New Sarnia Zoning By-law
On July 25, 2022, Sarnia City Council adopted the new Sarnia Official Plan. Following the plan’s adoption, work began on a comprehensive Zoning By-law Review, which will result in the preparation of a new Zoning By-law for the City of Sarnia. The Planning Act requires municipalities to update their Zoning By-laws within 3 years of adopting a new Official Plan to ensure they conform.
To learn more about the comprehensive Zoning By-law Review process, and view the most recent draft of the Zoning By-law, please use the following link to visit Speak Up Sarnia’s webpage about the Zoning By-law Review.
Comprehensive Zoning By-law Review
Learn more about the comprehensive Zoning By-law Review.
About the Zoning By-law
The Zoning By-law establishes and regulates the use of land by implementing the policies of the City’s Official Plan. It provides the City with a way to co-ordinate land uses, protect areas by preventing incompatible uses, and establish appropriate standards for development. The Zoning By-law contains specific legal regulations; for example: what uses are permitted, how high buildings can be built, how close buildings can be built to lot boundaries, the maximum number of residential units allowed, and the amount of off-street parking required.
The City is divided into “zones”, where different land uses are permitted. There are zones for example, which permit single detached dwellings, apartment buildings, shopping centres, industrial uses, or parks. In the older or developed areas of Sarnia most of the lands are zoned for specific uses or ranges of uses commonly found in an urban municipality. In undeveloped parts of the City, land is often in an interim use zone which does not allow urban development, unless an amendment to the Zoning By-law is approved.
Use the Zoning Map to find the zoning on a property, click the links to view related by-law sections.
Access historic zoning by-laws.