Official Plan

Pickering is updating the Official Plan!

The City of Pickering has launched the review and update of the Official Plan. View the Official Plan Review page Pickering Forward for more information.

A Guide to Community Building in Pickering

An Official Plan is a statutory document which sets out the land use policy directions for long-term growth and development in a municipality. Municipalities in Ontario are required to adopt Official Plans to guide growth and development that will implement the Ontario Planning Act and other relevant legislation and regulations.

The Durham Regional Official Plan provides the overall framework for Pickering's Official Plan.

Pickering's Official Plan

View the City of Pickering Official Plan - Edition 9, and Schedules

The following Official Plan Amendments were approved after the Edition 9 office consolidation of the Pickering Official Plan (Plan).  These amendments must be read in conjunction with Edition 9 of the Plan:

• Amendment 35, in effect as of October 7, 2024
• Amendment 38, (approved by the Ontario Land Tribunal on December 19, 2024, with the exclusion of the identified properties that remain the subject of site-specific appeals, as per the OLT decision) see the map of properties that are subject to OPA 38, as of December 19, 2024)
• Amendment 40, in effect September 5, 2023 (updated Neighbourhood Maps as a result of Amendment 40)
• Amendment 44, in effect as of May 3, 2022
• Amendment 45, in effect as of July 21, 2022
• Amendment 47, in effect as of April 27, 2023
• Amendment 48, (approved by the Ontario Land Tribunal on July 8, 2024) 
• Amendment 49, in effect as of September 26, 2023
• Amendment 50, in effect as of December 29, 2023
• Amendment 51, in effect as of July 30, 2024

The Official Plan includes schedules of land uses, transportation systems and resource management, and addresses the following land use designations:

• Urban Residential Areas
• Mixed Use Areas
• Rural Settlements
• Employment Areas
• Prime Agricultural Areas
• Open Space System

While the Official Plan establishes policies for long-term growth, it is periodically reviewed to ensure that it continues to meet the changing economic, social and environmental requirements of the municipality.

Amending the Official Plan

The Ontario Planning Act and its Regulations allows a Council or an individual to request an amendment to the Official Plan.

The process provides notice to those who might have an interest in the proposed amendment, allows people to provide input to Council on a proposed amendment, and provides an opportunity to challenge a Council decision at the Ontario Land Tribunal.

A number of amendments have been made to the Official Plan since Council adopted it in 1997, resulting in the current Pickering Official Plan, Edition 9, dated March 2022.

The City will soon be conducting a review of the its Official Plan.

Visit the City of Pickering Official Plan Review for more information.

Compendium Document to the Pickering Official Plan

The Compendium document contains Development Guidelines for Pickering's urban neighbourhoods that contain further guidance on what and where development should occur.

The Development Guidelines include but are not limited to:

• detailed land use mix and arrangement
• scale and intensity of use
• transportation network
• community design requirements
• servicing arrangements

Development applications and permits must conform to the relevant guideline.

Area specific development guidelines are provided below.

Compendium Documents:

Part I - Area Specific Development Guidelines

Part 2 - General Development Guidelines

• Kingston Road Corridor Urban Design

Other Guideline Documents

• Seaton Sustainable Place-Making Guidelines
• Pickering City Centre Urban Design Guidelines
• Urban Design Guidelines for Infill and Replacement Housing in Established Neighbourhood Precincts

For more information about land-use planning, please visit the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing website.

Print Copies

Hardcopies of the Pickering Official Plan, Compendium Document, and other Guideline Documents are available for purchase at the City Development Department. Copies are also available for viewing at the Public Library. The PDF documents may be downloaded free of charge from this web page.