Development Application Submission Process

The Development Planning Department and the Policy Planning and Special Programs Department can receive and process Planning Act applications (‘Development Applications’) online, through the City's Citizen Service Online Portal.

VMC Secondary Plan Open House

Please refer to the following Development Application in-take process:

Pre-Application Consultation (PAC) Process:

  1. Contact the appropriate Planning Technician to advise if a PAC meeting is being requested prior to the submission of the Development Application(s). The City continues to strongly encourage Applicants to proceed with a PAC request to formally establish submission requirements for a Complete Application(s). The contact information for the Planning Technicians and the areas they serve are as follows:
  1. If an Applicant chooses not to submit a PAC request, the City will not provide a detailed Development Application submissions checklist, and the Applicant will be directed to the Vaughan Official Plan and/or PAC Complete Application Guide for the City’s submission requirements.
  2. Certain types of Development Applications are not subject to any PAC process. These Development Applications and the submission requirements for each, are provided in Section 13 of the Development Application Form.

Pre-Application Submission (PAS) Process:

After the completion of the PAC process, a PAS may be provided to the City at the discretion of the Applicant to obtain feedback on the quality and completeness of the submission materials to assist in streamlining the formal Development Application Submission process. The PAS process does not provide endorsement/support from the City and is only available if the PAC process was completed. Please contact the appropriate Planning Technician noted above to proceed with a PAS.

Development Application Submission Process:

Development Application submissions are being received electronically through the City's Citizen Service Online Portal. For more information on how to set up an account and submit a Development Application using the Citizen Service Online Portal, please refer to the Planning Services Online Portal User Guide.

  1. Prior to the formal electronic application submission, the Applicant must email all digital drawings identified in the Required Documents for GIS Drawing Submission to Planning Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and Analytics for verification. All PDF drawings are to be georeferenced and layered in accordance with GIS Digital Drawing Submission Standards.
  2. Once the digital drawings are verified by Planning GIS and Analytics staff, a GIS Conformity Letter will be emailed to the Applicant which must then be submitted with the formal electronic application submission(s).
  3. The Applicant must notify the appropriate Planning Technician identified above by email when the electronic application(s) will be formally submitted to the City's Citizen Service Online Portal.
  4. Documents submitted electronically in support of any Development Application type, must be renamed individually in accordance with the following naming convention before uploading to the City's Citizen Service Online Portal:

Submission Drawings and Studies:

  1. The electronic application submission uploaded by the Applicant to the City's Citizen Service Online Portal shall also include a complete and fully commissioned digital copy of the Development Application Form to be used for all Planning Act applications.
  2. In addition to the electronic application submission, the Applicant shall submit to the Development Planning Department in coordination with a Planning Technician, cheque(s) made payable to the City of Vaughan for the applicable amount* associated with Development Application submission in accordance with the City's Fees and Charges By-Law. To calculate the required fees for a Planning Act Application, please use the Development Application Fee Calculator below**:

* The Applicant must ensure prior to submission of the cheque(s), that the calculated fee amount is correct in consultation with a Planner and/or Planning Technician. The Applicant shall deliver the required cheque(s) with a cover letter in an envelope to the City Hall Welcome Desk located on the main floor, or by mail. The envelope shall be labeled to the attention of either the Development Planning Department, or the Policy Planning and Special Programs for applications within the VMC or Yonge/Steeles Programs. The electronic application submission will not be processed until the cheque is received and the fee is confirmed to be correct.

** In the event of a discrepancy with the amount calculated in the Fee Calculator and the amount required by the City’s Fees and Charges By-Law, the amount required by the Fees and Charges By-law shall be the correct fee payment.

Toronto and Region Conservation Authority (TRCA) Permit:

For information on the TRCA’s permitting process, please visit the following website: