FAQ on City Services

The Humane Society will continue to offer urgent and essential services to municipalities, including:

• Sheltering animals who come to us through municipal animal services
• Assisting owners in reclaiming animals and dropping off stray animals, by appointment
• Dog bite support
• Supporting pet owners who are unable to care or resources for their animals as a result of COVID-19
• Offering information on animal shelter health and wellness at Shelter Health Pro
• Offering support and options through our 310-SPCA call centre

Life-threatening animal emergencies and reports of animal cruelty or neglect should continue to be referred to 1-833-9ANIMAL or police.

Pet grooming services are now open in Niagara Falls as a service that provides for the health and welfare of animals.

• Niagara Falls History Museum (5810 Ferry St) - Please refer to the Museum website for details.
• MacBain Community Centre (7150 Montrose Rd) remains closed including the:
  • City of Niagara Falls Customer Service desk
  • YMCA of Niagara
  • MacBain Community Centre Library branch
• Gale Centre Arena (5152 Thorold Stone Rd) and Chippawa Willoughby Arena (9000 Sodom Road): See the Arenas page for details.
• Coronation 50 Plus Recreation Centre remains closed

Sports Fields & Outdoor Team Sports

• All tournaments at arenas and sports fields are cancelled at least until the end of August.
• As directed by the Province, outdoor team sports may resume use of fields for training purposes only and with no scrimmages or games. Physical distancing measures of 2m separation must be adhered to at all times, when using the fields.
• Access to the fields for organized sports will be by allowed by permit only.
• There will be limited access to facilities including no locker rooms, no change rooms and no showers. Access to clubhouses and other amenities will be limited to washrooms, emergency aid and equipment management.
• Please note that:
  • Residents are reminded to take extra caution and use these outdoor recreational amenities at their own risk.
  • High touch-points at these outdoor areas (gates, benches etc.) are not cleaned frequently. 
  Remember to wash your hands with soap for at least 20 seconds or use an alcohol-based sanitizer after use.

Please refer to the Bids and Tenders page for details.

• The Chippawa Public Boat Launch, located at public boat launch at Lyon’s Creek Road and Sodom Road, is open from 7:00 am to 7:00 pm.
• The Niagara Parks Commission boat launches are open, including Queenston Docks Boat Launch, Ussher’s Creek, Netherby Road, Anger Avenue and Nichol’s Marine. For details go to niagaraparks.com.

We will continue to accept all permit applications at this time. All new permit application for signs, pools, decks, sheds, and any other accessory building shall be submitted by email to: [email protected].

All other building permit applications will be accepted by appointment only at this time. Appointment requests for permit applications shall be made by email to: [email protected]. Please see https://niagarafalls.ca/city-hall/building/application-forms.aspx for all required forms.

All inquiries will be by phone at extension 4251 or by email at: [email protected]. If you have any questions relating to existing permit applications please contact the Plan Examiner directly. Currently without the ability to process in-person payments, all fees prior to the issuance of the permit shall be submitted by cheque through mail to the Building Division at City of Niagara Falls, City Hall with the Building Permit number indicated on the envelope.

Please expect delays in answering inquiries, issuance of status letters, response to status letters, issuance of permits, and inspections during COVID-19. The Building and Municipal Enforcement Services is committed with its best efforts to assist the construction industry during this time.

We will continue to schedule building inspections. Requests can be made by phone at 905-356-7521 ext. 4285 or by email at buildinginspectio[email protected].

Concerns over a non-essential business operating or a gathering occurring in contravention of emergency orders made under the Emergency Management and Civil Protection Act?

• During business hours contact your local bylaw enforcement office.
• The City of Niagara Falls Municipal By-Law Enforcement team is available to respond to concerns from the public as follows:
  • Every day from 8:30 am to 8:30 pm by completing the COVID-19 Complaint Form  or by calling 905-356-7521 ext. 4253/4341.
  • After hours, please call Niagara Region's dispatch line at (905) 984-3690 or 1 (877) 552-5579 for further bylaw response and assistance. Do not call 9-1-1.

Questions? Call the Stop the Spread Business Information Line at 1-888-444-3659.

Should members of the community wish to report any instances of non-compliance with the emergency orders on Niagara Parks property, they can contact Niagara Parks Police dispatch at 905-356-1338, extension 0.

Bylaw and Property Standards Complaints

We will continue to investigate by-law and property standards complaints. Requests can be made by phone at 905-356-7521 ext. 4253 or 4341 or by email at [email protected]. Any investigations that will require the entering of an occupied residential dwellings unit will not proceed, and instead will require the owner or tenant to provide photographs of the concern, with other necessary documentation that can be sent to [email protected].

Please view the updated Council Meeting Schedule page for any meeting date updates along along with Agendas, Minutes and Videos.

There are no scheduled committee meetings. As the situation develops we will update the Committee Meeting Schedule.

