Municipal Law Enforcement

1. When the Municipal Law division receives a complaint pertaining to a Township By-law,  acknowledgement of the complaint will be provided to the concerned individual. 

2. Depending on the circumstances of the complaint, the investigative process may include the appropriate Township department staff (i.e. Municipal Law Enforcement Officer, Building Inspector, Oro-Medonte Fire & Emergency Services etc.) going to the address associated with the complaint to observe, document, and collect evidence. Circumstances where the nature of the complaint falls outside of the Township’s jurisdiction (i.e. site alteration, addition of fill soil etc.), it will be necessary for the Township to engage the appropriate outside agency (i.e. Conservation Authorities etc.) regarding the investigative process. 

3. If charges are determined to be an appropriate course of action, evidence collected could be used to pursue a charge(s). It is important to note that many pieces of evidence are considered by By-law Enforcement Officers to determine whether an action is required, and this evidence is relied upon if matters go to the Provincial Offences Court to obtain a conviction.  

It is important to understand that all complaints pertaining to Township By-law occurrences are subject to investigation and considered confidential, given that investigations could result in legal action/litigation.

Municipal Law Enforcement Officers Jurisdiction
Municipal By-law Enforcement Officers have the authority to enforce municipal By-laws to the extent that Municipal By-laws apply. 

Municipal Law Enforcement Officers have the jurisdiction and authority to enforce the following Township of Oro-Medonte By-laws:

• Zoning By-law
• Canine Control By-law
• Fireworks By-law
• Hawker and Peddler By-law
• Noise By-law
• Parkland By-law
• Pool Fence By-law 
• Property Standards By-law
• Removal and Piling of Snow By-law
• Sign By-law
• Site Alteration By-law
• Entrance By-law
• Dumping By-law
• Smelt Fishing and Road Closure
• Road Occupancy

Municipal Law Enforcement Officers do not have the authority to enforce Province of Ontario laws (i.e. liquor or speeding offences). 

Any circumstance that represents a threat to public safety, mischief, traffic violations, and trespassing, should be directed to the OPP through 911 regardless of the time of day, given these offences are under the Criminal Code of Canada, which is outside of the jurisdiction of Municipal Law.

If you encounter or witness any type of activity that is an emergency or immediate threat to public safety at any time, please call 911.

If you encounter or witness activity which is not an emergency or immediate threat to public safety, please call the OPP non-emergency telephone number at 1-888-310-1122. The OPP’s Provincial Communications Centres operate 24/7, answering emergency and non-emergency calls for service. Incidents may also be reported online through Ontario Provincial Police - Online Reporting (opp.ca).

If you have a concern that may relate to a Township of Oro-Medonte By-law infraction, please File your Complaint. Submitting your complaint to the Township electronically will assist for documentation purposes. Alternatively, there is an option to contact the Township at (705) 487-2171 regarding your concern. Please note calls received outside of regular business hours will be responded to the next business day, with priority placed on the nature of the issue.

For concerns related to noise after 11:00 p.m., please call the Township at (705) 487-2171 and follow the automated prompts to leave a voicemail message. A Municipal Law Enforcement Officer will return your call. Alternatively, you may File a Complaint via our online form.

Attention Dog Owners, Municipal Law will begin canvassing in June to ensure individuals who own a dog(s) have updated their tags for the 2026 season. Municipal Law will not accept cash, you will be required to update/register online.

Please note that staff will provide individuals who have failed to purchase a tag(s) time to update, failure to do so may result in a fine and the requirement to still purchase. 

The Township no longer requires Zoning Certificates for Pool and Sign applications. Permits may be completed via our fillable forms, then emailed to municipallaw@oro-medonte.ca.  Alternatively, you may also drop a copy off in person at the Administration Building.

Payment can be made in person, over the phone or via email. Please note, depending on address you may require comments from the following outside agencies.

• Pool Fence Guideline & Application
• Sign Guideline & Application

The Township's Municipal Law Enforcement Officers are available 24hrs a day, 7 days a week, by contacting (705) 487-2171, for the purpose of responding to Canine Control issues related to aggressive dogs and/or dogs at large as per the Canine Control By-law, excessive noise as per the Noise By-law and Parking By-law. Follow the automated prompts and leave a voicemail for the Officer on call, your call will be returned immediately if the concern is related to Noise, Canine and/or parking.

The Township does not have the resources to address wildlife concerns. If you have an issue with wildlife, please contact the Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry or visit the Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry website.

If it is an immediate threat, please call 9-1-1.