Airport land use review

Under the Ontario Planning Act, the GTAA is a commenting agency regarding land use developments in the vicinity of Pearson International Airport. GTAA’s Land Use Planning section reviews all development proposals within the surrounding municipalities to ensure their compliance with airport height restrictions, aircraft noise and bird hazard zone policies and guidelines.

Height and land use policies compliance

Any developments, including but not limited to: buildings, cell towers, antennae, high light masts etc., that are located in areas affected by federal Airport Zoning Regulations, Obstacle Limitation Surfaces, ICAO (International Civil Aviation Organization) Type A Surfaces, or the Airport Operating Area (AOA) land use compatibility policies must be reviewed as part of municipal site plan review process or prior to starting any construction activities for those developments that are not subject to municipal site plan approval.

Fees have been calculated on cost-recovery basis to account for professional staff time and analytical systems maintenance costs.

Please note that applications concerning individual single and semi-detached houses are excluded from the review fees payment.

Compliance review application process

For more information about review types and associated fee schedule, see our Land use application fees page.

To apply for compliance review please send the following items to the GTAA Land Use Planning at landuse.planning@gtaa.com:

  1. A completed Zoning Compliance Review Request Form
  2. A site plan and elevation drawings. Include Finished Floor Elevation (F.F.E.) or ground elevation (expressed in metres Above Sea Level – ‘m. A.S.L.). Provide top elevation of the highest part of the building component, including mechanical penthouses, rooftop HVAC units, railings/parapets or other architectural features. For multiple objects (poles, light standards etc.) provide spreadsheet listing coordinates, height and/or top elevation of each structure.
  3. Complete payment—attach a copy of review fee payment, including payment receipt number.

Should there be a design change (location adjustment, height increase, architectural redesign etc.) after review and receiving GTAA’s and NAV CANADA’s comments, the proponent must resubmit the proposal for reevaluation and updated comments.

Crane permits

Both on and off airport construction projects that require use of crane(s) should apply for a crane permit.

Processing time

While the GTAA review part may take up to two weeks, for more complex and potentially impactful developments longer review times may apply. We will notify the proponent and the municipality about required review time in such cases. Also, please note that NAV CANADA’s independent review may take 12 weeks or more depending on the complexity of the project and current workload. To avoid delays to your development plans, please submit your zoning compliance review request at least four months before intended start of construction, or as soon as possible.