If you're a land owner who would like to divide your property to create a new lot, give part of your property to your neighbour, or create a right-of-way over your land, you will need to apply to the County of Haliburton.
The application required in any of these situations is called an Application for Consent.
Applications for Consent are also needed if you want to mortgage only part of your property, or lease land for a long period of time.
Before submitting an application
If you'd like to submit an Application for Consent, please make an appointment with the County's Planning Department to go over what you'd like to do. You may be required to meet with your local municipality as well, but since the County is the approval authority, you can start with us.
Municipal pre-consultation
If your application is for a new lot or a lot addition, you will be required to meet with the planning department of your local municipality before submitting it to the County. We require the pre-consultation report that the local municipal planning staff prepare to be submitted to us as part of your application package.
Assigning an agent
You can choose to hire an agent to represent you, and help you through the Consent Application process. These are professionals who are familiar with the process. An agent can help you complete the forms, represent you at the public meeting where your application is heard by the Land Division Committee, and help you make sure you meet the required conditions of your Consent on time.
If your property is owned by more than one person, you can also choose to authorize one individual to make the application on behalf of all of the owners.
Submitting an application
If you're submitting an Application for Consent, you'll need to provide us with two copies with original signatures on them, and three additional photocopies of the application. We also suggest you keep a copy for your own records. The application forms must all be filled out and answered completely, and signed by all registered owners of the property. Any application that is missing information, or supporting material, or that can't be read clearly, will be returned.
If the property is owned by a corporation, please provide us with documentation showing that the person signing the application has the authority to bind the corporation.
Please include the following when submitting an Application for Consent to the County. More detail on each item can be found further down on this webpage:
- 2 original, signed and commissioned complete applications;
- 3 photocopies of one of the originals;
- A sketch to go with each of the applications (5 sketches in total);
- Payment of the Application Fee;
- (If the application is for a new lot or lot addition) the pre-consultation report from the local municipality;
- (If the application is for a new lot) the septic inspection report and septic hauler letter;
- All studies required, as set out in the pre-consultation stage;
- If studies are required, payment of the peer review deposit;
- Any other items requested by the local municipality or County which may come up during pre-consultation/review
Commissioned documents
There is a section of the application that needs to be signed in the presence of a Commissioner of Oaths for the Province of Ontario. Commissioners can be found at municipal offices and law offices. If you hire an agent, they may have a Commissioner on staff as well. The two original copies of the application will both need to be signed in front of the Commissioner.
Drawings
Drawings of the proposed change in property lines, (also known as Site Plans, Draft Plans or Sketches) are required to accompany all Applications for Consent.
Drawings must be clear, colour-coded, and include certain required information.
A Drawing is not a Plan of Survey.
For more information, please see our webpage on site plans and drawings.
Applications for new lots
If your application is to create a new lot, and the property is not on a municipal sewer system, we will require a septic inspection report from the local municipal building department, as well as a letter from a licensed septic hauler stating that they have the capacity to take and treat septic waste from the proposed new lot. These must be submitted as part of your application package to the County.
Fees
The fee for submitting an Application for Consent is listed in the County's Tariff of Fees By-law.
A stamping fee for the deeds is also required at the end of the process. This cost is outlined in the Tariff of Fees By-law.
If a study is required, a deposit is required to cover the costs of the County's peer review. This is outlined in the Tariff of Fees By-law.
Studies
During pre-consultation, it may be determined that one or more studies are required before the Land Division Committee can consider your application. If this is the case, those studies would need to be submitted to the County with the application package.
All studies must be undertaken by qualified firms, and submitted to the County for peer review. The land owner is responsible for the cost of the County's peer review, and this fee is separate from the application fee.
Notices
When someone applies for a Consent, all of the neighbours within 60 metres of the property line are sent a notice in the mail with information about the application. The property owner is also required to put a sign up on a stake near the centre of the property.
About two weeks before each public meeting, notices are placed in local newspapers whose service areas include the properties which will be discussed at the upcoming meeting.
Anyone who contacts the County to request a notice of meeting for a file will be put on the mailing list to receive the notice of public meeting, once it's available.
Meeting notices are also published on the County website.
The Land Division Committee
The Land Division Committee makes decisions on Applications for Consent, and applications for Validation of Title. The Committee is made up of one representative from each of the four local municipalities within the County of Haliburton. Its members have been appointed by County Council.
Public meetings
The County of Haliburton is now conducting virtual public meetings held under the Planning Act through Zoom, a video conferencing platform. (For more information on this service visit https://zoom.us/.) Applicants, agents and members of the public will have the ability to watch meeting proceedings, and participate, where appropriate, as detailed below.
Where applicants, agents and members of the public are not able to utilize Zoom, existing participation measures outlined in the Planning Act will continue to be available. These include telephone communication with planning staff and written correspondence, via e-mail, fax or letter, to express land use planning information related to an application before Council or the Land Division Committee for decision.
The Land Division Committee normally meets the second Monday of each month at 7:00 p.m. at the County Office in Minden. Where the second Monday is a holiday, the Committee meeting is held on the third Monday of the month. The Committee only sits if there are enough applications in need of a decision to call for a meeting.
How to watch a meeting:
All Council and Land Division Committee meetings will be streamed live, available on the County of Haliburton YouTube channel.
How to participate in a meeting:
E-mail:
Applicants, agents and members of the public can email comments to be read aloud at the public meeting to Lisa Gillan, Secretary-Treasurer and Planning Technologist, at lgillan@haliburtoncounty.ca
Letter:
Applicants, agents and members of the public can write a letter to be read aloud at the public meeting to the planning department.
The mailing address is:
11 Newcastle Street
Minden Ontario
K0M 2K0
The fax number is:
705-286-4829
Telephone:
Applicants, agents and members of the public can telephone 705-286-1333 to speak to planning staff. Comments will be recorded in writing by staff and read aloud at the public meeting.
All comments related to a planning application must be received by the planning department prior to the start of the public meeting to be considered.
Virtual participation:
Applicants, agents and members of the public will be able to participate in Council and Land Division Committee meetings, where a planning application is being heard, through Zoom. Interested parties can register for each meeting type outlined below by following the corresponding instructions.
Council public meetings:
Contact Mike Rutter, CAO and Clerk at mrutter@haliburtoncounty.ca or 705-286-1333 at least 5 business days prior to the meeting where the planning application you are interested in is being heard by County Council. Provide your name, address, telephone number, email address and the file number of the application you wish to speak to. Upon registering for a meeting, you will be emailed a link and a telephone number for the Zoom meeting. You may choose to participate via video or telephone.
Land Division Committee public meetings:
Contact Lisa Gillan, Secretary-Treasurer, at lgillan@haliburtoncounty.ca or 705-286-1333 at least 5 business days prior to the meeting where the consent application you are interested in is being heard by the Land Division Committee. Provide your name, address, telephone number, email address and the file number of the application you wish to speak to. Upon registering for a meeting, you will be emailed a link and a telephone number for the Zoom meeting. You may choose to participate via video or telephone.
How to ask a question during the meeting:
Registered applicants, agents and members of the public will be able to provide
comments and asks questions during the Council or Land Division Committee meeting in the same manner as in-person public meetings. The Chair of the meeting will open the floor to public comments on each specific application by file number.
Any registered participant for the file that wishes to speak and is in the virtual zoom meeting by video, will need to click the "Raise Hand" button to request to speak. The "Raise Hand" button is on the right hand side of the Zoom meeting screen under the ‘Participants’ tab.
Any registered participant for the file that wishes to speak and is joining the meeting by phone will be asked once if they wish to speak, in the following sequence for each application - applicants, agents, and members of the public in order of registration. The Chair will ask the meeting host to unmute the participant to speak.
Each registered person will then have up to 5 minutes to provide comments or ask questions. Once the registered participant has finished speaking or met the 5 minute speaking limit, the meeting host will mute their microphone.
Schedule of meetings
Land Division Committee meetings are typically held the second Monday of every month. Please visit our Agendas and Meetings website to find upcoming meeting dates as well as published agendas: https://haliburton.civicweb.net/portal/