Municipal Register of Cultural Heritage Resources

• Are listed in Section 1 of the Municipal Register
• Are designated by City Council in accordance with the Ontario Heritage Act. Council designates the property by passing a property-specific by-law that identifies character-defining attributes that must be conserved. Council can only designate properties that meet the eligibility criteria established by the province in Ontario Regulation 9/06.
• Properties that become designated are automatically listed on the Municipal Register.
• Alterations to the property may require the owner to obtain a Heritage Permit from the City. The purpose of this process is not to prevent changes to the property, but to manage change to ensure that the character-defining attributes identified in the designation by-law are conserved.
• Owners must get City Council’s approval to demolish any building or structure on a designated property, or to remove a building or structure from a designated property.
• Designated properties are eligible for incentives such as grants and tax rebates.
• Designated properties are subject to Part V of the Property Standards By-law.

• Are listed in Section 2 of the Municipal Register.
• Are placed on the Register by City Council, in consultation with Heritage Burlington, because the property is believed to have heritage value.
• There are no restrictions on alterations to the property, except for demolition.
• If the owner wishes to demolish or remove any structure or building located on the property, the Ontario Heritage Act requires them to give the City 60 days' prior written notice of intention to demolish. The City will use the 60 days to study the property’s heritage value and consult with Heritage Burlington. City Council may allow the demolition to proceed or may protect the property from demolition by designating the property under the Heritage Act.
• Most of the properties on the Register were previously listed on the Heritage Inventory, but there is no requirement for a property to be listed on the Inventory before being added to the Register. There is also no minimum age requirement for a property to be listed.

The Inventory is no longer updated but continues to exist as an archival reference for staff and Heritage Burlington.

Prior to the existence of the Municipal Register, heritage properties were identified on an Inventory that was maintained by a citizen committee called LACAC (Local Architectural Conservation Advisory Committee). LACAC was the predecessor of the current municipal heritage committee, Heritage Burlington. Properties on the Inventory were assigned a “heritage grade” of A, B, C, or D based on their perceived level of heritage value. The highest grade was A and the lowest grade was D.

At its height, the Inventory listed over 1200 properties. Unlike the Municipal Register, the Inventory only provided recognition of heritage value; it had no regulatory authority to require the conservation of properties listed thereon. No new properties have been added to the Inventory since it was last endorsed by Council in 2001.

In 2008, all of the properties that had been graded “A” on the Inventory were added to the Register by City Council. City Council has approved a recommendation by Heritage Burlington to study all of the remaining Inventory properties (grades B, C, and D) to determine which, if any, should be added to the Register. This study has not yet been completed.

There are currently no heritage conservation districts in Burlington.

A Heritage Conservation District (HCD) is a tool that a municipality can use to protect the heritage character of a defined geographical area, such as a neighbourhood or a main street. District designation allows the municipality to manage and guide change in the HCD by adopting a District Plan with policies and guidelines for conservation, protection, and enhancement of the area’s special character. A District Plan may go beyond protecting individual buildings to also protect streets, landscapes, and important vistas or views. The District Plan is customized to the specific district, so every HCD is subject to a unique set of policies and guidelines to fit the objectives of the District Plan.