Buying acreage in Oro-Medonte: zoning, septic, wells and roads

Buying acreage in Oro-Medonte means buying land that sits under some of the firmest rural planning rules in Simcoe County. Almost every property outside Horseshoe Valley, Craighurst and a few shoreline pockets runs on a private well and septic system. Most farm and rural land is zoned Agricultural/Rural, and the township's Official Plan limits new lots, protects the Oro Moraine and requires a year-round public road for new homes. Get the land questions answered first, and the house questions become much easier.

This guide walks through what is out there, the zoning categories that matter, the agencies with a say, and the checks to build into your offer.

What kinds of acreage are in Oro-Medonte?

The township stretches from Lake Simcoe in the south to the hills north of Horseshoe Valley Road. Its Official Plan describes the population as concentrated in Settlement Areas, Rural Settlements and cottage lots along Lake Simcoe and Bass Lake, with the rest on rural lots throughout the township. In practice, acreage buyers tend to look at five kinds of land.

Lake Simcoe and Bass Lake shoreline

Waterfront along Lake Simcoe (Shanty Bay, Hawkestone and the beaches in between) and around Bass Lake falls mostly in the Official Plan's Shoreline designation. These are usually smaller lots than true acreage, but some larger parcels back onto the shore roads. Shoreline properties are also the ones most likely to be in the township's Septic Maintenance Program.

The Oro Moraine uplands

The Oro Moraine runs across the middle of the township. The Official Plan names it as part of the natural heritage system and describes its rolling uplands as recharge areas for the headwaters of six watersheds. Expect wooded parcels, rolling fields and some of the bigger estate-style lots here. Development near wetlands, significant woodlands or other features can trigger an environmental impact study.

Farm country

Large blocks of the township are designated Agricultural, which the plan reserves for prime farmland (Canada Land Inventory Classes 1 to 3 and specialty crops) and viable farm operations. Homes are permitted, but the land is protected for farming first.

Horseshoe Valley and the north

Horseshoe Valley is a Settlement Area built around the resort, with estate lots on private services in the surrounding hills. See the Horseshoe Valley guide for the servicing details, which vary street by street.

The hamlets

The Official Plan lists 13 Rural Settlements: East Oro, Edgar, Forest Home, Guthrie, Hawkestone, Jarratt, Moonstone, Oro Station, Prices Corner, Rugby, Shanty Bay, Sugarbush and Warminster. Growth there is limited to infilling and minor rounding out of existing development.

What do the Official Plan designations mean for you?

The designation on Schedule A of the Official Plan tells you what the township intends for the land. The zoning by-law then sets the detailed rules. Both matter, and they do not always match yet, because the township is still writing a new zoning by-law to implement the 2022 plan.

Designation	What it is for	New lots?
Agricultural	Prime farmland and viable farms	Farm parcels of 40 ha or more, agriculture-related uses, surplus farm dwellings after consolidation
Rural	Rural land that is not prime farmland or natural heritage	At most one new lot from a parcel existing on October 5, 2022, generally up to about 1 ha
Rural Residential	Existing estate and country subdivisions	None
Shoreline	Developed lots along Lake Simcoe and Bass Lake	Limited
Greenlands	Natural heritage system	Development restricted

Both the Agricultural and Rural designations permit a single detached dwelling, additional residential units (subject to the plan's rules), garden suites, home occupations and bed and breakfasts. Rural adds uses like kennels, artisan studios and small-scale commercial uses. For the full severance rules, read zoning, severances and second dwellings.

What does the Agricultural/Rural (A/RU) zone allow?

Most acreage outside the settlements is zoned A/RU under Zoning By-law 97-95. A few numbers worth knowing from the September 2026 consolidation:

Use in the A/RU zone	Minimum lot size
Single detached dwelling	0.4 ha
Agricultural uses	2.0 ha
Hobby farm	2.0 ha
Agricultural uses, intensive	4.0 ha
Equestrian facility	4.0 ha
Kennel, Class A (site-specific rezoning needed)	4.0 ha

A house in the A/RU zone needs 45 metres of frontage, an 8-metre front yard and a maximum height of 11 metres. Detached accessory buildings in the zone are capped at 100 square metres each and 5% lot coverage combined, so a big shop or garage can need a minor variance. The township has flagged accessory structures as one of the provisions it is reviewing first.

Other zones you will see on acreage include Rural Residential One and Two (RUR1 and RUR2) for existing country subdivisions, and Environmental Protection (EP), where buildings are generally not allowed. Ask for a zoning map extract early, and check whether part of the land is zoned EP.

Is Oro-Medonte in the Greenbelt?

No. Ontario's Greenbelt Plan does not cover the Oro Moraine, and in April 2025 CTV News Barrie reported local environmental groups were still discussing whether it should be added. The township's Official Plan does not use a Greenbelt designation.

That does not mean the moraine is unregulated. The Official Plan protects it through the Greenlands designation and natural heritage policies, and the part of the township that drains to Lake Simcoe is subject to the provincial Lake Simcoe Protection Plan. The Official Plan requires development and site alteration in that area to conform to it.

Which conservation authority regulates the land?

This catches buyers out, because Oro-Medonte is split.

• Lake Simcoe Region Conservation Authority (LSRCA) covers the land within the Lake Simcoe watershed, meaning land that drains to the lake. The township appoints a member to the LSRCA board.
• Nottawasaga Valley Conservation Authority (NVCA) lists Oro-Medonte as one of its 18 member municipalities, so parts of the township outside the Lake Simcoe watershed fall to NVCA.

