St. Catharines: 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 29, 2026
St. Catharines 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
1.84% of assessed value, 2026 residential rate
Read the question →0%2.32% (Chatham-Kent)13th highest of 61 towns. Lowest: Markham, 0.72%.
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Extra units
Up to 3 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 →Niagara Peninsula authorityjoinsWestern Lake Ontario Regional Conservation Authority
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A business run from home
- Up to 25%of the floor area
- 1 from outsidemay work there
Is a St. Catharines address in the Greenbelt or the Niagara Escarpment Plan area?
The Province's Greenbelt boundary sheets (Protected Countryside and Urban River Valley areas) and the Niagara Escarpment Commission's plan maps.
In the free check and the full report.
How can I find recorded pits, quarries and petroleum wells near a St. Catharines 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 St. Catharines 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 accessory dwelling units at a St. Catharines home?
Section 2.2.1 of Zoning By-law 2013-283, as amended by the housekeeping By-law 2024-032 that Council approved on 8 April 2024, and the City's zoning page.
In the free check and the full report.
Does St. Catharines need a permit to remove a tree on a private lot?
The City's By-law 2017-326 for trees on or affecting City property, and Niagara Region's Woodland Conservation By-law 2020-79, as summarised on the Region's forestry page.
In the free check and the full report.
What public rules cover short-term rentals in St. Catharines?
The City's Short-term Rental Accommodation By-law and its licensing page, the short-term rental rules in Zoning By-law 2013-283, and Municipal Accommodation Tax By-law 2023-014.
In the free check and the full report.
What is St. Catharines' residential property tax rate for 2026?
The City's 2026 tax rates table, finalized by Council on 13 April 2026, and Niagara Region By-law 2026-16, which sets the Region's rates for St. Catharines.
In the free check and the full report.
Is a St. Catharines address in a regulated flood area, and whose map says so?
The Niagara Peninsula Conservation Authority's Watershed Explorer map and permits page, under Ontario Regulation 41/24.
Public source; flood plain and regulated-area checks not included in OfferDue reports.
Who helps with a home in St. Catharines
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.