By-law Enforcement

Municipal by-law enforcement officers investigate all complaints about by-law violations. The Town closes the file if no violation is found. 

Submitting a by-law complaint

If you have a complaint about a by-law you believe the Town may be able to resolve, you can complete a by-law complaint form online. You may also print and complete a hardcopy of the form and deliver/mail it to town hall at 160 Livingston Avenue.

Traffic violations are handled by the Niagara Regional Police.

Garbage and waste complaints can be reported to the Niagara Region.

If the town decides not to proceed with legal action regarding a complaint, you may still pursue other legal options.

Anonymous by-law complaints are not accepted

Anonymous complaint forms are not accepted in the Town of Grimsby. While the Town makes every effort to protect your anonymity, no guarantees can be made. Should a complaint result in legal action by the town, you may be required to give evidence and/or appear in court

By-law violations

Step 1

If a violation is found, the officer gives an Order or Notice to Comply to the property owner and/or occupant. The order includes:

1. A list of the violations
2. What needs to be done by the property owner and/or occupants to correct the violation
3. Specific deadline for work to be completed
4. Name and contact information of the investigating officer

Step 2

The officer will conduct an inspection after the deadline listed on the Order or Notice to Comply. If no action has been taken, the officer may:

1. Issue a ticket to either the property owner or occupant
2. Charge a fee for inspection defined in the Fees & Charges By-law. The property owner is responsible for this fee and it could be collected as part of the owner's property taxes
3. Send a contractor, working on behalf of the Town of Grimsby, to bring the property into compliance. The property owner is responsible for this cost and it could be collected as part of the owner's property taxes

The property owner, occupant and the officer named on the Order or Notice to Comply must have good communication to avoid costly fines.

Property Standards Appeal Committee

The Property Standards Committee is a decision-making committee appointed by council and is established under the Ontario Building Code Act. The committee hears appeals of property standards orders that have been issued under the building code and the Town Property Standards By-law 2015-017. This by-law is available in an alternate format, upon request.

Appealing a Notice to Comply

A property owner has the right to request an appeal of an Order to Comply. This appeal is decided by the Property Standards Appeal Committee. The committee conducts a public hearing to address the appeal of the order and has the power to confirm, modify, rescind or extend the timelines attached to the order. The committee also has the ability to demolish or repair a property found to be in conflict with the property standards by-law.

Commonly requested by-laws

The town has made available the most commonly requested municipal by-laws for your review and download.

Weed Control Notice

The Town enforces the regulations through the Weed Control Act (Ontario) and By-law 98-39 Abandoned Orchard Control and is to mainly reduce the impact of noxious weeds and charge rates for delinquent properties as described in this Notice.  This enforcement is conducted by a designated officer of the Operations Centre.  Please call (905) 945-9201 to report a neglected property, suspected obnoxious weed growth, or inspection.