Moving by-law cases out of the courts makes the system less intimidating
Township of King, Ont. — King Township Council has approved an amendment to the Administrative Monetary Penalty System (AMPS) Bylaw 2022-040 to include site alteration penalty fines.
Effective today, AMPS will now be applied to site alteration offences that are not in compliance with the bylaw, which controls certain kinds of changes that can be made to a property, ensuring that earth, fill or topsoil isn’t removed or added in a way that damages drainage, water quality or natural features.
This is phase two of the Township’s AMPs program; phase one applies to parking fines and was introduced in October 2023. AMPS is a municipally administered program that replaces the current court system with a faster, more flexible and customer-focused adjudication process for by-law offences.
Under the previous system, tickets were disputed in the Provincial Offences Court. AMPS moves disputes out of the court system and gives municipalities the discretion to resolve tickets at a screening review.
A person who disagrees with the decision of the screening officer can request a hearing before a hearing officer.
The new system is more efficient, user friendly and less intimidating. Under this new process, most ticket escalations will be resolved within 90 days—much faster than the previous, court-based system.
The approved amendments to By-law 2022-040 introduce early payment options for penalties, offering a 25% discount if paid within the first 15 days, with a 25% late fee applied after 30 days.
Additionally, fines for repeat offenders of site alteration by-laws are proposed to increase by $200 for each subsequent infraction within a 365-day period.
Plans are underway to expand phase two by the end of the year to also include other by-laws, such as, noise, clean yards, signs, fireworks, fence and property standards.
For more information, visit king.ca/AMPS.
For regular updates on Township programs and events, follow the official corporate social media channels on X, Facebook and Instagram or visit king.ca.
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Media Contact
Township of King
Jason Ballantyne, Communications Officer
Township of King | Phone: 905-833-5321 | Email: media@king.ca