Development charges & levies — Essex, Ontario

What development charges or levies apply to new construction? How much per new home?

In the Town of Essex, Ontario, development charges & levies rules are set by Development Charges By-law 2384 (Town of Essex) and 2 other bylaws, verified 2026-10-23. Charge per apartment unit: 2+ bedrooms: town-wide $12,172 (+ ward wastewater $692–$9,230); bachelor/1 bedroom: $8,403 (+ $478–$6,372) per unit (Schedule B-1 as enacted Oct 8, 2024). Non-residential charge: $0.62 per sq.ft. GFA town-wide, plus ward wastewater $0.48–$2.20 per sq.ft. (Schedule B-1 as enacted Oct 8, 2024; indexed yearly from Jan 1, 2025). Payable: Payable on issuance of first building permit; agreements may defer; rental/institutional in six equal annual instalments from occupancy (s. 3.15-3.17).

Development Charges By-law 2384 (Town of Essex) adopted bylaw
single detached charge Town-wide $19,971 per single/semi unit, plus ward wastewater: Ward 1 $1,136; Ward 2 $15,144; Ward 3 $7,137; Ward 4 $5,207 (Schedule B-1 as enacted Oct 8, 2024; indexed yearly from Jan 1, 2025) Schedule "B-1"; s. 9.1; s. 5.1
apartment charge 2+ bedrooms: town-wide $12,172 (+ ward wastewater $692–$9,230); bachelor/1 bedroom: $8,403 (+ $478–$6,372) per unit (Schedule B-1 as enacted Oct 8, 2024) Schedule "B-1"; s. 9.1; s. 5.1
non residential charge $0.62 per sq.ft. GFA town-wide, plus ward wastewater $0.48–$2.20 per sq.ft. (Schedule B-1 as enacted Oct 8, 2024; indexed yearly from Jan 1, 2025) Schedule "B-1"; s. 9.1; s. 5.1
services covered Highway, fire protection, policing, parks and recreation, library, growth studies, wastewater (urban serviced areas) s. 2.1
exemptions Enlargements; additional units; industrial expansion; places of worship/cemeteries; public hospitals; farm buildings; non-profit, affordable, attainable housing; rental housing bedroom reductions. s. 3.5; s. 3.6; s. 3.8
payment timing Payable on issuance of first building permit; agreements may defer; rental/institutional in six equal annual instalments from occupancy (s. 3.15-3.17). s. 3.15-3.17
indexing expiry Adjusted annually per prescribed index; initial Jan 1, 2025, then Jan 1 each year (s. 5.1). s. 5.1
scout note

Imposition of development charges in the Town of Essex; finally passed Oct 7, 2024, in force 12:01 AM Oct 8, 2024.

Schedule B-1 to By-laws 2384/2385, DC rates effective Jan 1, 2026 adopted bylaw
single detached charge Town-wide total $21,497; area-specific by ward: Ward 1 $1,222, Ward 2 $16,301, Ward 3 $7,683, Ward 4 $5,605 (Jan 1 2026) Total Town-wide Services/Class of Services; Ward 1- Essex Service Area; Ward 2- Colchester North Service Area; Ward 3- Colchester South Service Area; Ward 4- Harrow Service Area
apartment charge 2 Bedrooms+: town-wide $13,101; Ward 1 $745, Ward 2 $9,935, Ward 3 $4,683, Ward 4 $3,416. Bachelor/1 Bedroom: town-wide $9,045; Ward 1 $515, Ward 2 $6,858, Ward 3 $3,232, Ward 4 $2,358 (Jan 1 2026) Total Town-wide Services/Class of Services; Apartments - 2 Bedrooms +; Apartments - Bachelor and 1 Bedroom; Area Specific Services
non residential charge $0.66 per sq.ft. GFA town-wide, plus area-specific Ward 1 $0.52, Ward 2 $1.48, Ward 3 $0.76, Ward 4 $2.37 per sq.ft. (Jan 1, 2026); solar farms $0.53/sq.ft.; wind/telecom towers $11,003 each Total Town-wide Services/Class of Services; Wind Turbines and Telecommunication Towers; Solar Farms (per square foot); Area Specific Services
services covered Highway, fire protection, parks and recreation, library, Provincial Offences Act/by-law enforcement, policing, growth studies; area-specific services by ward Town-wide Services/Class of Service
scout note

Rates page: 2026 town-wide total $21,497 per single/semi-detached; $13,101 per apartment 2+ bedrooms; $9,045 per bachelor/1 bed; $0.66/sq ft non-residential; plus area charges (e.g. Ward 2 Colchester North $16,301 per single).

Town of Essex By-law 2404, Parkland Dedication By-law adopted bylaw
parkland rate 5% of land residential/other, 2% commercial/industrial/institutional; or cash-in-lieu per unit: single-detached $4,300 rural / $6,700 urban, semi/multiples $2,300, apartments $1,000 (2026; indexed) s. 5(a), s. 5(b), s. 5(c), s. 5(d), s. 9(a), s. 9(b), s. 9(c), Schedule 1
services covered Park or other public recreational purposes. s. 5
exemptions Town/Board of Education with Shared Use Agreement; fire replacement; residential enlargement no new units; commercial/industrial/institutional enlargement ≤50%; temporary construction; second/third/ancillary residential units; affordable/attainable unit ratio reduction. s. 4(a)-(g), s. 5(a)(i), s. 9(b)(ii)
payment timing Conveyance: prior to or immediately upon registration/consent, or prior to building permit issuance; PIL: prior to building permit issuance; value determined day before permit/extension; site plan/zoning within 18 months uses planning application date. s. 8(a)-(b), s. 10(a)-(c)
indexing expiry Rates indexed annually on Jan 1 commencing Jan 1, 2025 by Statistics Canada New Housing Price Index (house and land, most recent month year-over-year); by-law in force Jan 1, 2025. s. 9(a), s. 19
scout note

Requires land or payment in lieu for parks on development; in force January 1, 2025 per Town page. Amended by 2425.

County of Essex Development Charges Initiative (upper tier)

County of Essex By-law 2026-02 imposes separate county-wide DCs (library, ambulance, waste diversion, studies, land, highways) on development in the Town too.

Development related fees page

Town page covering DCs, parkland dedication, planning and building fees, with by-laws 2384/2385 and the background study.

Machine-readable: development-charges.json · Official website: http://www.essex.ca/ · Last verified 2026-10-23 · Development charges & levies across Ontario · Development charges & levies in other municipalities