About Bills, By-laws and the Municipal Code
The City of Toronto Act requires the City to exercise its powers by by-law. By-laws are the primary legislative instrument of municipalities in Ontario, including the City of Toronto.
City Council makes decisions by adopting or amending recommendations from its committees and City officials contained in reports and communications.
These decisions are confirmed by a confirmatory by-law enacted periodically during a meeting and at the end of the meeting. This ensures that every decision is made by by-law.
Some decisions are also the subject of a more specific by-law. These by-laws provide for greater clarity and certainty, and for ease of reference.
Some Committees have delegated authority from City Council to make final decisions. Committees will also enact the necessary By-laws for these decisions.
Some by-laws are added to the Toronto Municipal Code. The Code is a compilation of selected by-laws organized by subject.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a bill?
- A bill is a draft by-law. Once enacted, a bill becomes a by-law.
- Bills are prepared by the City Solicitor.
- Only bills implementing decisions adopted by Council or a committee acting under delegated authority are presented for enactment.
What is a by-law?
- A by-law is the legal instrument that City Council uses to exercise its powers.
- A by-law becomes effective on the date it is enacted unless it specifies otherwise.
What is the Toronto Municipal Code?
- The Municipal Code is a compilation of selected by-laws organized by subject.
- The Municipal Code contains administrative by-laws and by-laws that have general application to people and places across the City of Toronto.
- By-laws from decisions about specific people, places or things are generally not added to the Municipal Code.
- The Municipal Code is updated frequently so it contains current law.
What is a confirming by-law?
- City Council enacts a confirming by-law periodically during a meeting and at the end of the meeting to confirm all of the decisions made up until the point the by-law is introduced.
- Community Councils enact confirming by-laws to confirm all decisions made under authority delegated to them by City Council.
- This ensures that the City complies with the legal requirement that it act by by-law.
How many by-laws has the City enacted?
- The City and all of its predecessor municipalities have enacted more than 198,000 by-laws since 1834.
- This includes more than 29,000 by-laws enacted since amalgamation.
- In 2019, the City enacted 1,804 by-laws. In 2020, the City enacted 1,192 by-laws.
Who Enacts By-laws?
- City Council – City Council enacts by-laws arising from City Council decisions.
- Community Councils – In 2007 City Council delegated final decision-making and by-law enacting powers to the community councils for certain local matters.
- Debenture Committee – City Council has delegated by-law enactment powers to the Debenture Committee for the issuance of debentures.
- General Government and Licensing Committee – City Council has delegated final decision making and by-law enactment powers to the General Government and Licensing Committee on certain tax appeal matters.
- Ontario Land Tribunal (OLT) – The OLT (formerly Ontario Municipal Board (OMB) and Local Planning Appeal Tribunal (LPAT)) has the power to pass by-laws for the City on matters brought before it.
- City agencies and boards – Some City agencies and boards have by-law enactment power. They are not the subject of this website.
How does City Council make decisions?
- City Council carries out its powers and duties by considering recommendations in reports and communications from committees, City officials, and Members of Council and by adopting resolutions.
- All of these decisions are confirmed by a confirming by-law. This ensures that the City complies with the City of Toronto Act requirement to act by by-law.
- Some, but not all, of these decisions are also the subject of a more specific by-law.
- Some, but not all, by-laws are codified (i.e. consolidated in the Toronto Municipal Code).
How does the City decide which decisions will be the subject of specific by-laws?
- Specific by-laws will be enacted for decisions that:
- Amend or rescind existing by-laws
- Are frequently consulted or used for reference
- Are regulatory in nature or involve enforcement
How does the City decide which by-laws are added to the Municipal Code?
- By-laws will be added to the Municipal Code when they:
- have general application to all people and places in the City
- are frequently consulted or used for reference, such as Chapter 27, Council Procedures
- are regulatory in nature or involve enforcement, such as Chapter 545, Licensing, and Chapter 950, Traffic and Parking
- By-laws that apply to a one-time event or situation are generally not added to the Municipal Code, such as by-laws appointing a City official
Where do bills appear on agendas?
- Bill lists are published with agendas of City Council, community councils and the Debenture Committee. Look for the "Bills" button when you navigate to a meeting.
- Browse and search Council and committee Meetings, Agendas and Minutes.
- The agenda item search can help you find recent items that have authorized bills for enactment. Item views can also include "see also" links to related Bills or By-laws.
How can I find a by-law or Municipal Code Chapter
How can I find pre-amalgamation by-laws?
- Contact City of Toronto Archives at archives@toronto.ca or visit their website for more information about copies of pre-amalgamation by-laws.
- Some pre-amalgamation by-laws can be viewed online via our By-law Status Registry. These include by-laws for:
- Township, Borough and City of Etobicoke
- Township, Borough and City of North York
- We are working on digitizing old by-laws as time and resources permit.
How often does the City update the Municipal Code?
- The Toronto Municipal Code is updated after every City Council meeting.
How do I know if a Municipal Code Chapter is up to date?
- Check the Municipal Code home page for the current status of the Code. Any by-laws enacted but not yet included a Chapter will be listed in the column titled "Recent Amendments".
Where can I get a certified copy of a by-law or Municipal Code chapter?
- Digitally certified copies of By-laws and Code Chapters are available online free of charge.
- Hard copy certification is $20.80 each, plus photocopying charges of $0.53 per page (2021 rates).
- For more information, please email clerk@toronto.ca or phone 416-392-8016.
Where can I get a copy of the Zoning By-law?
- The zoning by-law is very large.
- City Council enacted Zoning By-law 569-2013 at its meeting on May 9, 2013.
- The easiest way to consult the zoning by-law is to use the City's Zoning By-law website resource that includes an Interactive Map.
- To print, you can open the PDFs and print any page, or save the PDF to an USB stick and photocopy it at any of the commercial copy shops.
|
|