Development Charges | City of Oshawa

What are Development Charges?

Development charges are one time fees collected by municipalities on new residential and non-residential properties to help pay for a share of growth-related capital infrastructure needs including;

Building new infrastructure supporting growth
Paying down existing debt for past growth works
Growth is paying for costs that serve growth

Payment of development charges may be required for residential and non-residential development when:

Constructing a new building(s);
Adding or altering an existing building(s) which increases the floor area or number of units;
Redeveloping a property or properties, resulting in a change of use.

Development charge rates

Development charges are broken down by type of residential and non-residential development. The City's development charge rates are subject to annual indexing on January 1st and July 1st in accordance with Statistics Canada Quarterly, Non-Residential Building Construction Index, as may be amended from time to time, for the most recent year-over-year period. The City collects development charges on behalf of the City, the Region of Durham and Durham area school boards.

Residential Development Charges

Residential Development Charges and Cash-in-lieu of Parkland Dedication as of May 1, 2025
(payable in full to Building Permit Services on or before the date a building permit is issued)
Residential Development	Single Detached (per unit)	Semi Detached (per unit)	Duplex (for two units) see Note 6	Lodging House (per unit) see Note 4	Townhouse Dwelling (per unit) see Note 6	Apartment 2 or more bedrooms (per unit) see Note 6 & 8	Apartment Bachelor & 1 bedroom (per unit) see Note 6 & 8
City of Oshawa	$39,645	$39,645	$59,197	$12,799	$29,601	$24,922	$15,648
C.B.C.s (Community Benefits Charges) (see Note 7)	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	$147	$90
Region of Durham	$74,967	$74,967	$*Varies	$*Varies	$59,760	$43,623	$26,788
Public School	$4,049	$4,049	$8,098	$T.B.D. (see Note 4)	$4,049	$4,049	$4,049
Separate School	$2,886	$2,886	$5,772	$T.B.D. (see Note 4)	$2,886	$2,886	$2,886
Cash-in-Lieu of Parkland Dedication (C.I.L.) (see Note 3)	$6,200	$4,650	$7,440	$620	$4,030	$1,550	$1,550
TOTAL for each unit	$127,747	$126,197	$To be determined	$To be determined	$100,326	$77,182	$51,011

NOTE: City of Oshawa and Region of Durham rates for permits that have a Site Plan Agreement or Zoning By-law Amendment applied for after January 1, 2020 will have the rates frozen and interest may be added. Please contact your plans examiner to determine the appropriate development charge rates.

City of Oshawa rates are valid until the next adjustment as per By-law 91-2024. Development charges will generally be adjusted subject to indexing semi-annually on January 1 and July 1 each year.

Region of Durham rates are valid until November 1, 2025 as per By-laws 42-2023, as amended, 39-2022 (Transit), as amended, and 43-2023 (GO), as amended, - *contact Rob Goddard, (905) 668-7711 extension 3457 regarding the Region of Durham rates for Duplex and Lodging units. Development charges will be indexed annually on July 1.

Public School rates are valid until April 30, 2026 as per Durham District School Board Education Development Charges By-law (2024).

Separate School rates are valid until April 30, 2026 as per Durham Catholic District School Board Education Development Charges By-law (2024).

Cash-in-Lieu of Parkland Dedication (C.I.L.) rates are as per City of Oshawa By-law 63-2022 - see Note 3. Validation dates and rates provided are intended only as a guide. Refer to the appropriate by-law for accuracy.

Community Benefits Charges shall be adjusted annually at the rate of 3% on the anniversary date of this By-law, without amendment to this By-law. For exemptions refer to By-law 50-2023.

Non-residential Development Charges

Non-Residential Development Charges and Cash-in-lieu of Parkland Dedication as of May 1, 2025
(payable in full to Building Permit Services on or before the date a building permit is issued)
Non-residential Development	Commercial	Industrial	Institutional (Unless exempt from the by-law)
City of Oshawa	$196.65/m² (see Note 1)	N/A (see Note 2)	$196.65/m² (see Note 1)
Region of Durham	$40.48/ft²	$19.24/ft²	$22.26/ft²
Public School (see Note 8)	$0.20/ft²	$0.20/ft²	$0.20/ft²
Separate School (see Note 8)	$0.20/ft²	$0.20/ft²	$0.20/ft²
Cash-in-Lieu of Parkland Dedication (C.I.L.) (see Note 3)	(see Note 5)	(see Note 5)	(see Note 5)

NOTE: City of Oshawa and Region of Durham rates for permits that have a Site Plan Agreement or Zoning By-law Amendment applied for after January 1, 2020 will have the rates frozen and interest may be added. Please contact your plans examiner to determine the appropriate development charge rates.

Note 1: City of Oshawa Development Charge By-law No. 91-2024, (Schedule B.3), provides for a downtown exemption area for Residential and Non-Residential development charges and specifies a number of specific use exemptions for Non-Residential development charges; and exemptions for industrial, temporary and agricultural buildings. Reference should be made to the By-law for further details.

Note 2: Industrial development is exempt pursuant to ss. 3.6 (i) of the D.C. By-law. The calculated D.C. rate of $79.96/m² for Industrial development applies with respect to 5.1 of By-law No. 91-2024.

Note 3: There is a downtown exemption area for C.I.L. that is similar to the downtown exemption area for City’s development charges. For mixed use and other exemptions, refer to By-law 63-2022, as amended. C.I.L. applies to areas outside of subdivisions only. C.I.L. rates for Retirement Homes are the same as Apartment C.I.L. rates.

