Posted by: City of Ottawa
The City of Ottawa Planning and Housing Committee has received an update on the status of the final draft of the new Zoning By-law, released for public comment on Monday, September 8, 2025. The new Zoning By-law will help put the City’s Official Plan into action, encouraging more housing construction to accommodate our growing population.
The Official Plan was approved in 2022 to guide how Ottawa evolves as our population grows. Ottawa is expected to grow by about 118,000 new households by 2035, and the new Zoning By-law will eliminate many existing barriers to development. As a result, the new Zoning By-law will:
- Expand where housing can be built and permit a wider range of housing types
- Simplify existing policies and language to make the by-law easier to understand and use
- Permit more development of mid-rise and high-rise buildings close to transit
- Align parking supply with market demand by removing most minimum parking requirements
- Streamline rules to encourage gentle infill in existing neighbourhoods
- Support economic growth by easing property-use restrictions
These proposed changes are part of a comprehensive strategy to address the housing crisis and ensure the City is leveraging every municipal tool to make building homes easier and more predictable.
The update includes a summary of the major changes made between the previous draft and this final draft, based mainly on public feedback.
You have an opportunity to provide feedback on the final draft on Engage Ottawa. You will also find information about an in-person open house planned on Tuesday, September 23 at the EY Centre, an in-person open house Monday, September 29 at Ottawa Conference and Convention Centre and two virtual open houses on Wednesday, September 17 and Thursday, September 25, 2025. All feedback will be considered during discussion of the final draft by Committees in December 2025, and by Council in January 2026.
For details, see the City of Ottawa Engage Ottawa Zoning page.