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Development Charges

Development charges are fees collected by the City for all new development. This money helps the City pay for roads, water, fire services, community centres, and other services needed to service new developments. These fees are charged for residential and non-residential development.

This page is only a guide. For specific rules and laws, please see the Development Charges Act, 1997, and the City’s Development Charge By-laws, as shown below. You should also speak with Development Finance Staff at the City of Markham – see our ‘Contact Information’ towards the bottom of this page.

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

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

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

November 8^th – Indexing of GO Transit rates

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

About Development Charges

The development rates as of January 1, 2024 for all jurisdictions are detailed below. The rates are subject to change/indexing in accordance with various by-laws. Exemptions etc. are the responsibility of the individual jurisdiction.

Rates as of January 1, 2024

Unit Based Rates ($/unit)

Residential	Single/Semi	Multiple Dwelling Unit	Large Apt. (≥700 sq.ft.)	Small Apt. (<700 sq.ft.)
City Wide Hard	32,779	25,410	19,998	14,049
City Wide Soft	28,262	21,910	17,243	12,115
York Region Hard	53,258	44,312	34,388	22,366
York Region General	19,434	16,168	12,547	8,162
Go Transit	420	330	243	153
Public School	6,964	6,964	6,964	6,964
Separate School	1,463	1,463	1,463	1,463
Total Unit Costs	142,580	116,557	92,846	65,272

GFA Based ($/m2) Rates

Non-Residential	Industrial Office Institutional (IOI)	Retail	Hotel	Mixed Use Retail	Mixed Use IOI
City Wide Hard	182.07	226.92	226.92	110.56	110.56
City Wide Soft	19.62	24.49	24.49	11.75	11.75
York Region	251.13	622.92	112.06	622.92	251.13
Public School	12.38	12.38	12.38	12.38	12.38
Separate School	2.37	2.37	2.37	2.37	2.37
Total GFA Based Rate	467.57	889.08	378.22	759.98	388.19

** Note: The Region's non-residential charge has been split between Industrial/Office/Institutional (I.O.I.) development and Retail and Hotel development.

In addition to the above city-wide charges, the following area specific charges apply to all residential and non-residential development occurring in those areas. The charge is calculated on a per net hectare basis.

Land Based ($/hectare) Rates

Area Specific	Area No.	Rate	By-Law No.
Yonge Steeles Corridor	1B	1,538,129	2022-51
Armadale	5	9,285	2022-52
Armadale NE	7	16,238	2022-53
PD 1-7	9	772,255	2022-54
Rodick / Miller Road Planning District	17	694,840	2022-55
Mount Joy	23	181,695	2022-56
South Unionville - Helen Avenue	42A-1	185,105	2022-57
Markham Centre	42B	8,383	2022-58
Markham Centre - Clegg	42B-2	177,243	2022-59
Markham Centre - Hotel	42B-4	939,092	2022-60
Markham Centre - South Highway 7	42B-6	1,296,670	2022-61
Markham Centre - Sciberras	42B-8	1,562,049	2022-62
Markham Centre - East Precinct	42B-9	247,853	2022-63
Cathedral	46	9,983	2022-64
York Downs	47B	8,606	2022-65
404 North Employment Lands	49	19,044	2022-66
Future Urban Area	50A	12,389	2022-67
Future Urban Area - Employment Block	50A-1	121,430	2022-68
Future Urban Area - Robinson Glen	50A-2	18,190	2022-69
Future Urban Area - Berczy Glen Block	50A-3	213,934	2022-70
Future Urban Area - Angus Glen Block	50A-4	73,706	2022-71
Future Urban Area - Robinson Glen - South Block	50A-5	50,571	2022-72

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

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

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

November 8^th – Indexing of GO Transit rates

Development Charge Rates — Previous Years

For more information, please see our Development Charges Info Package [PDF] (rates as at January 1, 2024). Includes sample calculation sheets, area maps, rates and information.

Development Charges

Do I have to pay?

Who collects these charges?

When are the charges collected?

What is an area specific development charge?

How much can I expect to pay?

About Development Charges

Rates as of January 1, 2024

Unit Based Rates ($/unit)

GFA Based ($/m2) Rates

Land Based ($/hectare) Rates

Development Charge Rates — Previous Years

Current Development Charge Rates

Development Charge By-Laws

2022 Background Study Update

Background Studies

Background Studies

Community Benefits Charges

Development Charge Interest Policy

Additional Information

City of Markham

Regional Municipality of York

York Region District School Board

York Catholic District School Board

Contact Information

Area Number	Area Name	By-law
	City Wide Hard Services	2022-49
	City Wide Soft Services	2022-50
1B	Yonge Steeles Corridor	2022-51
5	Armadale	2022-52
7	Armadale NE	2022-53
9	PD 1-7	2022-54
17	Rodick/Miller Road Planning District	2022-55
23	Mount Joy	2022-56
42A-1	Markham Centre — South Unionville — Helen Avenue	2022-57
42B	Markham Centre	2022-58
42B-2	Markham Centre — Clegg	2022-59
42B-4	Markham Centre — Hotel	2022-60
42B-6	Markham Centre — South Highway 7	2022-61
42B-8	Markham Centre — Sciberras	2022-62
42B-9	Markham Centre — East Precinct	2022-63
46	Cathedral	2022-64
47B	York Downs	2022-65
49	404 North	2022-66
50A	Future Urban Area	2022-67
50A-1	Future Urban Area — Employment Block	2022-68
50A-2	Future Urban Area — Robinson Glen	2022-69
50A-3	Future Urban Area — Berczy Glen Block	2022-70
50A-4	Future Urban Area — Angus Glen Block	2022-71
50A-5	Future Urban Area — Robinson Glen — South Block	2022-72