Note 4: When converting a single detached dwelling to a lodging house, please contact Jody Dale at 905-576-6150 ext. 22211 for applicable Educational development charges. Credits may apply to City’s development charges and cash-in-lieu of Parkland Dedication.

Note 5: To be determined (T.B.D.) based on a rate of 2% of the property value for commercial or industrial and 5% for other non-residential. C.I.L. applies to areas outside of subdivisions only.

Note 6: City of Oshawa By-law No. 91-2024, provides for an exemption for Apartment Dwelling Units in the areas as shown in Schedules E and F to the By-law. Per City of Oshawa By-law No. 91-2024, Townhouse Dwellings and Duplex Dwellings are considered Other Multiple Dwellings, Back-to-Back Townhouses are considered Townhouse Dwellings, Stacked Townhouses are considered Apartment Units.

Note 7: City of Oshawa Community Benefits Charge By-law No. 50-2023 provides for Residential buildings with fewer than 5 storeys or fewer than 10 units to be exempt. Refer to By-law 50-2023 for further clarification.

Note 8: The gross floor area of the non-residential portion of a mixed-use building is deemed to include one-half of any area common to the residential and non-residential portions of such mixed-use building or structure.

Development Charge information

Purpose of Development Charges

Development charges are fees collected by the City for new development and redevelopment of land. Collecting development charges is the City’s primary revenue tool for funding growth-related capital costs. This reduces the overall burden on the taxpayer.

City-wide Development Charges

By-law 91-2024 imposes residential and non-residential development charges on all lands within the boundaries of the City of Oshawa.

The City’s Development Charge By-law provides for Fire Protection Services, Parks and Recreation Services, Library Services, Provincial Offences Act including By-law Enforcement, Waste Diversion, Growth-Related Studies, Services Related to a Highway, and Stormwater Services.

The City’s Development Charge By-law is available on the City’s website at www.oshawa.ca and at Building Services, upon request.

City of Oshawa Development Charges (effective January 1, 2025)
Development Type	Building Type	Development Charge
Residential	Single and Semi-Detached	$38,899
Residential	Other Multiples	$29,044
Residential	Apartments – 2+ bedrooms	$24,454
Residential	Apartments – Bachelor and 1 bedroom	$15,354
Residential	Lodging House	$12,559
Non-Residential	Commercial/Institutional (per square metre of total floor area)	$192.95
Non-Residential	Industrial	N/A

Industrial development is exempt pursuant to ss. 3.6(i) of the D.C. By-law. The calculated D.C. rate of $79.96/m² for Industrial development applies with respect to 5.1 of By-law 91-2024.

The City’s Development Charge’s are adjusted semi-annually on January 1 and July 1 each year by the Statistics Canada Quarterly, Non-Residential Building Construction Price Index, for the most recent year-over-year period.

Timing of collection

Development charges are payable upon issuance of a building permit and are collected by the City’s Building Services.

Installment payments for rental housing and institutional developments are due and payable in six equal annual payments commencing at occupancy, and then on the anniversary of occupancy for the following five years.

Exemptions

All developments in Oshawa, are subject to the Development Charge, unless the Development Charges Act or City’s Development Charges By-law provide an exemption, in order that the services necessitated by development can be provided.

Discretionary exemptions provided in the City’s Development Charge By-law 91-2024 include:

Lands wholly within that part of Oshawa partially known as the Core Area of the Downtown Oshawa Urban Growth
Lands used solely for the purposes of a
1. Non-Profit Institution;
2. Hospital
3. Long-term Care Home
New Industrial building or structure or the enlargement of an existing Industrial building or structure
Temporary building or structure
Agricultural building or structure
Apartment Dwelling Unit or a Townhouse Dwelling other than a Street Townhouse Building on lands within that part of King Street/Thornton Road Intensification Area
Apartment Dwelling Unit on lands within that part of King Street/Thornton Road Intensification Area
Apartment Dwelling Unit or a Townhouse Dwelling Unit, except back-to-back Townhouses, on lands within that part of the Shoulder Area of the Downtown Oshawa Urban Growth Centre
New Financial Institution
The part of a building used solely for the purposes of a Medical Clinic receives a 100% discount of the Commercial Development Charge

Reporting

The annual Treasurer’s Statement, identifying opening and closing reserve fund balances, and transactions during the year, is presented to City Council. It is available on the City’s website at www.oshawa.ca and at the City of Oshawa, upon request.

For further information, please contact Finance Services at 905-436-3311 or email financeservices@oshawa.ca.

About this publication

This publication summarizes the City of Oshawa Development Charges effective July 1, 2024.

This information is intended only as a guide. Applicants should review By-law 91-2024 and consult with Building Services at 905-436-3311 or by email buildings@oshawa.ca to determine the applicable charges that may apply to specific development proposals.

Development Charge by-law and background study

The maximum term of a Development Charge By-law is 10 years. Completion of a background study can occur every ten years, or be amended as needed, to determine how development charges are spent. Approval of growth-related spending occurs annually as part of the City's budget process.

The City collects development charges for Fire Protection Services, Parks and Recreation Services, Library Services, Provincial Offences Act including By-law Enforcement, Waste Diversion, Services Related to a Highway, Stormwater Services, and Growth-Related Studies.

Current studies:

Past studies: