Stratford: 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
Stratford 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
1.76% of assessed value, 2026 residential rate
Read the question →0%2.32% (Chatham-Kent)19th highest of 61 towns. Lowest: Markham, 0.72%.
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Extra units
Up to 3 homes on a lot
Read the question → -
Trees
30 cm across: the trunk size the rule names
Read the question → -
Short-term rentals
- A licence, permit or registration is needed
- Up to 180 a year
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Conservation authorities in 2027
Read the question →Upper Thames River authorityjoinsWestern 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
How can I find recorded pits, quarries and petroleum wells near a Stratford 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 Stratford 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; and section 5.5 of the City's Official Plan on lands next to railways.
In the free check and the full report.
What records explain additional residential units at a Stratford home?
The City's Additional Residential Units pamphlet (September 2026) and its Zoning By-law 10-2022, which the City has updated to replace garden suites and second suites with additional residential units.
In the free check and the full report.
What does Stratford's tree by-law cover on a private lot?
The City's Private Tree Preservation By-law 86-2020, passed on 22 June 2020, with its schedules of permit fees and replacement trees.
In the free check and the full report.
What public rules cover short-term rentals in Stratford?
The City's Accommodation Licensing By-law 130-2022, as summarised on its Municipal By-law Enforcement page, the definition in Zoning By-law 10-2022, and Municipal Accommodation Tax By-law 93-2022.
In the free check and the full report.
What is Stratford's residential property tax rate for 2026?
The City's 2026 tax rates table, which lists the City and education rates for each property class.
In the free check and the full report.
Is a Stratford address in a regulated flood area, and whose map says so?
The Upper Thames River Conservation Authority's Regulated Area Map and permit pages, under Ontario Regulation 41/24, and the regulated-area overlay on Schedule A of the City's Zoning By-law 10-2022.
Public source; flood plain and regulated-area checks not included in OfferDue reports.
Who helps with a home in Stratford
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.