Land Division

Your local Municipality and various agencies listed on the Rules of Procedure will receive a copy of your severance application and will provide comments to the Land Division Committee.  Pre-consultations with the Municipality involved and interested agencies are essential before submitting your application to ensure the application reflects any special land severance requirements set out in the official plan and what other permits and approvals may be required.

The Land Division Committee requires that one application be submitted for each unrelated new lot created or for each lot addition, mortgage or charge, easement or right-of-way, correction of title, technical severance, partial discharge of mortgage and agreement of sale and purchase.  The owner or his agent, authorized in writing must make the application, and the approval authority must be satisfied that a plan of subdivision of the land is not necessary for proper and orderly development.  Incomplete applications will be returned without processing.

The Land Division Committee requires that, in addition to the prescribed information required by the Minister’s regulation, Appendix B forms part of the application for consent.  Appendix B, which must be completed and certified by the municipal clerk within which the property is located, provides the Committee with names, and complete addresses of all persons assessed within 60 metres of the land that is the subject of the application, for circulation purposes.

Once the authority receives an application that contains all information prescribed by the Minister’s regulation, accompanied by a fee, currently $1250.00, in cash, or cheque payable to the Treasurer, County of Elgin, the Secretary-Treasurer will accept the application as complete and commence with the deliberation process.

Yellow identification signs are sent by courier to the applicant after the complete application has been filed.  These signs are to be posted immediately on stakes at each front corner of the lot to be severed, and are to remain there until the Decision of the Committee becomes final and binding.  These signs assist the County staff when visiting the site and also serves to notify neighbours of your application.  Failure to post signs may result in a delay of a Decision from the Land Division Committee.  Check frequently to ensure that signs are in place.

The Secretary-Treasurer, on behalf of the Committee, by personal service or by regular or registered mail, shall give written notice to all persons and agencies prescribed in the regulation, of the time and place of the hearing of each application, not less than 14 days prior to the date of the hearing.  Notice of Application will be circulated to property owners within 60 metres of the subject land.

The following fees may apply to your land severance application.  Payment(s) can be made by cash or cheque, or as required below:

Application Fee:
$1250 (payable to  TREASURER, COUNTY OF ELGIN)

Notice of Appeal:
$300 for the first appeal (cheque payable to the Minister of Finance)
$25 for each further appeal related to the same matter (cheque payable to the Minister of Finance)

Stamping of Deed: 
$300 (payable to TREASURER, COUNTY OF ELGIN)

Applications for land severance can be submitted to the County in three ways:

1. Electronically to the Elgin County Office
2. Regular mail – Address: 450 Sunset Drive, St. Thomas, ON N5R 5V1 Attention: Land Division
3. Drop off in person at the front counter – 450 Sunset Drive, St. Thomas between the hours of 8:30am to 4:30 pm, Monday to Friday.

Affidavits and sworn declarations will need to be administered by your lawyer or other individual that is authorized to commission your signatures.  This service will not be available at the Elgin County offices.  Signatures can be scanned and emailed to the County upon submission of your application.

Application fees will still need to be in the form of a bank cheque made out to “Treasurer – County of Elgin” and forwarded by regular mail.

Please email Land Division when final deeds are anticipated to be dropped off. Allow one week for the stamping of deeds for final approval.

• Submit one copy of Completed Application, severance sketch and any
  supporting documentation or required forms with fee of $1250.00 payable to TREASURER, COUNTY OF ELGIN.
  If the application involves the severance of a surplus farmhouse (through farm consolidation), please complete Appendix “C” – “Surplus Farm Dwelling Information Form” and the below MDS 1 form:
  Excerpt from MDS1 Form
  (Completed Appendix “C” to be attached to the Application)
• Identification Signs: Two yellow signs will be sent by courier to you for posting on the portion of the lot to be severed.
• Notice of Hearing: At least fourteen (14) days prior to the date of the hearing you will receive a “Notice of Application” with the date and time when the severance will be heard.
• Hearing: The Land Division Committee will consider the application(s) and submissions by all interested parties regarding the severance. The Committee’s decision will be made immediately following the hearing of the application.
• Decision: A Notice of Decision will be forwarded within fifteen (15) days after the date of the hearing.
• Conditions: A two-year time limit after the date of decision to obtain the consent stamp on the deed(s) is generally imposed and other conditions may be imposed.
• Appeal Period: A twenty (20) day appeal period from the date of the Notice exists during which any person may appeal the decision and/or conditions imposed by the Committee to the Local Planning Appeal Tribunal.  After the appeal period, notice will be sent that either no appeals were received or that the application has been appealed.
• If Appealed: A Notice of Appeal outlining the reasons for the appeal is forwarded to the Secretary-Treasurer of the Land Division Committee, with a cheque payable to the Minister of Finance for $300.00 for the first appeal and $25.00 for each further appeal related to the same matter.  Notice of Appeal must be received within the twenty (20) day appeal period. A copy of an appeal form is available from the LPAT website at www.elto.gov.on.ca or for pick-up at the County Municipal Offices at 450 Sunset Drive, St. Thomas. 
• No Appeal: If no appeal is received, the decision is final and binding and the applicant is required to: a) Satisfy the conditions imposed by the Committee within two (2) years from the date of decision; b) Obtain the services of a land surveyor to survey the lands to be severed in accordance with the Decision; c) Obtain the services of a solicitor to prepare the deeds and necessary documents; d) Submit the deeds to the Secretary-Treasurer of the Land Division Committee for final certification; e) Register the deeds at the Registry Office for the County of Elgin.
• Stamping of the Deed: Signed Acknowledgement and Direction, Three (3) Copies of the Transfer Document with Schedule Page for affixing the Consent Stamp, (1) Hard copy and One (1) digital copy of the Reference Plan and a fee of $300.00 are required for affixing the consent stamp.2

