List of Ontario counties
In the Canadian province of Ontario, there are three different types of regional government structures: single-tier municipalities, regions and counties. They differ primarily in the services that they provide to their residents.
The varying structures of municipal and regional governments in Ontario can sometimes be confusing, as they result from a variety of approaches to local government, implemented at different times by different provincial governments in specific areas to serve specific needs. Due to the vast disparities among Ontario's different regions, it would be extremely difficult for a provincial government to apply a consistent, unified system across the entire province.
A single-tier municipality is a census division which is governed by one municipal administration, with neither a county or district government above it, nor further municipal divisions below it. A single-tier municipality is either a former regional municipality or a former county, whose municipal governments were amalgamated in the 1990s into a single administration.
Regional municipalities (or regions) generally have more servicing responsibilities than the counties. They generally provide the following services: maintenance and construction of arterial roads, transit, policing, sewer and water systems, waste disposal, region-wide land use planning and development, as well as health and social services. Regions are typically more urbanized than counties, while some regions are almost completely urban in nature.
Counties have fewer responsibilities than regions, as the local municipalities (cities, towns, villages, townships) within the counties typically provide the majority of municipal services to their residents. The responsibilities of county governments are generally limited to the following: maintenance and construction of arterial roads, health and social services, and county land use planning. Counties are only found in Southern Ontario.
For more information on Ontario's census divisions, see List of Ontario census divisions.
For a historic overview and list of the province's defunct counties, see Historic counties of Ontario.
Note: This list does not include the non-governmental districts of Northern Ontario.
Single-Tier Municipalities
A † denotes a megacity, resulting from the amalgamation of a Regional Municipality (consisting of a city and its suburban communities). The municipalities not denoted by a dagger are former counties, except for Brantford, which was separated from Brant County, and Guelph, which was separated from Wellington County.
Regional Municipalities
Counties
(* Muskoka District Municipality is the only district in Ontario that provides regional scale services.)
