Is a Lakeshore address in a regulated flood area, and whose map says so?

The Essex Region Conservation Authority says it has jurisdiction in nine municipalities, the seven in Essex County among them, and its online mapping tool shows by default whether a property is within its Limit of Regulated Area; it says not every regulated area may be mapped and that the regulation applies whether an area is mapped or not. The Lower Thames Valley Conservation Authority lists Lakeshore among its ten member municipalities; its Regulated Areas Screening Map flags whether a property is regulated, and it notes that a property can cross the boundary of two authorities, in which case both are to be asked. The Municipality's additional unit page names both authorities.

The Essex Region authority lists a new or replacement home, additions, garages and sheds, and decks, docks and pools among the projects that need its permit in a regulated area, and says other approvals from the municipality may be needed as well; the Lower Thames Valley authority asks owners to contact its staff to learn whether a permit is needed. Neither permit replaces the Municipality's building permit. A regulated-area result governs permits; it is not a forecast that a home will flood, and a home outside the mapped area can still take water through a basement. Under the Conservation Authorities Act as amended in 2026, the Essex Region authority and the Lower Thames Valley authority are to join the Western Lake Erie Regional Conservation Authority on 1 February 2027 or a later date set by regulation.

• ERCA development services: permits, the Limit of Regulated Area and how to ask staff
• ERCA online mapping tool: the authority's map viewer; choose Public, then Launch Map Viewer
• About ERCA: the authority's jurisdiction: the City of Windsor, the Township of Pelee and the seven municipalities in Essex County
• LTVCA member municipalities: the authority's ten member municipalities, Lakeshore among them
• LTVCA regulations: the Regulated Areas Screening Map, permits and property inquiries
• Bill 97, Plan to Protect Ontario Act (Budget Measures), 2026: Schedule 3 amends the Conservation Authorities Act; the transition date is 1 February 2027 or a later date set by regulation
• Regional conservation authority boundaries (ERO 025-1257): the Province's decision of 10 March 2026 on which authority joins which of the nine regional authorities
• Ontario Regulation 41/24: Prohibited Activities, Exemptions and Permits, the regulation behind every conservation authority's regulated area

Conservation-authority regulated-area and flood plain checks are not currently included in our reports, so for a Lakeshore home each authority's own map tool is the place to look. The full report's water and flooding group does cover past floods seen by satellite, nearby creeks, rivers and ponds, and mapped wetlands for any Lakeshore address.

What we cover, city by city See the sample report