The Planning Act requires that municipalities review and update their municipal zoning by-laws to conform with their Official Plan within three years after the Official Plan comes into effect. Markham’s new Official Plan was adopted by Council on December 10, 2013, and has been partially approved with some sections still under appeal to the Ontario Municipal Board.

Markham’s has 46 different zoning by-laws applying to different areas of the City. These zoning by-laws were adopted between the 1954 and 2004. They now require updating to be consistent with the new Official Plan, and also need reviewing due to the age of some of them, and large number of amendments and minor variances that have been approved over the years to facilitate development.