Three types of development charges within the City are imposed under a number of by-laws. They are:

  • City-Wide Soft development charge (CWS) by-law 2022-50;
  • City-Wide Hard development charge (CWH) by-law 2022-49; and
  • Area-Specific development charge (ASDC) by-laws 2022-51 to 2022-72, inclusive.

Do I have to pay?

You may be required to pay development charges for any residential or non-residential development if you are:

  • erecting a new (not replacement) building(s)
  • making an addition or alteration to an existing building(s) which increases the gross floor area or number of units
  • redeveloping a property or properties which result in a change of use

Who collects these charges?

The City of Markham also collects regional development charges and education development charges. The City sends the non-City charges to the Region of York, the York District School Board and the York Catholic District School Board. Each region or board sets its own development charges and makes its own exemptions.

When are the charges collected?

Subdivisions pay some of the charges when they execute the subdivision agreement. The rest is paid at the building permit stage. You must pay all development charges before you can get a building permit

What is an area specific development charge?

The City wants to make sure that development charges are applied fairly. Some areas benefit from specific services and infrastructure and pay a special charge.

Landowners who build services for the City can enter into a credit agreement with the municipality and receive a reduction on the area charge.

How much can I expect to pay?

Your charges depends on:

  • The development type - Is it residential or non residential? -Is it a single detached home or apartment?
  • The development size- For residential developments, a combination of the site area (in net hectares) and the number and type of dwelling units. For non-residential development, a combination of the gross floor area and site area (in net hectares).
  • The development location - Some areas may need to pay an area-specific development charge. This charge is based on the site area (in net hectares).
  • Indexing of charge rates - Each city or board indexes its charges from time to time.
  • Exemptions - In some cases, the City will approve an exemption. For example, if your development replaces some of the floor area eliminated via a demolition, you may receive an exemption. However, you will need to show beforehand that your proposed development is entitled to an exemption. Please check with each jurisdiction to see if you qualify.

City of Markham Development Charges are updated on January 1st and July 1st of each year. They change according to the Statistics Canada Non-Residential Construction Price Index.

The following provides a summary as to when development charge rates typically change each year, in accordance with the current by-laws. Note these dates are for reference purposes only, and may be subject to change.

January 1st – Semi-annual indexing of City of Markham rates

June 17th – Rate phase-in of City and Regional rates in accordance with Bill 23 the More Homes Built Faster Act

July 1st – Indexing of City and Region rates; Some Education development charge rates are phased-in, in accordance with the education development charge by-laws

November 8th – Indexing of GO Transit rates

You can see Markham's current development rates in the next section of this page.

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