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Owner guide

My property is listed. What happens on January 1, 2027?

About 36,000 Ontario properties are “listed” on a municipal heritage register without being designated. In 81 days, most of them come off their registers, unless council has started designating them first. Here is what that means for an owner, in plain words.

First, check your address. We show the status from your municipality's register, with its source and date.

What listing means today

Council can add a property it believes has cultural heritage value to its register without designating it. That's a “listed” or “non-designated” property. Listing is an early-warning tool rather than full protection:

  • Demolition needs 60 days' notice. Before demolishing or removing a building on a listed property, the owner must give council at least 60 days' written notice. That gives council time to decide whether to designate it.
  • Other work is generally not controlled by the Ontario Heritage Act. Ordinary building permits, zoning and any heritage conservation district rules still apply.
  • You can object to the listing. An owner can object in writing, and council must consider the objection.

What changes on January 1, 2027

Changes to the Ontario Heritage Act in 2022 (Bill 23) and 2024 (Bill 200) set a deadline for properties that were listed before 2023:

  • If council hasn't issued a notice of intention to designate by January 1, 2027, the property comes off the register.
  • It can't be listed again for five years, until January 1, 2032.
  • Once it's off the register, the 60-day demolition notice no longer applies, so demolition follows the ordinary permit process.
  • Properties listed in 2023 or later have their own two-year clock from the date they were listed. Our map shows each property's date where the municipality publishes one.

Coming off the register is not a ruling on the building's value, and council can still start designating a property later. Follow the count on Saved or lost.

If you get a notice of intention to designate

Council starts designation by serving a notice of intention to designate on the owner and publishing it. The steps and timelines are set by the Act (see the Province's guide to the designation process):

  1. 30 days to object. Anyone, including the owner, can serve a notice of objection on the municipal clerk within 30 days after the notice is published.
  2. Council considers objections and decides whether to withdraw, within 90 days after that objection period.
  3. 120 days to pass the by-law. If council doesn't pass a designating by-law within 120 days of publishing the notice, the notice is treated as withdrawn.
  4. 30 days to appeal. After the by-law is passed and notice is given, an objector can appeal to the Ontario Land Tribunal within 30 days.

While a notice is in effect, the property is protected as if it were designated, so alterations that affect its heritage attributes and demolition need council's consent.

Development applications matter too: after certain planning applications are filed, council has only a short window to start designating, and generally only for properties already on the register. Ask your planner how this applies before you apply.

If your property is designated

  • Alterations likely to affect the heritage attributes described in the designating by-law need a heritage permit from the municipality. Work that doesn't affect them (often interior work or ordinary maintenance) usually doesn't.
  • Demolition needs council's consent, with a right of appeal to the Ontario Land Tribunal (Province's guide to demolition control).
  • Support: many municipalities offer heritage grants, loans or property tax relief for designated properties. See grants, loans and tax relief below.
  • Designation is not affected by the January 1, 2027 deadline.

Grants, loans and tax relief

Designation can bring help with the cost of looking after a heritage building. These programs are for designated properties (Part IV or Part V), not listed ones. Amounts, eligible areas and deadlines change every year, so check the program's page or ask the municipality's heritage planner before you plan work.

Programs checked October 2026. Not every municipality has one; if yours isn't listed, ask its heritage planner. Some regions and community foundations also fund heritage work.

Insurance and heritage status

Worry about insurance is one of the most common reasons owners ask council not to designate their building. The official position and the evidence point in different directions, so here is both.

What the Province says

“Insurance premiums should not go up because of a heritage designation.” “The designation by-law does not require the owner to replicate any lost heritage attributes. A replacement building can be of a different design.”Government of Ontario, Heritage properties and insurance, updated April 10, 2026

Listing asks even less: it doesn't control repairs or rebuilding at all, only that the owner gives 60 days' notice before demolishing.

What owners have actually experienced

A 2026 study by Community Heritage Ontario, ARA and the University of Waterloo surveyed owners in seven Ontario cities and heritage planners in 37 municipalities:

  • Owners of designated homes were refused coverage more often, and saw larger premium increases over five years, than owners of similar older homes that weren't designated.
  • They made no more insurance claims than the others.
  • None of the 42 municipalities surveyed requires a designated home to be rebuilt as a replica after a total loss.
  • Most owners (three in four) had never been refused, which is why shopping around and getting several quotes matters.
  • Almost half said age or heritage status never came up when they took out their policy.

So the problem is real, even though designation doesn't require what many insurers assume. Insurers have been tightening after record weather losses, and older buildings are priced on their wiring, plumbing, heating and roof (Insurance Bureau of Canada).

What helps

  • Shop around through a broker who knows older homes. Brokers don't all have access to the same insurers. Get several quotes.
  • If a quote seems high, ask your broker to go back to market. Quotes for the same heritage building can differ several times over. For larger or unusual buildings, brokers can also approach commercial and specialty markets, such as Lloyd's.
  • Show the insurer what designation actually requires. Every property page has a letter for your insurer: your property's status with its source, its by-law, and the Province's statement that a replica isn't required.
  • Document the building's systems and upgrades (electrical service and wiring, plumbing, heating and any oil tank, roof age) with dates and receipts. Knob-and-tube wiring is a common reason for refusal.
  • Ask about replacement cost and guaranteed replacement cost coverage, and decide whether you want original features replicated after a loss. That is your choice, not a requirement.
  • Ask your municipality how it handles repairs after damage, whether it will confirm in writing that it doesn't require a replica, and whether it offers heritage grants or loans (see above). Some, such as Kingston, have heritage staff meeting insurers to correct that misconception (Kingstonist, 2025).

Insurers that heritage organizations name

Listed as named by heritage organizations, not endorsements; we have no relationship with any insurer. Brokers who specialize in heritage homes can list themselves in our directory.

If something goes wrong

  • Start with your insurer's own complaints office or ombudsman.
  • The General Insurance OmbudService (free) handles disputes about claims and how a policy is interpreted, but not prices or whether a company will insure you.
  • The Financial Services Regulatory Authority of Ontario (FSRA) licenses insurers and takes complaints about how they treat customers; it can't require a company to offer coverage.

More: Community Heritage Ontario's insurance information, the National Trust's insurance advocacy and The Niagara Foundation's resources. General Insurance OmbudService · Financial Services Regulatory Authority of Ontario (FSRA).

Buying, selling and renovating

  • Check status early, with the municipality as well as on this site. A property's status can change quickly near the deadline, and some changes reach registers weeks late.
  • Ask whether the property is in a heritage conservation district (Part V). District rules apply to every property inside it, listed or not, and don't expire on January 1.
  • For renovation, demolition or development plans, talk to the municipality's heritage planner before you file. For a purchase, ask your lawyer to include heritage status in their searches.

Where to get help

Not legal advice. This guide summarizes the Ontario Heritage Act in plain words as of October 2026. Rules and dates can change and details depend on your property. Confirm status with the municipality and get professional advice before you make decisions.

Watch your property: we email you if its status changes or it appears on a council agenda. Find it on the map and choose “Watch this property”.