The Township of Clearview has initiated a review of comprehensive Zoning By-law 06-54.
We have been working hard to create a draft of our new Zoning By-law, and now we want to know what you think! We will take your comments and make changes to the draft, before presenting a new version to Council.
If you have specific questions or comments about a particular section, please reach out. We will make changes to this draft based on your comments.
Zoning Comparison Map
Use this mapping tool to compare the current Zoning and the draft proposed Zoning, as of August 2025.
Search for your property using the magnifying glass button in the top right corner. Then, click on your property to view the current and proposed zoning. Once you have searched your property, you can close the pop-up by clicking the “x” in the top right corner. Move the divider right and left to see the difference between current (right-hand side) and proposed (left-hand side) zoning.
The first round of comments is now closed.
Thank you for submitting comments for the new Zoning By-law. The first commenting period for the Draft By-law is now closed. Once we have reviewed all comments and made changes, we will release a second draft of the By-law and reopen for comments. To be notified when we open for comments, please email ZBLR@clearview.ca.
What happened to the Public Meeting?
The Statutory Public Meeting was originally scheduled for October 29th. In order to thoroughly review all feedback, the Public Meeting has been postponed to a future date, which has not yet been set. To be notified when the public meeting date is set, please email ZBLR@clearview.ca.
To review the current Zoning By-law, please visit the Township website:
Zoning By-lawClearview Township Interactive Map
Contact Us:
With Comments:
If you wish to be notified of the decision of the Township regarding the new Zoning By-law or if you wish to provide comment on the draft Zoning By-law, please submit your information through this link:
Submit Zoning By-Law Review Comments
With Questions:
To ask questions about the draft zoning by-law or the review process, please contact:
Clearview Planning Team
ZBLReview@clearview.ca
Supporting Information
Read our Draft Zoning By-law! If you have specific questions or comments about a particular section, please reach out. We will make changes to this draft based on your comments.
Use this mapping tool to compare the current Zoning and the draft proposed Zoning, as of August 2025.
Search for your property using the magnifying glass button in the top right corner. Then, click on your property to view the current and proposed zoning. Once you have searched your property, you can close the pop-up by clicking the “x” in the top right corner. Move the divider right and left to see the difference between current (right-hand side) and proposed (left-hand side) zoning.
By using this tool, you understand that the proposed zoning is a draft. The mapping shown here is under review and may change in the final version.
Get involved with the Zoning By-law review! We want to hear from you, and your feedback will direct changes to the draft Zoning By-law.
September 24, 2025 - Open House
Join us at 2:00 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. in the Council Chambers at 217 Gideon Street, Stayner to ask questions and learn about the Draft Zoning By-law. Staff will be available until 7:30 p.m. to answer questions.
October 29, 2025 - Working Session (New Format)
Join us at 5:30 p.m. in the Council Chambers at 217 Gideon Street, Stayner with questions and comments about specific 'Hot Topics'. The agenda is posted online.
November 5, 2025 - Last day to submit comments (first draft)
Thank you for submitting comments for the new Zoning By-law. The first commenting period for the Draft By-law is now closed.
Date To Be Determined - Public Meeting
If you wish to be notified of the date for the Public Meeting once it is set, or if you wish to provide comment on the draft Zoning By-law, please email ZBLR@clearview.ca.
Date To Be Determined - Last day to submit comments (second draft)
Once we have reviewed all comments and made changes, we will release a second draft of the By-law and reopen for comments.
Report PB-002-2026 - Update Report for Zoning By-law Review
Background Report for Zoning By-law Review (Working Session)
- Appendix A – Comment Summary (as of October 22, 2025)
- Appendix B – Comments
- Zoning By-law Review Update Presentation
Report PB-033-2025 - Draft Zoning By-law Release
- Appendix A - Draft Zoning By-law Text
- Appendix B - Draft Zoning By-law Maps
- Appendix C - Draft Zoning By-law Format
Report PB-008-2025 - New Zoning By-law Proposed Format and Preliminary Issues
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
The Ontario Planning Act allows Councils of local municipalities to pass Zoning By-laws to regulate the use of lands and establish site and building regulations for all lands within the Municipality. In Clearview, this means all lands outside of the Niagara Escarpment Planning & Development Control Area. Among other things, a Zoning By-law is also useful to:
- regulate the provision of parking and loading,
- to ensure adequacy of municipal servicing prior to development, and
- to prohibit development on lands containing significant natural heritage features, natural hazards, significant archaeological resources, contamination, or vulnerable/sensitive areas.
