Splitting one parcel into two — selling part of a wide lot, dividing land within a family, adjusting a boundary — requires the consent of the local planning authority. Ontario’s Planning Act prevents uncontrolled land division: any severed parcel must be reviewed against planning criteria before it can be legally conveyed. The instrument is called a consent, and for one or a few new lots it is the right tool. (Creating many lots, or a new road, calls for a Plan of Subdivision instead.)
What needs consent
- Creating a new lot — one property divided into two or more that can be sold separately.
- Lot additions — transferring part of one lot to a neighbour (a boundary adjustment).
- Easements and rights-of-way — shared driveways, utility corridors, and leases beyond 21 years.
What the committee weighs
- Conformity — new lots must meet zoning minimums for size and frontage (or need a concurrent minor variance), and align with the Official Plan.
- Suitability — can the lot actually support what’s intended? Access, grading, servicing.
- Access and services — road frontage, water, sewage or septic capacity.
- Neighbourhood fit — lot pattern and character. Two 25-foot lots on a street of 50-foot lots is a hard conversation.
The path from application to new deed
- Pre-consultation confirms feasibility and flags companion applications (variances, rezoning).
- Application and notice — survey sketch, rationale, circulation to neighbours and agencies.
- Decision with conditions. Approvals almost always carry conditions — parkland fees, road widenings, a reference plan by an Ontario Land Surveyor, companion variances — that must be fulfilled within the statutory window or the consent lapses.
- Certificate and registration. Once conditions are cleared, the certificate issues and your lawyer registers the new parcel. Only then does the lot legally exist.
The G-Force view
Severances are lost in two places: at the hearing, by applicants who didn’t check severability before applying — and after it, by applicants who let conditions lapse. We run both ends: the case for the lot, and the calendar that turns an approval into a registered parcel.
This article is general information about Ontario’s planning system, not legal or planning advice. Requirements, fees, and timelines change and vary by municipality — confirm the current rules for your site with our team before acting.