Hamilton: questions buyers ask about the records
Each page names the public record that answers one question, where to read it yourself, and which OfferDue check reads it. What the records show, never advice.
Sources checked October 16, 2026
Hamilton at a glance
The town's local rules as pictures, from our hand-kept tables of its by-laws and pages and from its flood page. Each tile opens the page with the full wording, its source and the date we checked it.
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Property tax
1.56% of assessed value, 2026 residential rate
Read the question →0%2.32% (Chatham-Kent)28th highest of 61 towns. Lowest: Markham, 0.72%.
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Extra units
Up to 4 homes on a lot
Read the question → -
Short-term rentals
- A licence, permit or registration is needed
- Only a home someone lives in
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Conservation authorities in 2027
Read the question →Hamilton authorityNiagara Peninsula authorityConservation HaltonjoinWestern Lake Ontario Regional Conservation Authority
Grand River authorityjoinsEastern Lake Erie Regional Conservation Authority
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A business run from home
- Up to 25%of the floor area
- 1 from outsidemay work there
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Water and sewer bills
- A different price per m³ after a first block of use
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Rental licensing
- A licence for some rented homes (by area, size or type)
Is a Hamilton address in the Greenbelt or the Niagara Escarpment Plan area?
The Province's Greenbelt boundary and land-use maps, and the Niagara Escarpment Commission's plan maps and interactive map.
In the free check and the full report.
How can I find recorded pits, quarries and petroleum wells near a Hamilton home?
Two provincial records: the Find Pits and Quarries map of licensed and permitted aggregate sites, and the petroleum wells dataset of wells drilled for oil, gas, salt or underground storage.
In the free check and the full report.
How can I find mapped railways, power lines and pipelines near a Hamilton home?
The Ontario Railway Network and the Ontario Utility Line dataset: provincial mapping of tracks and crossings, and of power lines, pipelines and other utility lines.
In the free check and the full report.
What records explain duplexes, triplexes and fourplexes at a Hamilton home?
Zoning By-law 05-200 as amended by By-law 24-051, which rewrote the R1 and R1a zones and created the R2 zone, and the City's interactive zoning mapping.
In the free check and the full report.
Does Hamilton need a permit to remove a tree on a private lot?
The City's Tree By-law 15-125 for City-owned trees, and the former municipalities' private tree by-laws in Ancaster, Dundas and Stoney Creek, as summarised on the City's tree ownership page.
In the free check and the full report.
What public rules cover short-term rentals in Hamilton?
The City's short-term rental licensing program, approved by Council in January 2023, and Municipal Accommodation Tax By-law 22-209.
In the free check and the full report.
What is the 2026 residential property tax rate in Hamilton, and why does it differ by community?
The City's page on how property tax rates are calculated, with the 2026 final residential rates for each community and service area.
In the free check and the full report.
Is a Hamilton address in a regulated flood area, and whose map says so?
The Hamilton Conservation Authority's regulated area map tool and permits page, under Ontario Regulation 41/24. Three other authorities cover parts of the city.
Public source; flood plain and regulated-area checks not included in OfferDue reports.
Who helps with a home in Hamilton
Every kind of business a home needs, by moment, and the local rules their work runs into, each with its source and the date it was checked.
Public-record information, not legal, financial, insurance or inspection advice. Records change and can be incomplete, and these pages describe the records, not any particular home. What we cover, city by city.