To learn more about Zoning as a land use planning tool in Ontario, please visit the Province of Ontario (Ministry of Municipal Affairs & Housing) website:
Under the direction of Township Staff, MHBC Planning, Urban Design & Landscape Architecture is helping draft the new Zoning By-law. Aleah Clarke, BES, MCIP, RPP, Associate, and Dave Aston, MSc, MCIP, RPP, Partner are the consultant planners from MHBC who are working with Township Staff.
Our current Zoning By-law 06-54 was created in 2006, and needs an update to meet new Provincial policy and to reflect the changes that have happened in the last 20 years.
Zoning is the key tool for implementing the long-term land use planning vision set out in a Municipality’s Official Plan. Our new Township Official Plan was adopted in 2024. The next step is to update our Zoning By-law to conform to the new Official Plan.
Council adopted the new Official Plan on May 27, 2024 and it was passed by the County of Simcoe Committee of the Whole on November 12, 2024. After an Official Plan review, the Planning Act (s. 26) requires municipalities to update and amend in-effect Zoning By-laws to ensure conformity with the new Official Plan.
We held an open house on September 24th from 2 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. and a working session with Council and the public on October 29th at 5:30 p.m. You can watch the working session on our Youtube channel here.
Please reach out to us with any questions to ZBLReview@clearview.ca. You are welcome to visit the Township office at 217 Gideon Street, Stayner, ON at any time for more information.
We will hold a Public Meeting in the future, once we have reviewed all feedback and updated our draft proposal and mapping. To be notified when the new date is set, please email ZBLR@clearview.ca.
To find the current Zoning for your property, use our Interactive Maps. Alternatively, use the Map Schedules on our current Zoning By-law website page to find the map your property is located on.
To find the proposed Zoning for your property, use page 1 of the Draft Zoning By-law Maps to locate your property in the Township. Determine which box your property is in - for example, if you live south of Sunnidale Corners on County Road 10, your property would be in box 28 (See below). Then scroll to the page which matches that number. On every page, you will see "Schedule 'A', Zoning Map #". Confirm that the Zoning Map Number matches the box you found on page 1, and then find your zoning!
You might also notice that every Settlement Area has a more detailed Zoning Map, which are shown in dark gray on the map. The larger Settlement Areas have several detailed Zoning Maps. For example, Stayner is shown on maps 67, 68, 69, and 70. If you live in one of the Settlement Areas, you can find the Zoning of your property by finding this dark gray box, and scroll down to the Zoning Map page which matches that number.
Once you have found the zoning of your property on the maps, you can find the permitted uses, site and building regulations, and more in the Draft Zoning By-law Text.
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This comprehensive review of the Zoning By-law uses Clearview's new Official Plan as the basis for each zone. Individual rezonings aren't being considered through this review at this time. A rezoning on an individual property requires a full rezoning application under the Planning Act.
There are a few key issues which are being reviewed through this process. You can learn more about several topics below:
Agricultural Policy Changes
We are changing the way we regulate agricultural uses to meet Provincial policy and our new Official Plan. These changes include Agriculture-related uses, agri-tourism, and On-Farm Diversified Uses (OFDUs).
Agriculture-related uses are farm-related commercial and industrial uses that:
- Support agriculture and are directly related to farm operations in the area;
- Provide direct products or services to farm operations as a primary activity; and
- Benefit from being located close to farm operations.
OFDUs are secondary land uses that are located on a farm and that support the primary agricultural use of the property. OFDUs include uses like:
- Farm labour accommodations,
- Bed-and-breakfast establishments,
- Greenhouses,
- Small-scale woodworking, metalworking, or plastic fabrication operations,
- Event venues,
- Agri-tourism uses,
- And more!
Agri-tourism uses are farm-related uses that promote enjoyment, education, or activities related to the agricultural use. Examples of agri-tourism uses include hayrides, corn mazes, and petting zoos.
These new policies will bring our Zoning into conformity with new Provincial policy and provide more guidance for agricultural uses.
Accessory Residential Units (ARUs)
We are changing the way we regulate Additional Residential Units to meet Provincial policy and our new Official Plan. Currently, our Zoning By-law only allows one ARU in residential zones if it is attached to the primary dwelling. In Agricultural and Rural zones, ARUs are currently permitted both attached to the primary dwelling and in detached accessory buildings.
