Severances

You must apply for a severance or consent and receive approval before you divide a piece of land into two or more lots in the City of Cornwall. You also need consent if you want to:

• Sell, mortgage or lease (for more than 21 years) parts of adjoining lands owned by the same person

• Create a right-of-way or easement

• Change existing property boundaries

If you plan to divide your land into several parcels for development, you may need to follow the Plan of Subdivision process rather than the Consent process.

Apply for a severance

To apply, please email us your completed application [link to email] or you can drop it off in person to:

• 100 Water St E

• Cornwall ON K6H 6G4

Contact us [link to email] if you have any questions about your application. If the form or draft plans are incomplete or unclear, we will return your application for corrections. Please include all required Development Charges. The property owner or an authorized agent must complete the application. If an agent is applying, you must include written permission on the draft plan. 

Our process and what happens next

We send notice of the application to property owners in the area. We prepare a recommendation report, which the Committee of Adjustment reviews. When making a decision, the Committee considers:

• Provincial and municipal interests

• Official Plan policies and zoning regulations

• Compatibility with the surrounding area

• The use, size and shape of the proposed lot(s)

• Adequacy of road access, services, and flood protection

Public hearings

A public meeting is then held to review the proposal. A decision is usually made the same day, or at a later meeting if more information is needed. Within 15 days of the decision, the Committee will notify you and anyone who requested to be informed. 

If conditions are included in the approval, you must meet them within one year of the decision. Once the decision is final and all conditions are met, you will receive a Certificate. You then have two years to transfer the property.

Appealing the decision

If you are the applicant or someone who asked to be notified of the decision, you can appeal a severance decision or its conditions. You must file the appeal within 20 days of the formal decision. Appeals are sent to the Committee's Secretary-Treasurer, who then forwards the file to the Local Planning Appeal Tribunal (LPAT). An appeal fee of $300 applies.