Off-site levies are fees developers pay to the City when they are building new neighbourhoods. The Municipal Government Act allows municipalities to create an off-site levies bylaw to help pay for important infrastructure like community recreation facilities, fire halls, police stations, libraries and transportation connections to provincial highways. In Edmonton, off-site levies are charged only for the construction and equipping of fire halls at this time.
The City administration worked closely with the development industry to develop the off-site levy bylaw. Edmonton’s Facilities Off-site Levy Bylaw 19340 was approved by City Council on August 16, 2021, and came into effect on January 1, 2022.
Governance
Edmonton’s off-site levy program is governed by a Steering Committee and Working Committee, both of which have representatives from the City and the development industry. The City is responsible for the collection of funds which it uses for the planning and delivery of fire halls. Development industry members represent stakeholders' strategic interests and contribute information on development trends.
The Steering Committee is responsible for program management and strategic decision-making. The Working Committee supports the Steering Committee with recommendations and manages day-to-day program activities.
City Council has authority over the off-site levies bylaw with the City administration responsible for the management of the program.
Implementing Off-Site Levies
Off-site levies are paid by developers as a condition of subdivision approval. They are not paid by homeowners or future home buyers. The levies will cover the capital costs of new fire hall construction, like designing, building and equipping the fire hall. The levy will not pay for ongoing operations and maintenance costs of the fire halls.
Every residential and commercial development within the benefiting area would pay its fair share based on the land area being developed, but off-site levies will not be charged in areas that are already developed. If new facilities are planned in areas where development has already happened, the City contributes the share of costs that would have been charged to a developer in those areas.
How Levies are Charged
The off-site levy rate will be calculated by dividing the construction cost of a facility by the assessable area within a catchment area. The catchment area of a fire hall is the area (or neighbourhoods) serviced by that fire hall. For further details about benefiting area boundaries and approved rates, please review the 2024 Off-site Levies Approved Rates.
Reference Documents
The following documents include relevant background and operational information.
Contact Us
| offsitelevies@edmonton.ca |