Municipal Planning Strategy & Land Use Bylaw In Effect

September 11, 2025

Municipal Planning Strategy & Land Use Bylaw Approved and Now in Effect

The Municipality of Inverness County’s new Municipal Planning Strategy and Land Use Bylaw officially came into effect today, September 11, 2025.

This milestone follows provincial legislation passed in 2018 (Bill 58), which mandates that all municipalities in Nova Scotia ensure their entire jurisdiction is governed by an approved Municipal Planning Strategy and Land Use Bylaw.

In response, the Municipality launched Plan Inverness, a comprehensive initiative to develop updated planning documents tailored to the region’s needs. This work was completed as part of Plan Eastern, a collaborative planning initiative with the counties of Antigonish, Richmond, and Victoria, aimed at delivering consistent land use planning across Eastern Nova Scotia.

Public Engagement & Approval Process

To ensure transparency and community involvement, the Municipality, in partnership with the Eastern District Planning Commission (EDPC), hosted two public hearings:

March 19, 2025 – Focused on proposed wind turbine regulations
May 22, 2025 – Addressed the full Municipal Planning Strategy and Land Use Bylaw

Additional public information sessions were held, where residents had the opportunity to review draft documents, speak directly with EDPC representatives, and ask questions.

On March 19th, 2025, Municipal Council formally adopted the amended Municipal Planning Strategy and Land Use Bylaw Concerning the Regulation of Wind Turbine Development. On May 22, 2025, Municipal Council formally adopted the proposed Plan Inverness Municipal Planning Strategy and Land Use Bylaw. The documents were then submitted to the Nova Scotia Department of Municipal Affairs for ministerial review.

The Minister has approved both documents, with amendments.

To learn more about the amendments, review both Ministerial letters here:

In Effect as of Today

As of September 11, 2025, the new Plan Inverness – Municipal Planning Strategy and Land Use Bylaw and the amended Municipal Planning Strategy and Land Use Bylaw Concerning the Regulation of Wind Turbine Development are officially in effect. These documents provide the regulatory framework to guide future growth and development across the Municipality.

Access the Documents

The documents can be found online here:

About Eastern District Planning Commission:

In Nova Scotia, it is a legal requirement to obtain development and/or building permits before starting any construction on a site or building. For residents of the Municipality of Inverness County, these services are provided by Eastern District Planning Commission (EDPC).