Accessing Public Records

Norfolk County provides a variety of information services to the public. Norfolk County’s Directory of Records is provided to aid your search and determine if Norfolk County has custody and control of the records you are seeking, where the records may be located and if the records may be accessed by the public.

The Directory of Records doubles as Norfolk County’s records classification system and is updated on an annual basis at 2021-2022 Directory of Records.

Routine Access to Municipal Records (Property Files)

Records in the custody and control of Norfolk County may be accessible to the public without submitting a formal access request.

Requests for your own property file are considered routine access without associated costs unless the request is for a large property file with many records or the request would require many search hours to complete. Any previous property owner information would also be removed before release.

Your request will be reviewed, and determined the type of request that should be submitted. It is important to note that the rules governing access and privacy under MFIPPA apply to both formal and informal requests for information.

You may alternatively request records from your property file by directly contacting the Building Department by e-mailing [email protected].


Norfolk County Archives may be accessed at Norfolk County Online Municipal Records Archive.

Access to Historical Records (Former Township)

If you are seeking a historical record from one of the former townships within Norfolk County prior to 2001 or a historical record from a related agency within Norfolk County, your request may be directed to Norfolk County Archives for review through the following contact information:

Norfolk County Archives at Eva Brook Donly Museum
109 Norfolk Street South
Simcoe, Ontario N3Y 2W3
Phone: 519-426-1583
E-mail: [email protected]
Website: nca-ebdm.ca


If you are not able to find what you’re looking for or require assistance, please contact the Clerks Department at 519-426-5870 or 226-NORFOLK x 1228 or email [email protected].

Freedom of Information Requests

Municipal Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (MFIPPA)

Privacy Notice

Municipal Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act for The Corporation of The County of Norfolk

How We Protect Your Privacy

We handle and protect your personal health information in accordance with Ontario’s Municipal Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act, 1990 (MFIPPA) and any other laws that we are required to follow. We provide training, follow established policies, and take other steps to ensure that our staff and anyone else acting on our behalf protects your privacy.

Your Rights and Choices

MFIPPA provides you with certain rights related to your personal information under our custody or control. Please communicate with our Privacy Contact for more information related to your rights:

  • to request a copy of your personal information;
  • to ask us to make corrections to inaccurate or incomplete personal information;

Our Privacy Contact

For more information or to raise a concern about our privacy practices, please contact our Privacy Contact:

Name: Genevieve Scharback
Phone: 519-426-5870
Email: [email protected]
Mailing Address:
50 Colbourne Street South
Simcoe, ON.
N3Y 4H3

The Information and Privacy Commissioner of Ontario

The Information and Privacy Commissioner of Ontario is responsible for making sure that privacy law is followed in Ontario. For more information about your privacy rights, or if you are unable to resolve an issue directly with our Privacy Contact and wish to make a complaint, contact:

Information and Privacy Commissioner of Ontario
2 Bloor Street East, Suite 1400
Toronto, ON M4W 1A8
Email: [email protected]
Toll Free: 1-800-387-0073
TDD/TTY: 416-325-7539


The Municipal Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (MFIPPA) provides individuals with a right of access to general records held by municipalities and records containing an individual’s own personal information. MFIPPA also requires municipalities to protect personal information contained in their record holdings. These requirements are outlined in a set of rules governing the collection, use, disclosure and retention of personal information maintained by municipal governments.

For further information, please contact the Clerks Department at 519-426-5870 or 226-NORFOLK x 1228 or email [email protected].

Formal Requests under the MFIPPA

Formal requests are also addressed to the County Clerk. All MFIPPA formal requests must be made in writing and be accompanied by a $5.00 mandatory application fee made payable to Norfolk County. Cheque and money order payments are accepted by mail, cash and debit only payments are accepted in-person at ServiceNorfolk located at 185 Robinson Street, Simcoe ON. A link to Norfolk County’s FOI Request form is below:

Formal requests for police records from Norfolk County are requested to the Ministry of Solicitor General Freedom of Information Office.

Request for Ontario Works Files

A request for an Ontario Works file kept with Haldimand-Norfolk Social Services is processed as a formal request for personal information.  The $5.00 application fee made payable to Norfolk County applies and is submitted to the Deputy Clerk.  If a lawyer is requesting the Ontario Works file on an individual’s behalf, authorization is required from the individual and is to be addressed to Haldimand-Norfolk Social Services. This authorization must state that the individual authorizes release of their personal information in the file to their lawyer. Both the authorization and the application must be provided before the formal request is able to be processed.

Fees

Additional fees, as outlined in MFIPPA regulations and below, may be applied to submitted formal requests:

  • Search time: $7.50 per 15 minutes
  • Record preparation: $7.50 per 15 minutes
  • If formal request is for paper formatted records: Photocopy costs: $0.20 per page
  • If formal request is for digitally formatted records: USB: $10.00 each
    Computer Cost: $15.00 per 15 minutes

For further details on when additional fees may be applied to formal requests, please contact the Deputy Clerk.


Personal Health Information Request

Personal Health Information and Protection Act – PHIPA

Privacy Notice

Personal Health Information for The Corporation of The County of Norfolk

How We Protect Your Privacy

We handle and protect your personal health information in accordance with Ontario’s Personal Health Information Protection Act, 2004 (PHIPA) and any other laws that we are required to follow. We provide training, follow established policies, and take other steps to ensure that our staff and anyone else acting on our behalf protects your privacy.

