DATUM Planning Inc.
Approvals, engineered.
What can you do with your property? Enter a property address and what you want to build. Our model checks it against the Ontario Planning Framework and returns a likelihood of approval in less than 5 minutes.
Zoning, density, setbacks, and an approval likelihood — free, no account required.
- 340+ sites modelled
- 41 Ontario municipalities
- Registered planner review
- Virtual firm, Ontario-wide
Advising on approvals across Ontario
How it works
Lead with the assessment, not the pitch.
Three steps from an address to a decision you can act on. The first two are free.
Submit property & proposal
Address, zoning, lot metrics, and what you want to build — a guided four-step form in less than 5 minutes.
AI models the likelihood
Zoning, density, setbacks and environmental fit are tested against the Provincial Planning Statement, Official Plans, and by-laws — ending in an approval likelihood.
A planner reviews with you
A registered professional planner walks through the report, pressure-tests the model, and maps your options.
The DATUM model
An approval likelihood you can trace to a policy line.
Not a black box. Every score maps to a specific test — permitted use, FSI against as-of-right, setbacks, hazard-land overlays, parking ratio, and intensification policy — and every finding cites the reason. You see exactly where the risk is, and the single change that moves the file most.
- Per-criterion scoring across six planning dimensions
- The required approval pathway — as-of-right, minor variance, rezoning, or OPA
- A modelled timeline and comparable-application benchmark
- The highest-leverage change to raise your odds
Why DATUM
Confidence, drawn from analysis — not opinion.
Precise, never vague
Every recommendation is traceable to a by-law, policy, or precedent. We show our work, so your lender and partners can too.
Plain language, always
Planning jargon is translated, not repeated. You should understand a report on the first read — and defend it in a board meeting.
Built for developers
We speak to timelines, financing, and risk — not planning theory. The answer arrives before your offer expires.
Services
Every approval. Delivered virtually.
Minor variance
Committee of Adjustment applications for small adjustments from the zoning by-law.
Consent & severance
Lot creation and boundary adjustments before the Committee of Adjustment.
Site plan approval
Application prep, agency circulation, and sign-off management from submission to approval.
Zoning by-law amendment
Coming soonRezoning strategy and submissions for uses or densities beyond as-of-right.
Official plan amendment
Coming soonPolicy-level applications for proposals that don't fit the current designation.
Subdivision & condominium
Coming soonDraft plan submissions and conditions management for multi-lot and multi-unit projects.
"Your proposed 12-unit building exceeds the site's permitted density by 18%. A minor variance is the likeliest path — comparable applications in this ward were approved 71% of the time."
Common questions
Before you run your site
Is the free analysis really free?
Yes. The preliminary feasibility analysis — zoning, density, setbacks, environmental screen, parking, and an approval likelihood — is free and requires no account. It's how most clients meet us. You only pay if you engage us to carry an application forward.
How accurate is the approval likelihood?
The model is a transparent, rule-based estimate calibrated on comparable Ontario applications and typical by-law standards. It's a directional read — precise enough to price risk and decide whether to proceed, not a substitute for a registered planner's opinion. Every report we deliver is reviewed by a licensed planner before it reaches you.
What information do I need to get started?
Just an address to begin. For a full analysis: the current zoning, lot area and frontage, and a rough sense of what you want to build (use, units, storeys). If you don't know the zoning, we'll look it up.
Who is DATUM for?
Small and mid-sized developers and investors navigating Ontario's approvals process — from a single infill severance to a mid-rise mixed-use build. If you're weighing whether to make an offer, we're built for exactly that moment.
Get your approval likelihood in less than 5 minutes.
Free, no account, and reviewed by a registered planner. Start with an address.