Community benefits charge and parkland conveyance
Learn about community benefits charges, parkland conveyance and cash-in-lieu contributions.
Community benefits charges
A community benefits charge is a city fee collected from higher-density residential development or redevelopment. The fee helps pay for services and amenities needed to support growth.
Community benefits charges:
- apply to buildings with 5 or more storeys and 10 or more residential units
- apply to all land in Waterloo unless exempt under the bylaw
- are capped at 4% of land value, calculated the day before the first building permit is issued
- are collected under the Community Benefits Charge Bylaw, approved September 26, 2022, as permitted under Section 37 of Ontario's Planning Act
Read the Community Benefits Charges Strategy (PDF) for more information.
Parkland conveyance and cash-in-lieu
When development or redevelopment of land occurs in the city, the conveyance of land for parks or other public recreational purposes is required for the following:
- dedication of land for parks or other public recreational purposes
- payment in lieu of actual land dedication called cash-in-lieu of parkland
- combination of parkland dedication and a cash-in-lieu payment
Parkland and cash-in-lieu contributions are calculated in accordance with the city's Parkland dedication bylaw that was approved on September 26, 2022 as guided by the Province of Ontario's Planning Act.
Read the annual report
The Planning Act requires municipalities that approve a Community Benefits Charge Bylaw (Section 37) or a Parkland Dedication Bylaw (Section 42) to publish a yearly public report.
Download the annual report (PDF), or request a printed copy at the Finance counter on the first floor of City Hall, Monday to Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Contact us
If you have questions about the community benefits charge bylaw or the parkland conveyance and cash-in-lieu bylaw, email zoning@waterloo.ca.