Project Update!

Public Engagement: Updated Draft Planning Documents

The next phase of engagement begins Monday, April 13th and closes at the end of the day on Monday, April 27th!

The Town of Yarmouth is nearing completion on the Planning Review project which will result in new planning documents and updated regulations for development in the town. The new planning documents have been developed after two years of community engagement and the final drafts are now ready and available for public review and comment before they move through the formal adoption process.

There are multiple ways to share your feedback – including the Interactive Draft Zoning Map, or the feedback form, found below. If you want to get in touch, send us an email at planningreview@townofyarmouth.ca

Draft Documents

All drafts can be found in the "Updated Draft Planning Documents (Spring 2026)" section on the right side of your screen. We have also developed a series of Fact Sheets to provide a high level overview of the changes proposed in the second draft of the documents, as well as an updated set of Fact Sheets about the proposed zoning for the Town.

New to the project? Scroll down to read more in the "About the Project" section below, or watch the video on the right sidebar to get an introduction to the project.

About the Project

The Town of Yarmouth Planning Review is a project to review the Municipal Planning Strategy, Land Use Bylaw and Subdivision Bylaw for the Town of Yarmouth. The Municipal Government Act, which governs how municipalities operate in Nova Scotia, requires planning documents to be reviewed at least once every 10 years. The Town of Yarmouth's planning documents were last reviewed in 2016.

The planning documents include:

1. The Municipal Planning Strategy is the primary planning document that guides growth and development in Yarmouth. It lays out the vision, goals, and policies that guide how growth and development are managed within the Town.
2. The Land Use Bylaw is the companion document to the Municipal Planning Strategy, and puts the vision, goals, and policies into action through specific regulations that have to do with development activities. This includes where certain types of buildings can be built and what kind of land uses (like commercial, residential or industrial) can happen where.
3. The Subdivision Bylaw is a planning document that guides how a parcel of land can be divided into two or more lots, or how multiple lots can be combined to create one parcel. It also guides the construction of new services in new subdivision developments, such as streets, sewers, water lines, parkland, and sidewalks.

Together, these documents guide the Town of Yarmouth by determining what types of development can happen, and where.

The Town of Yarmouth Planning Review presents an exciting opportunity to establish a vision for the Town and to ensure our planning and development processes better serve our residents and businesses.

Your input will help to inform future changes to the Town's planning bylaws and policies.