Please refer to the Coronation Centre page for deatils.

Concerns over a non-essential business operating or a gathering occurring in contravention of the emergency orders that were made under the Emergency Management & Civil Protection Act?

The City of Niagara Falls Municipal By-Law Enforcement team is available to respond to concerns from the public as follows:

• Every day 8:30 am to 8:30 pm by completing the COVID-19 Complaint Form or by calling 905-356-7521 ext. 4253/4341.
• After hours, please call Niagara Region's dispatch line at (905) 984-3690 or 1 (877) 552-5579 for further bylaw response and assistance. Do not call 9-1-1.

Questions? Call Stop the Spread Business Information Line: 1-888-444-3659.

Should members of the community wish to report any instances of non-compliance with the emergency orders on Niagara Parks property, they can contact Niagara Parks Police dispatch at 905-356-1338, extension 0.

Please refer to the Employement Opporunities page for details.

For the current list of essential workplaces, please visit the Government of Ontario's List of Essential Workplaces page

Niagara Region Public Health and Emergency Services is closely monitoring the COVID-19 pandemic. This is an evolving situation and they will continue to update information as it becomes available. For more information about what Public Health is doing, visit the Niagara Region COVID-19 Frequently Asked Questions page.

For testing and lab result information, visit the Niagara Region Testing and Lab Results page.

The City of Niagara Falls discourages residents from having garage and yard sales during COVID-19. As an alternative, residents may consider exchanging goods, through a virtual garage sales online platform to create contactless sales and porch pick-ups to reduce the spread of the virus. If you do have to meet in person, please meet in a safe place and follow physical distancing guidelines of a minimum of two metres.

Garage and yard sales are not prohibited within the City of Niagara Falls, and if you feel you must host a garage or yard please be responsible and do your part in preventing the spread of COVID-19 by taking the attached Garage Sale precautions.

For information about your garbage, organics and recycling service, please view the Niagara Region Garbage, Recycling and Organics page.

Illegal dumping is the disposing of material in non-designated areas, such as public roads, ditches, public property, rural areas, vacant lots and in public litter receptacles. It is a crime.

If you see someone engaged in illegal dumping, please report this activity to Crime Stoppers

Additional reporting options include:

• Call Waste Info Line at 356-4141 or 1-800-594-5542
• Report on line: Niagara Region Illegal Dumping

View the Niagara Region Landfills site for more information.

• For more information about the Library, please visit the Niagara Falls Library page.

To view what Mayor Jim Diodati has to say, visit the Mayor's page for video messages.

Niagara Health Navigator app has updated its newest release to include two new features related to COVID-19. The content featured in the release includes:

• COVID-19 Updates: This feature provides patients and the community with the most recent information related to Niagara Health's response to COVID-19 and directives of public health officials.
• Ontario COVID-19 Screening: This feature links directly to the provincial government's self-assessment tool.

If you haven't installed the app, the Niagara Health Navigator can be downloaded free from the Apple App Store or Google Play.

If you have already downloaded the Niagara Health Navigator, update the app in the App Store or Google Play to view the newest release.

For information about Niagara Parks' recreational amenities, please visit the Niagara Parks' website.

For more information, please visit the NPCA website.

The Province of Ontario has lifted noise restriction by-laws to allow deliveries to essential retail operations throughout the day or night.

For information on other government programs and services, please contact the following:

• Wayne Gates - Member of Provincial Parliament
• Tony Baldinelli - Member of Parliament
• Region of Niagara

For information and schedules, visit our Pools and aquatics page for details.

The City of Niagara Falls is closely following the Provincial orders relating to Parks, Trails, Skateparks and Playgrounds.  Select outdoor amenities have now reopened for including our dog parks, frisbee golf, tennis/pickleball courts, basketball courts, picnic areas, shelters, and community gardens.

All playgrounds and outdoor exercise equipment remain strictly closed.

All unfenced sportsfields including baseball diamonds and soccer fields generally accessible to the public are available for casual use – with gatherings limited to 10 persons.

Oakes Park walking track open daily from 8AM to 8PM.  Washrooms adjacent to the track are now open for public use, and being cleaned at least once daily.

Green spaces in parks and trails remain open for pass-through access, but visitors must continue to practice social/physical distancing.

For those using basketball courts, the City requires that play is limited to shooting hoops, and that no games where physical contact may occur are played.

By-law enforcement will continue to enforce gatherings larger than five people, and anyone using closed park amenities.

By request from the Niagara Regional Police (NRP) Chief of Police, Municipal Enforcement staff will continue to enforce Municipal By-laws, and monitor and disperse any public gatherings observed throughout the City. Complaints regarding social gatherings more than 5 people on public or private property can be reported to COVID-19 Complaint Form.