Collection, Use, and Disclosure of Personal Health Information

Your request for care from us implies consent for our collection, use, and disclosure of your personal health information for the following purposes:

  • to provide and assist in the provision of health care to you through our services, programs, and facilities;
  • to get payment for health care and any related goods and services provided to you, including from OHIP, your private insurer, WSIB, and others as necessary;
  • to plan, administer, and manage the operation of our services, programs, and facilities;
  • to manage risk and improve the quality and safety of our services and programs;
  • to educate or train our agents to provide health care;
  • to conduct research activities as approved by a research ethics board;
  • to comply with legal and regulatory requirements; and,
  • to fulfill other purposes that are permitted or required by law.

From time to time, we may communicate about your care with your other health care providers, including collecting, using, and disclosing your personal health information through electronic medical information systems (sometimes called electronic health records, eHealth records, electronic medical records, etc.). If you would like more information about the electronic medical information systems we use, please speak with our Privacy Contact.

Any uses of your personal health information other than those mentioned above would require your express consent.

Your Rights and Choices

PHIPA provides you with certain rights related to your personal health information under our custody or control. Please communicate with our Privacy Contact for more information related to your rights:
• to see and get a copy of your personal health information;
• to ask us to make corrections to inaccurate or incomplete personal health information;
• to withdraw your consent to our collection and use of your personal health information or its disclosure to other health care providers (subject to certain legal obligations); and,
• to be informed if your personal health information is lost, stolen or improperly accessed.

Our Privacy Contact

For more information or to raise a concern about our privacy practices, please contact our Privacy Contact:

Name: Genevieve Scharback
Phone: 519-426-5870
Email: [email protected]

Mailing Address:
50 Colbourne Street South
Simcoe, ON.
N3Y 4H3

The Information and Privacy Commissioner of Ontario

The Information and Privacy Commissioner of Ontario is responsible for making sure that privacy law is followed in Ontario. For more information about your privacy rights, or if you are unable to resolve an issue directly with our Privacy Contact and wish to make a complaint, contact:

Information and Privacy Commissioner of Ontario
2 Bloor Street East, Suite 1400
Toronto, ON M4W 1A8

Email: [email protected]

Toll Free: 1-800-387-0073
TDD/TTY: 416-325-7539


Personal Health Information requests (Animal Bites, Ambulance Calls, Long Term Care Home Resident Files)

Haldimand-Norfolk Health Unit, Norview Lodge and Norfolk County’s Paramedic Services are the municipalities affiliated health information custodians to which personal health information may be requested under the Personal Health Information Protection Act. For personal health information requests to the health unit, please contact the Deputy Clerk.

Personal Health Information requests for Norview Lodge, such as requesting your own resident file, may be submitted to:

Bill Nolan, Administrator
Norview Lodge
44 Rob Blake Way
Simcoe, Ontario N3Y 0E3
Phone: 519-426-0902 ext. 4224

Ambulance Call Report requests are directly mailed to Norfolk County Paramedic Services:

Divisional Support Clerk
Norfolk County Paramedic Services
95 Culver Street
Simcoe, Ontario N3Y 2V5
Fax: 519-426-1316

A fee of $65.00 is made payable to Norfolk County for the provision of an Ambulance Call Report. The fee is returned if received with the request and the requested Ambulance Call Report does not exist.

Rabies Investigation Forms, more commonly referred to as animal/dog bite information requests are a request for personal health information. There is a $77.75 processing fee for this request made payable to Norfolk County and submitted to the Deputy Clerk.

Personal health information requests for Master Audio Recordings and Call Detail Reports of 911 calls are made to the Ministry of Health’s Access and Privacy Office – e-mail: [email protected].

Environmental Information Requests

Requests for environmental information related to a specific Norfolk County address is best completed through submitting an Environmental Information Request directly to Environmental and Infrastructure Services Division with the accompaniment of an $173.00 application fee made payable to Norfolk County.

The reason for this request not being facilitated through a freedom of information request is that the information has to be created and involves researching the surrounding area of the property in order to provide a full response. A freedom of information request only provides records that already exist related to the specific address.

Environmental Information Requests can be mailed to:

Norfolk County Environmental Services and Infrastructure Division
185 Robinson St., Suite 100
Simcoe, ON N3Y 5L6
Phone: 519-426-5870 or 226-NORFOLK Ext. 0
Fax: 519-426-8573


Fire Incident Reports and Fire Property Search

Fire Incident Reports and Fire Property Search requests are available through Norfolk County Fire Serivces. Requests may be submitted through regular mail or via email. Please allow up to 3 weeks for processing.

Mail to:

Norfolk County Fire Department
Delhi Administration Building
183 Main St, of Delhi
Delhi, ON N4B 2M3
(519) 582-2100

Email: [email protected]

Fire Incident Reports and Fire Property Search are subject to an application fee as outlined in the County’s annual User Fee By-Law.

2023 Fees:

Fire Reports: $82.00

Property Fire Search: $63.00


Contact us

Genevieve Scharback, County Clerk
Norfolk County Council Services Department
50 Colborne Street South
Simcoe, ON N3Y 4H3

Phone: 519-426-5870 or 226-NORFOLK x 1228
Fax: 519-426-8673
E-Mail: [email protected]