Driveway Modification Permit Application

Modifying a driveway includes changing an existing driveway by widening it or an associated walkway or by making it a circular or hammerhead driveway or by adding a second new driveway. The modification may include a curb cut.

Purpose:

To provide property owners with information about applying for a permit to modify a driveway which may include modifying any associated walkways and/or making a curb cut. This information includes requirements that may apply to the driveway modification in the City’s Driveway Modification Bylaw, Zoning Bylaw, Private Tree Bylaw, Public Tree Bylaw and Municipal Consent Bylaw.

Notice of Collection:

Personal information collected by the driveway modification permit application is collected under the legal authority of s. 227(a) of the Municipal Act, 2001 and By-law 20-2010, the Driveway Modification By-law. The information will be used to process, issue, monitor and regulate permits applied for and issued under the By-law. Questions about this collection should be directed to the Coordinator, ROW Management, 426 Brant Street, P.O. Box 5013, Burlington, Ontario, L7R 3Z6 T: 905-335-7777 ext. 7568 E: engpermitrequests@burlington.ca.

Driveway Material

All driveway aprons, driveways and associated walkways located within the City’s highways (which may be referred to as right of ways, roadways or streets) shall be surfaced with a hard surface material, such as asphalt, paving stones, impressed concrete or other durable hard surface material.

Permitted Driveway and Walkway Maximum Width

Permitted driveway and associated walkway width depends on the length of the front lot line of the property, and on what is permitted under the City’s Zoning By-Law Part 1 - 2.24 Driveway Widths and Landscaped Open Space Area sets out the total combined width of the driveway and walkways, which is measured at their respective widest point and perpendicular to the direction of vehicular travel. The remainder of the frontage of the property is to be Landscaped Open Space Area, dedicated to the growth and maintenance of grass, flowers, shrubs, trees, etc.  A walkway cannot be used as a driveway or parking area. 

Allowable Curb Cut Width

The total curb cut width depends on the length of the front lot line of the property, as per the table below:

Other Considerations

Tree Protection

Any construction activity, including staging of materials or equipment, within the Minimum Tree Protection Zone(s) as set out in Tree Protection By-laws and Policies will require a separate permit from Forest Protection as a pre-requisite to the issuance of the driveway modification permit. Tree protection information, including how to measure a tree Diameter at Breast Height (DBH), and obtain a Tree Permit, can be found at the Tree Protection By-laws and Policies link above.

Highway Assets (highways may be referred to as right of ways, roadways or streets) – City owned and Third Party owned

There are a number of assets within the highway that are owned by the City or owned by a third party and these require a minimum offset for any driveway modification from the face of the asset, as described in the table below.

Driveway Culvert

If a driveway culvert is present, it will need to be extended to the width of the new driveway to allow for proper water flow. Please note in your application drawing if there is a culvert along the front lot line of your property.

Grade Changes

As per the Grading and Drainage By-law, there may be some limitations to the design of the driveway modification to maintain compliance to the Driveway Modification By-law, such as limiting work within 0.5 m of a property line depending on the proposed work and site conditions.

Example Drawing

An example drawing to assist in designing the driveway critical dimensions is required on the submitted drawing – the critical dimensions are set out in red.

Application Process

You may be required to include the following documents in your driveway modification permit application. The documents are added to the application by file download as the application indicates. 

• If an agent is making the application on your behalf, the agent’s signed authorization from the property owner
• A drawing that details the full scope of the proposed driveway and walkway, dimensioned accordingly (always required)
• If a contractor is doing the work, the contractor’s WSIB Clearance Certificate
• If a contractor is doing the work, the contractor’s Certificate of Insurance in the amount of $2,000,000 with the City named as an additional insured as follows:

  The Corporation of the City of Burlington

  426 Brant Street, PO Box 5013

  Burlington, ON L7R 3Z6

   

 Note: all the files downloaded totals must be less than 15mb in total.

Fee Payments

Before a driveway modification permit can be issued, any required fee and security must be paid. E-Transfers and EFT/Wire Payments are the only acceptable methods of payment for driveway modification permits. In-person payments will NOT be accepted at City Hall.

E-Transfers 

E-Transfers are the preferred method of payment. The City is set up to accept E-transfers which can be sent to Financial Services at accounting@burlington.ca.

All E-transfers MUST INCLUDE the following payment details in the Message section with every email money transfer forwarded to the City of Burlington:

• Site address
• Property Owner(s)/Agent
• Application #

PLEASE BE ADVISED: E-transfers must be sent from a bank that recognizes auto-deposit, as the City cannot receive funds if a password is required.

EFT/Wire Payments 

EFT/Wire Payments are also an acceptable method of payment. Please advise Engineering Services staff by email of the person/business completing the transfer and include the site address in the details. This will ensure timely recognition of your payment. The following information is needed for EFT/Wire Payments:

City Address

Corporation of the City of Burlington
426 Brant Street, PO Box 5013,
Burlington, ON  L7R 3Z6 

• Bank – 0003
• Branch – 00662
• Account – 0000018

Bank Address

Royal Bank of Canada
360 Pearl Street, Units 1-4
Burlington, ON  L7R 1E1