The following conditions are in place for parking operations during facility closures:

• Parking enforcement is actively enforcing all regulations
• Parking Tickets can be paid online or by mail (cheque or money order)
• Due to the closure of city facilities to the public, all current outstanding tickets will be given an additional one (1) month to pay without added penalty costs
• Ticket screening (review of the parking ticket) can be done by phone by contacting our office at 905-356-7521 ext 4960
• As tickets will be held at their current fine rate, screens will be available to public once our facilities re-open without any additional cost or hardship to the ticket holder.
• All permits for on-street parking and municipal lots that expire during the city facility closure will continue to be honoured until such time as the city facilities are open to the public.

Questions regarding paying property taxes, please visit Property Taxes page.

For water accounts, please visit the Water Information page.

Any questions regarding deferral of the Municipal Accommodation Tax remittance payments, please visit Municipal Accommodation Tax page.

The Provincial government has issued an emergency order that retail businesses and individuals in Ontario cannot charge unfair prices for necessary goods.

Individual offenders can face a ticket of $750, or, if summoned to court and convicted, could face a maximum penalty of a $100,000 fine and one year in jail. If convicted, a company director or officer could face a fine of up to $500,000 and up to a year in jail, and a corporation could face a fine of up to $10 million.

Consumers can report an individual who is price gouging by filing a complaint at 1-800-889-9768 between 8:30 a.m. and 5:00 p.m., Monday to Friday, or by filing a report online.

The Ontario government has announced that the 2020 Assessment Update has been postponed. They have indicated that property assessments for the 2021 property tax year will continue to be based on the fully phased-in January 1, 2016 current values.  For more information, visit the MPAC 2020 Assessment Update

Residents experiencing concerns related to rats or rodents on their property should review the City's Rodent and Prevention Control webpage for helpful advice and access to the City's Residential Rodent Control Rebate Program.

• Emergency bylaw enforcement and investigation services continue for emergency orders and in response to unsafe conditions, including:
  • no heat
  • no water
  • boarding of vacant properties
  • illegal dumping
• If you are experiencing an urgent after-hours water or sewer issue, please contact our Service Centre directly at 905-356-1355.

For information regarding licensing and applications around Sidewalk Cafes and Outdoor patios, visit the Sidwalk Cafes and Outdoor Patios Planning page for details.

Temporary lawn signs to identify those working from home can be erected, but only during the period effected by the Province's Emergency Orders.

Under City of Niagara Falls Sign By-law 2008-224, as amended, various types of signs can be erected in residential areas. The Sign By-law provides for a Temporary Sign which is defined as "a sign anchored to the ground but erected for a limited period of time." For the period of time effected by the Provincial Emergency Orders regarding COVID-19 only, the following rules will apply for temporary lawn signs to identify those working from home :

• A Temporary Sign may be erected on a residential property which contains the name of the business located within the dwelling unit and the address.
• The owner/operator of the business must reside in the dwelling unit as per the regulations of Home Occupation.
• The Temporary Sign must not exceed the size of a "real estate sign" which is prescribed to have a maximum sign area of 0.5 square metres (approximately 24 inches X 30 inches) in a residential zone.
• The Temporary Sign is allowed only for the time period the Provincial emergency order is in place, and must be removed upon the expiration of the emergency order, as may be extended from time to time.
• A sign permit is not required to erect a Temporary Sign.
• The sign must be located 1.5 m from any property line so it does not pose a safety hazard by blocking visibility or by causing a physical blockage of movement of people or vehicles.
• Municipal By-law Enforcement Officers will respond on a complaint basis during this time period only to issues pertaining to public safety.

For more information about Tourism information and the COVID-19 response, visit the Niagara Falls Tourism page for up to date resources.

Niagara Falls Transit is committed to keeping its customers and staff safe. Enhanced cleaning procedures are being implemented for transit.  For full details, see the COVID-19 Transit Service Updates page.

• For information on marriage ceremonies/licences, Commissioner of Oaths, business licences and lottery/bingo licensing, vist the Appointment-Only Services page.

• The Water Meter Replacement Program is partially on-hold. Select properties will be contacted in the coming weeks regarding their water meter.
• Water and sewer emergencies continue to be handled by Environmental Services crews.
• City staff are reminding residents to only flush waste and toilet paper to avoid blockages and other service disruptions.
• The list of non-flushables includes baby wipes, disinfecting wipes, paper towel, tissue, floss, diapers, condoms, feminine hygiene products, kitty litter, and kitchen waste. Even so-called flushable wipes should not be sent down the toilet, as they don't actually break down properly.
• Please also remember fats, oils and grease (FOG) poured down the sink or toilet, congeal and clog sewer lines.
• All of the above could lead to raw sewage backing up in your home or your neighbour's home, causing damage and potentially displacing those who live there.
• The following rebate programs are on hold for 2020 while staff reevaluates them:
  • Toilet Retrofit
  • Rain Barrel
  • Flowie Rebate