In making a decision on an application, the approval authority shall have regard to the requirements of the Planning Act, the policies of the official plan, the government’s Provincial Policy Statement, agency comments, and input from the public.  Anyone attending in person will be given the opportunity to address the Committee.  The Committee members may also ask for further information or clarification at this time.

It is strongly recommended that the applicant or authorized agent attend this meeting.  If the applicant does not attend, the Land Division Committee will proceed with consideration of the application on the assigned day.

When the consent-granting authority has decided on your application, it is required to send a Notice of Decision approving or refusing the application within 15 days of the decision being made, to the applicant and any person or public body requesting to be notified.  When a Notice of Decision is given, a 20-day appeal period follows during which time any person, Corporation, or public body may appeal such decision and/or condition(s) imposed by the Committee to the Local Planning Appeal Tribunal.  If the authority receives no appeal in that time, the decision becomes final.

A severance approval may have certain conditions attached to it including requirements for road widening or Day Light corners on County or Municipal Roads, parkland dedication, or a rezoning to allow a new land use.  In addition, the property owner may be required to enter into an agreement with the municipality to provide future services or facilities.  Severances applied for in rural areas that are serviced by septic systems and/or wells require review and lot assessment by the municipality in which the land is located. 

Pre-consultation with the municipality involved and interested agencies will address these issues in order to avoid time delays.  The applicant will have two (2) years from the date the decision was given to fulfill all conditions imposed by the Committee.  One condition generally imposed by the Land Division Committee is that a deed be presented within two (2) years of the date of decision so that the consent stamp may be affixed, otherwise, the severance is considered lapsed.  Legislation under the Planning Act does not allow for extensions to the two-year time limit to meet imposed conditions.

When the applicant has met all the conditions, upon expiry of the 20-day appeal period, the Secretary-Treasurer shall, on behalf of the Committee, affix a stamp to the deeds or legal documents and sign it, certifying that consent has been given pursuant to Subsection 42, of Section 53, of the Planning Act.  The Secretary-Treasurer shall accept only original signed copies, accompanied by a fee, currently $300.00, payable to the Treasurer, County of Elgin, for affixing the consent stamp.  In the event it is necessary to have a survey, two copies of the survey (one hard copy and one digital), must accompany the documents.

Appeals to the Local Planning Appeal Tribunal can be made in three different ways:

1. The applicant, the Minister, a specified person or public body may appeal a consent-granting authority’s decision and any condition within 20 days of the notice of decision.
2. The applicant may appeal if no decision is made within 90 days from the date of receipt of the completed application by the consent granting authority containing the prescribed information.
3. The applicant, the Minister, a specified person or public body may appeal any changed conditions imposed by the consent-granting authority within 20 days after the notice of changed conditions has been given.

An appeal may be filed with the Secretary-Treasurer of the Land Division Committee, within 20 days of the date of decision. A Notice of Appeal, accompanied by a certified cheque or money order payable to the Minister of Finance, currently in the amount of $400.00 for the first appeal and $25.00 for each further related appeal to the same matter, is required.  For example, if you are appealing three related applications, the cheque would be in the amount of $450.00.  If you wish to appeal, a copy of an appeal form is available from the LPAT website at www.elto.gov.on.ca or for pick-up at the County Municipal Offices. 

If the consent-granting authority receives an appeal, it has 15 days in which to forward the notice of appeal, fee, and compile a complete record containing the prescribed information, to the LPAT.

The Local Planning Appeal Tribunal may dismiss an appeal without holding a hearing if the appellant failed to put their concerns in writing before the authority’s original decision, or make an oral submission at the public meeting, or if the appellant fails to provide further information that the LPAT may request.  The LPAT may also dismiss the appeal if the appellant does not include planning reasons, if in the opinion of the LPAT the appeal is frivolous, or for delay, or if the consent is premature because necessary public services would not be available within a reasonable time.  The LPAT will make a decision based on the facts presented at the hearing. The LPAT’s decision is final.

If no appeals are received within 20 days of the notice of decision, the Secretary-Treasurer will swear a declaration that notice was given in the manner and in the form and to the persons, Corporations, or public bodies prescribed, and that no appeals were received within the time allowed.