Development charge limits are provincial rules restricting what costs municipalities can recover through development charges and how charges are calculated. These limits exist because provinces balance municipal need for growth-related funding against concerns about housing affordability and development feasibility. Typical restrictions exclude certain costs from development charges (like growth studies, land acquisition, or services benefiting existing residents), cap charges for specific development types (affordable housing, non-profit), mandate phase-in periods for charge increases, or require detailed background studies justifying charges. Recent provincial interventions in Ontario and British Columbia have frozen or reduced development charges to encourage housing construction, forcing municipalities to find alternative funding sources or reduce infrastructure investment. The appropriate level of development charge limits remains politically contentious.