Development charges & levies — Sarnia, Ontario

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

In the City of Sarnia, Ontario, development charges & levies rules are set by Development Charges By-Law No. 1 of 2024 and 1 other bylaw, verified 2026-10-19. Charge per apartment unit: Apartments 2 Bedrooms+: Rural $11,307, Urban $14,408, DA2 $14,448; Bachelor/1 Bedroom: Rural $6,564, Urban $8,365, DA2 $8,388 (Effective January 1, 2026). Non-residential charge: $72.33/sq.m (Rural/Municipal Wide); $104.41/sq.m (All Other Urban Areas); $212/sq.m (Development Area 2) — per Gross Floor Area. Payable: At first building permit; rental/institutional in 6 equal annual payments from occupancy.

Development Charges By-Law No. 1 of 2024 adopted bylaw
services covered Highway, County Roads, fire, police, parks/recreation, library, storm drainage/control, wastewater, water. s. 2.1
exemptions Farm buildings; no-building uses; specified business parks; temporary/non-serviced storage/airport hangars; non-profit/affordable housing; industrial expansion up to 50%; additional residential units; rental housing discounts. s. 3.5; s. 3.6; s. 3.7; s. 3.8
payment timing At first building permit; rental/institutional in 6 equal annual payments from occupancy. s. 8.1; s. 8.2
indexing expiry Annual adjustment per Statistics Canada Quarterly, Non-Residential Building Construction Price Index (Table 18-10-0276-02); expires 10 years from passing. s. 10.1; s. 17.1
scout note

Imposes development charges on new residential and non-residential development to fund growth-related capital costs under the Development Charges Act, 1997, so new taxpayers help fund the services their development requires.

Schedule of Development Charges - 2026 adopted bylaw
single detached charge Rural Area: $15,503/unit; All Other Urban Areas: $19,755/unit; Development Area 2 (50% residential reduction until Dec 31, 2027): $19,811/unit (Effective January 1, 2026) "GRAND TOTAL" rows; "Effective January 1, 2026"
apartment charge Apartments 2 Bedrooms+: Rural $11,307, Urban $14,408, DA2 $14,448; Bachelor/1 Bedroom: Rural $6,564, Urban $8,365, DA2 $8,388 (Effective January 1, 2026) "Apartments - 2 Bedrooms +" and "Apartments - Bachelor and 1 Bedroom" columns; GRAND TOTAL rows
non residential charge $72.33/sq.m (Rural/Municipal Wide); $104.41/sq.m (All Other Urban Areas); $212/sq.m (Development Area 2) — per Gross Floor Area "per sq.m of Gross Floor Area" column header; GRAND TOTAL rows
services covered Highway, public works, fire protection, policing, parks and recreation, library, stormwater drainage, wastewater, water services "Municipal Wide Services/Class of Service" and "Urban Services" section headings
exemptions Residential Development Charges in Development Area 2 reduced by 50% until December 31, 2027 "Residential Development Charges in Development Area 2 have been reduced by 50% until December 31, 2027"
indexing expiry 50% residential reduction in Development Area 2 expires December 31, 2027; no general by-law expiry or indexing rule stated "**Residential Development Charges in Development Area 2 have been reduced by 50% until December 31, 2027"
scout note

rates page: effective Jan 1, 2026. Rural area: $15,503 per single/semi-detached; $11,307 apartment 2+ bedrooms; $6,564 bachelor/1-bed; $72.33/m2 non-residential. All other urban areas $19,755 single; Development Area 2 $19,811 single (50% reduction to Dec 31, 2027).

By-law 64 of 2025 amending the Development Charges By-law

Amends DC By-law 1 of 2024 (linked from city DC page; not opened).

Development Charges (City of Sarnia web page)

Explains DC calculation, payment at permit issuance, 18-month freeze, deferral for non-rental residential, annual Jan 1 indexing.

Development Charges By-law No. 1 of 2024 (city PDF)

Same by-law on the city site (page links it). Not separately opened.

Machine-readable: development-charges.json · Official website: https://www.sarnia.ca · Last verified 2026-10-19 · Development charges & levies across Ontario · Development charges & levies in other municipalities