The township's Official Plan also names the Severn Sound Environmental Association (SSEA) as a partner on watershed studies and groundwater recharge mapping. SSEA is an environmental association, not a conservation authority, so do not expect it to issue permits.

If a property has a creek, a wetland, a pond, steep slopes or low ground, ask the right authority whether it is in a regulated area. A permit may be needed before you build, grade or fill near those features.

Wells: what should you check?

Nearly all rural homes here draw from a private well. The township operates 12 municipal drinking water systems serving pockets of development, but acreage is almost never on one. Make your offer conditional on a water potability test and a flow test, and ask for the well record and any treatment equipment details. Our wells and water testing guide covers what to ask for.

Septic: is the property in the Septic Maintenance Program?

The township runs a mandatory Septic Maintenance Program under the Ontario Building Code. Its program page lists 2,024 properties in two groups:

• SMP2025: 1,882 systems within 100 metres of the Lake Simcoe shoreline or a tributary. Properties within 100 metres of rivers, streams, lakes or ponds were added in 2016.
• WHP2026: 128 systems within 100 metres of a municipal wellhead.

The township's 2025 flyer cites a higher figure of 2,600 properties, so treat the exact count as approximate. What matters is whether your property is in it. If it is:

• Compliance is required every five-year cycle. The current deadlines were December 31, 2025 for SMP2025 and December 31, 2026 for WHP2026.
• Township inspectors visually inspect the tank, any treatment unit and the bed.
• You submit a Septic Tank Inspection Report, a Maintenance Agreement for treatment units (Ecoflo, Waterloo Biofilter and similar), or a Service Report for Norweco and Aquarobic units.
• Seasonal use is not an exemption.
• A $29 annual fee is added to the property tax account.

Ask the seller for the last SMP submission and any notification card the township left. Outside the program area, there is no township inspection, so a private septic inspection is your only protection. Installing or repairing a septic system needs a building permit, applied for through Cloudpermit. Questions go to septic@oro-medonte.ca or 705-487-2171 ext. 2181. Our septic inspections guide explains what a good inspection covers.

Road access: year-round, seasonal or private?

This is the single most important zoning check on rural land, and the Official Plan is blunt about it. It lists four kinds of roads that do not meet the standard: private roads across private land, unopened road allowances, unassumed roads, and roads a public authority maintains for only part of the year.

On those roads:

• No new lots can be created.
• Existing lots are subject to site plan control and a holding provision in the zoning by-law.
• New dwellings are not permitted until the road is brought up to municipal standards and maintained year-round, at the cost of the landowners who benefit.
• Exceptions may be considered for replacing an existing dwelling or building, or for a new accessory building.

If you are buying a vacant lot, confirm in writing that the frontage is on a township-maintained, year-round road. A new driveway onto a township road needs an entrance permit, and access onto a County road or provincial highway needs that authority's approval.

How do property taxes work on acreage?

Oro-Medonte's 2026 residential tax rate is 1.056733% of MPAC's assessed value, which works out to about $1,057 for every $100,000 of assessment. That total combines township (0.5825%), Simcoe County (0.321233%) and education (0.153%) rates.

Land that qualifies for Ontario's Farm Property Class Tax Rate Program is taxed at the Farmlands rate of 0.264183% in 2026, a quarter of the residential rate. The house and the land around it stay residential. Managed forest land has the same 0.264183% rate. See the hobby farm guide for how to qualify.

Can you get a mortgage on rural acreage?

Usually, but lenders do not all treat land the same way. Many focus their valuation on the house and a portion of the land around it, and handle extra acreage, barns, shops or income-producing farm use differently. A vacant parcel or a property on a seasonal road is a separate conversation again. Speak to a lender or mortgage broker about the specific property before you remove your financing condition, and expect the appraisal to take longer than it would in town.

A few questions worth putting to the lender before you write the offer:

• How many acres, if any, will they include in the value, and how do they treat outbuildings like a barn or shop?
• Will they lend on the property if part of the land is rented out or farmed?
• If the appraisal comes in below the price because of how the land is valued, how much more down payment would you need?

Give the appraiser what you can: a list of the outbuildings with their sizes and any permits, the survey, and the well and septic records. It helps them value what is actually there.

Other rural realities

• Internet. The township says rural service is mainly wireless, with fibre expanding in some areas through the SWIFT and Rogers projects. It lists Bell, Rogers, Point to Point, Starlink, Ultrafast Wireless, Vianet and Xplornet as providers. Check the exact address on the Simcoe County broadband map before you buy if you work from home.
• Fire protection. Oro-Medonte Fire and Emergency Services is staffed almost entirely by volunteers. The township holds Tanker Shuttle Accreditation, which it says insurers recognize as similar to hydrant protection, and your insurer may ask for proof.
• Burning. Every open-air fire needs a $10 burn permit, valid until January 5 of the following year.

How Jordan can help

Jordan Rossman is a REALTOR® with Real Broker Ontario Ltd., Brokerage, and has worked in Orillia-area real estate since 2014. He can pull zoning and designation details before you view, build the right well, septic and road-access conditions into your offer, and point you to lenders comfortable with rural property. Call 705-345-0797 to talk through a specific parcel.