lifting of Holding (H)
  • Official Plan Amendment
  • Plan of Subdivision
  • Consent
  • Part Lot Control

The Director of Planning or their designate may, at their discretion, occasionally allow exceptions to this requirement.

Site plan application process

1. Apply for site plan approval

Submit a complete application for Site Plan Approval (PDF), including the required fees, forms, plans, documents, reports, and other materials listed in the Record of Site Plan Pre-Application Consultation issued by the Site Plan Review Committee (SPRC).

All documents and materials listed in the Record of Site Plan Pre-Application Consultation issued by the SPRC and the site plan approval application must be submitted.

Submit all materials and the application to siteplan@waterloo.ca

Once the application is received, the Site Plan Chair and/or Coordinator will be in contact within 10 business days to deem the application complete or incomplete and confirm that the application has been circulated for written comments.

2. Pay the application fee

Pay the application fee by mail, courier or in person.

The fees are updated annually on September 1. The current fees are:

Application type

Fees

September 1 2023 to August 31 2024

Fees

September 1 2024 to August 31 2025

Standard site plan – pre-application consultation 

 

$405.00

$425.00
Standard site plan

 

$9,875.00

$10,270.00
Standard site plan – resubmission with significant redesign

 

$1,265.00

$1,315.00
Major site plan – pre-application consultation $930.00 $970.00
Major site plan

 

$20,250.00

$21,060.00

Major site plan – resubmission with significant redesign

$1,890.00 $1,965.00

Site plan amendment

$1,270.00 $1,320.00

Incomplete site plan 

$140.00 $145.00

 

3. The SPRC will review your application and provide a formal position

The Site Plan Coordinator will assess applications for completeness.

  • Complete applications will be circulated for review immediately upon being deemed complete by the Site Plan Coordinator, with a notification to the applicant. 
  • Incomplete applications will be refused by the Site Plan Coordinator, with a notification to the applicant outlining missing or insufficient information.  

The SPRC will issue a Record of Site Plan Review to the applicant with detailed comments and the committee's formal position on the application. 

Formal positions may include Resubmission, Conditional Endorsement, or Full Endorsement. Engineering Services staff will advise on the acceptance of detailed engineering submissions, subject to functional acceptance of civil engineering plans and related information. 

Consider the following when preparing your submission:

  • Planning Act (Section 41 – Site Plan Control)
  • Interactive Mapping
  • Zoning By-law
  • Official Plan
  • Urban Design Manual
  • Site Plan Control By-law
  • City of Waterloo's Comprehensive Design Guidelines and Requirements Manual
  • Accessibility Standards
4. Address outstanding matters and resubmit your application

If the Record of Site Plan Review requires resubmission, it must be submitted digitally to siteplan@waterloo.ca.  

Matters outlined in the Record of Site Plan Review must be resolved and/or responded to in the resubmission. If necessary, the Site Plan Coordinator will review and circulate the resubmitted site plans and supporting documents. The SPRC will issue another Record of Site Plan Review with a formal position on the resubmission. This step is repeated until the SPRC issues a conditional or full endorsement of the application.

5. Site Plan Review Committee provides endorsement

Upon receiving full endorsement from the SPRC, the Director of Planning conducts final review and approval. The Director may request modifications to the plans and/or additional information.

6. Director of Planning grants approval

If the Director requires no modifications, the plans receive a formal stamp of approval, which is typically conditional.

7. Complete outstanding legal requirements

This step is required if there are agreements (such as special servicing agreements), easements, or other legal requirements to be completed before registering the site plan agreement. At the Director of Planning's discretion, these may be completed after the plans are stamped.

8. Site plan agreement is registered by the legal department

After the plans are stamped, all legal requirements are met, and the city accepts cost estimates for securities, the city will prepare a site plan agreement authorized by the Planning Act. The agreement is signed by an authorized representative of the City of Waterloo, property owner(s), and mortgagee(s) before being registered on the property title. The city will invoice the applicant or owner for all agreement preparation and registration costs.

9. Final site plan approval is released

Once the site plan agreement is registered on title, the Site Plan Coordinator notifies the applicant of the final release of site plan approval. Digital copies of the approved plans and registered site plan agreement are provided.

After this step, before commencing any construction or site alteration, the applicant must obtain all necessary approvals and permits (such as final engineering approval, demolition control approval, demolition permit, and building permit) and pay applicable fees and securities (such as site plan/engineering securities, parkland cash-in-lieu, development charges).


How to pay the application fees

The City of Waterloo accepts payment in person by debit, cash, or cheque.

Make cheques payable to The Corporation of the City of Waterloo. Include the site plan's property address on the envelope or cheque. 

Submit payment by mail, courier or in person.

By mail to:

Waterloo City Centre (IPPW, Planning Division, second floor)
100 Regina St. S.
P.O. Box 337, Station Waterloo
Waterloo ON, Canada, N2J 4A8

In-person or sent by courier to:

Waterloo City Centre (IPPW, Planning Division, second floor)
100 Regina St. S.
Waterloo ON, Canada, N2J 4P9


Municipal system alterations

Municipal systems alterations require a separate application. The process and forms to request an alteration are on the water utilities infrastructure page.