Our new Zoning By-law will permit ARUs to be attached to the primary dwelling, or detached in an accessory building.
We are also changing the number of ARUs which are permitted in each zone.
These new policies bring our Zoning into conformity with new Provincial policy and support more housing types.
Accessory Buildings
We are changing the way we regulate accessory buildings like sheds and detached garages. Currently, our Zoning By-law restricts the size of accessory buildings in two ways:
- Limiting the percentage of the lot which may be covered by buildings, and,
- Limiting the Gross Floor Area (GFA) of all accessory buildings.
In our new Zoning By-law, we are changing this to only limit the percentage of the lot which may be covered by buildings. This way, the size of accessory building someone can build is relative to the size of their lot. This change will give people more flexibility in the kind of accessory buildings they can put up, while still keeping accessory buildings a reasonable size.
Live-Work Units
We are introducing a new type of use to our Zoning By-law called a live-work unit, which was also introduced in our new Official Plan. Live-work units have both a residential and commercial use in the same unit, and the business is operated by the resident. They are similar to home businesses, except they include slightly more intensive uses. Examples of a live-work unit include a medical clinic with one or two practitioners, a small retail store, or an art or yoga studio.
If you want to receive an email notice when Township Council makes a decision about the new Zoning By-law, please fill in the Zoning By-law Review Comment form, and check the box labelled "Do you wish to be notified of the decision of the Township of Clearview on the new Comprehensive Zoning By-law?".
Council's decision will be posted on this webpage.
A person or a public body who makes verbal presentations at a public meeting or submits written submissions prior to the passing of a zoning bylaw or amendment may appeal a council’s decision.
Pursuant to s. 34(19) of the Planning Act the applicant, a specified person, a public body, or the registered owner of any land to which the by-law would apply may appeal the decision to the Ontario Land Tribunal.
Last date for filing a Notice of Appeal: 20 days after notice is given of Council's decision. Exact date is to be determined, pending a decision by the Council of the Township of Clearview.
No person or public body shall be added as a party to the hearing of the appeal unless, before the by-law was passed, the person or public body made oral submissions at a public meeting or written submissions to the council or, in the opinion of the Tribunal, there are reasonable grounds to add the person or public body as a party.
The expiry date and time for filing a notice of appeal to the Ontario Land Tribunal is referenced above. Appeals filed after 4:30 pm on the last date for filing an appeal is deemed to have been received the next business day. The Township has consented to all notices of appeal being filed through the OLT e-portal by selecting Clearview (Township) as the approval authority. A notice of appeal must set out the reasons for the appeal, and must be accompanied by the required fee payable through the OLT e-portal or by cheque made payable to the Minister of Finance. The Ontario Land Tribunal should be consulted for more information on the appeal process. If the OLT e-portal is down, notices of appeal may be provided to plan@clearview.ca.
We are extending our review period to address concerns and listen to feedback. In order to hear more from Council and the public, Clearview Township is holding a Working Session on October 29th, instead of the Public Meeting.
Please join us on October 29th, at 5:30 p.m. for a Working Session
The working session will be an opportunity for the public to give feedback and Council to give direction to staff. Several key issues will be discussed at the working session:
- Additional Residential Units (ARUs)
- On-Farm Diversified Uses (OFDUs)
- Home Businesses
- Archaic Plans
- Residential Lot Fabric
- Parking Requirements
- Requirements for Cluster Development
- Private Servicing – Using Cisterns
- Use of Shipping Containers
The agenda for this meeting can be found online. The agenda includes a technical report which includes more details about each of these topics.
What about my concerns about the Environmental Protection (EP) zones?
We have heard many concerns about the EP zones. If you have a concern about your property, please submit our online survey using this link:
Submit Zoning By-Law Review Comments
We are extending our review process to consider the EP zones. We will not be addressing the EP zones at the working session. At this time, we are carefully considering the draft zoning and mapping, and collecting feedback about these concerns.
We will update Council and the public when we have updated zoning and mapping.
What happened to the Public Meeting?
The Statutory Public Meeting was originally scheduled for October 29th. In order to thoroughly review all feedback, the Public Meeting has been postponed to a future date, which has not yet been set. To be notified when the new date is set, please submit a comment using our online survey using this link: