# Landscaping, interlock and lawn care in Richmond Hill

URL: https://hotivlandscaping.ca/areas/richmond-hill/  
Updated: 2026-10-13  
By: Hotiv Landscaping, Markham, Ontario. Call or text (437) 684-2535.

**Short answer:** Hotiv Landscaping works in Richmond Hill, Ontario, next door to our Markham base. Most landscaping jobs here are interlock repair and polymeric sand, fall and spring cleanups, sod and lawn care, hedge trimming, and deck and fence work. Two City rules catch people out: private trees 15 cm or more across need a permit, and yard waste pickup goes weekly from mid-October.

Richmond Hill runs about 14 km north to south, from Highway 7 up to Bloomington Road, and about 7 km across, between Bathurst Street and Highway 404. Markham is on the other side of the 404, so for us it's a short drive.

## Which landscaping jobs come up most in Richmond Hill?

In the south of the city it's mostly repair work on driveways, joints, hedges, decks and fences that are now 20 to 35 years old. Richmond Hill was one of the fastest-growing communities in Canada in the early 1990s, and its population went from about 80,000 in 1991 to over 160,000 by 2006. Typical jobs on those lots:

- Interlock driveways that have sunk at the garage apron or along the edges, with rocking pavers and joints washed out. Most of that can be lifted, re-levelled and relaid with the same pavers. See [interlock repair](https://hotivlandscaping.ca/services/interlock-repair/) and our guide on [why interlock sinks](https://hotivlandscaping.ca/guides/fix-sunken-interlock/).
- Joints full of weeds and moss. They come back every year until the old sand is cleaned out and replaced with [polymeric sand](https://hotivlandscaping.ca/services/polymeric-sand-installation/).
- Cedar hedges planted when the house was new that are now taller and wider than anyone wants. See [hedge trimming](https://hotivlandscaping.ca/services/hedge-trimming/) and [when to trim hedges in Ontario](https://hotivlandscaping.ca/guides/when-to-trim-hedges-ontario/).
- Decks and fences that have gone grey and started to check. Washing and a fresh coat often keeps them going for years. See [deck staining and waterproofing](https://hotivlandscaping.ca/services/deck-staining/).

The north end is different. Roughly the northern third of Richmond Hill sits on the Oak Ridges Moraine, a glacial ridge the [Province](https://www.ontario.ca/page/oak-ridges-moraine) protects under the Oak Ridges Moraine Conservation Plan. It's built from glacial sand, gravel, silt and clay, and in Oak Ridges the land rolls and climbs above 300 m.

For a homeowner that usually means slopes. Mulch and soil wash out of beds, walkways need steps, and runoff scours the joint sand on a sloped driveway. If you're on the moraine and planning anything bigger than garden work, the Province's map shows your property's designation, and the City can tell you what it means for you.

## How wide can a driveway be in Richmond Hill?

It depends on the width of your lot. The [City](https://www.richmondhill.ca/en/learn-more/Parking-Front-Yard-Parking.aspx) caps residential driveway width like this:

| Lot width | Maximum driveway width |
|---|---|
| Under 9 m | 3 m |
| 9 m to under 18 m | 6 m |
| 18 m to under 30 m | 9 m |

At least 45% of the front yard has to stay landscaped. The City counts pavers, patio stones, concrete and interlock toward that, as well as grass and planting, so an interlock walkway can make up part of the 45%.

The page doesn't say how a paved strip right beside the driveway is treated, so ask the City before adding one. The City also says these rules are under review in its new zoning by-law. Check the current numbers before you plan [a new interlock driveway](https://hotivlandscaping.ca/services/interlock-installation/) or a widening.

## What City of Richmond Hill rules affect yard work?

Six come up most: tree permits, yard waste pickup, oak pruning, fences, watering and grass length. The City's own pages are the final word, and some rules differ from Markham's and Vaughan's, so don't assume theirs apply here.

| Rule | What the City sets |
|---|---|
| Tree permit | Private trees 15 cm or more across, measured 1.4 m up |
| Yard waste, 2026 | Every other week to October 9, then weekly October 13 to December 11 |
| Oak pruning | Not from April 1 to October 31 |
| Fence height | 1.2 m front yard, 1.8 m back and side yards |
| Lawn watering | Odd or even days, June 15 to September 30 |
| Grass and weeds | No taller than 20 cm |

### Yard waste and leaves

For 2026, [yard waste](https://www.richmondhill.ca/en/living-here/Yard-Waste.aspx) is picked up every other week on your garbage day from April 14 to October 9 (yellow-zone collection starts the week of April 21). From October 13 to December 11 it's weekly.

Put it out in kraft paper bags or a rigid open-top container of up to 125 L with a yellow yard waste sticker (free from the City). Each bag, container or bundle has to stay under 18 kg. Branches go in bundles up to 1.2 m long, with no branch over 10 cm thick.

Grass clippings, soil and sod aren't collected, and the City asks people not to rake or blow leaves onto the road. Our [fall cleanup checklist](https://hotivlandscaping.ca/guides/fall-cleanup-checklist/) covers what to do before the last pickup, or we can do the [fall cleanup](https://hotivlandscaping.ca/services/seasonal-cleanup/) for you.

### Trees

Richmond Hill's Tree Preservation By-law needs a [permit](https://www.richmondhill.ca/en/learn-more/Tree-Cutting-Permit.aspx) before you remove or injure a private tree with a trunk 15 cm or more across, measured 1.4 m above the ground. That's a smaller tree than Markham's 20 cm threshold (measured at 1.37 m).

Injury includes taking off more than 20% of a tree's live tissue within 12 months, and working inside its tree protection zone. That zone starts at a 2 m radius for a 15–20 cm trunk and grows with the tree. The application fee is $314 plus HST for the first tree and $109 plus HST for each extra tree.

It isn't only about tree removal: digging a new bed, a patio base or a trench for edging close to a mature trunk can count as injury.

### Oaks

The City's [oak wilt page](https://www.richmondhill.ca/en/oak-wilt.aspx) asks residents not to prune oak trees from April 1 to October 31. The disease has been confirmed in Ontario, in Niagara Falls and Springwater, and fresh cuts in the growing season can let it in. If you have oaks, book their pruning for November to March.

### Fences

The City's [fence by-law page](https://www.richmondhill.ca/en/living-here/Fence-Bylaw.aspx) allows fences up to 1.8 m (6 ft) in back and side yards, and up to 1.2 m (4 ft) in front yards. Corner lots have their own provisions, and the City asks owners to call By-law and Licensing Enforcement before building one there. Our [fence height rules guide](https://hotivlandscaping.ca/guides/fence-rules-markham-toronto/) compares the neighbouring cities.

### Watering

From June 15 to September 30, Richmond Hill's [watering rules](https://www.richmondhill.ca/en/learn-more/Trees-and-Yards-Lawn-Watering-Restrictions.aspx) allow lawn watering on odd days for odd-numbered houses and even days for even-numbered ones. You can water between midnight and 6 a.m. or between 7 and 10 p.m., for up to four hours.

Newly laid grass can be watered any time, on any day, for one month. After that, new [sod](https://hotivlandscaping.ca/services/sod-installation/) is on the same schedule as everyone else, so plan its later waterings around your allowed days. See [how often to water new sod](https://hotivlandscaping.ca/guides/new-sod-watering-care/).

### Grass length

The City's [grass and weed by-law](https://www.richmondhill.ca/en/living-here/Grass-and-Weed-Bylaw.aspx) caps grass and weeds at 20 cm, all year, and homeowners look after the boulevard beside their property. Wildflower gardens are exempt as long as they're clearly separated from the lawn.

For everyday mowing, the City's [lawn care advice](https://www.richmondhill.ca/en/learn-more/Trees-and-Yards-Pesticides-and-Lawn-Care.aspx) is a blade height of 8 cm with the clippings left on the lawn. If you'd rather not keep up with it yourself, see [lawn mowing and lawn care](https://hotivlandscaping.ca/services/lawn-care/).

## How do I get a landscaping quote in Richmond Hill?

Text your street or postal code and a couple of photos [to us](sms:+14376842535?&body=Hi%20Hotiv%2C%20I%27d%20like%20a%20quote.%20Here%20are%20some%20photos%20of%20the%20area%3A) at [(437) 684-2535](tel:+14376842535), or fill in the form below, and we'll come out and quote it for free.

If the job is a new bed, edging or a driveway base within a few metres of a tree 15 cm or more across, say so in the message, since that can be a permit question here before it's a landscaping one. The same goes for an oak that needs pruning: that work waits for November. For published rates before you call, see [landscaping costs in Markham and Ontario](https://hotivlandscaping.ca/guides/landscaping-costs-markham/).

On the edges of the city we also work in [Markham](https://hotivlandscaping.ca/areas/markham/), [Thornhill](https://hotivlandscaping.ca/areas/thornhill/), [Vaughan](https://hotivlandscaping.ca/areas/vaughan/) and [Stouffville](https://hotivlandscaping.ca/areas/stouffville/).

## Neighbourhoods in Richmond Hill we work in

We also work in Doncrest, Hillsview, Elgin Mills, Westbrook, Rouge Woods, Devonsleigh.

### Oak Ridges and Lake Wilcox

Oak Ridges is the north end of the city, between Bloomington Road and the main part of Richmond Hill just south of Lake Wilcox, with Yonge Street running through the middle. It sits entirely on the Oak Ridges Moraine, and most of it is hilly ground above 300 m. Houses went up around Lake Wilcox from the 1950s, and the subdivisions to the northwest and southwest followed from the mid-1980s to the early 2000s. Sloped lots are common here, so these yards tend to need walkways with steps, garden beds that hold their mulch and soil in place, and heavy fall cleanups under mature trees.

### Jefferson

Jefferson is roughly bounded by Gamble Road to the south, Bathurst Street to the west and Bayview Avenue to the east, and people only started moving into its new housing in 2007. That makes it one of the newer parts of the city, with most homes under 20 years old. On lots this age the work leans towards finishing a yard rather than fixing one: new garden beds, patching sod that never rooted well, and cleaning and resanding driveways before weeds get established.

### Bayview Hill

Bayview Hill sits northeast of Bayview Avenue and 16th Avenue, and it was built in the early 1990s with large homes. Where the original driveways, walkways and hedges haven't been redone, they're now more than 30 years old. Interlock driveways that have started to dip at the garage or along the edges, joints that have lost their sand, and tall cedar hedges that need to be brought back under control are the kind of work houses this age tend to need.

### Mill Pond

Mill Pond is a park in the middle of the city with heritage homes around it. The pond once powered a sawmill in the 1800s. Many of the older houses here have big, mature trees, so leaf cleanups are heavy, shade-tolerant planting works better than sun-loving beds, and anything near a large trunk has to respect the City's tree protection rules described below.

### Richvale

Richvale covers two residential pockets in the southwest corner of the city, split by Carrville Road and bounded by Yonge Street and Bathurst Street, with Hillcrest Mall as its shopping hub. It sits on the Vaughan line, a short drive from Thornhill. Interlock repair and resanding, deck and fence refinishing, and regular lawn care are the jobs we expect to see most on these lots.

## Postal codes in Richmond Hill

Richmond Hill addresses have postal codes starting with one of these:

- L4B: southeast Richmond Hill
- L4C: southwest Richmond Hill
- L4E: Oak Ridges and Lake Wilcox
- L4S: central Richmond Hill
- L0H 1G0: Gormley (shared with Stouffville)

## What we do most in Richmond Hill

- [Interlock repair & paver leveling](https://hotivlandscaping.ca/services/interlock-repair/)
- [Polymeric sand & weed removal](https://hotivlandscaping.ca/services/polymeric-sand-installation/)
- [Interlock installation](https://hotivlandscaping.ca/services/interlock-installation/)
- [Spring & fall cleanups](https://hotivlandscaping.ca/services/seasonal-cleanup/)
- [Hedge & bush trimming](https://hotivlandscaping.ca/services/hedge-trimming/)
- [Sod installation & lawn repair](https://hotivlandscaping.ca/services/sod-installation/)
- [Lawn mowing & lawn care](https://hotivlandscaping.ca/services/lawn-care/)

## Questions from Richmond Hill homeowners

### Do I need a permit to cut down a tree in Richmond Hill?

Yes, if the trunk is 15 cm or more across, measured 1.4 m above the ground. Richmond Hill's Tree Preservation By-law also treats removing more than 20% of a tree's live tissue within 12 months, or digging inside its protection zone, as injury that needs a permit. The City lists the application fee as $314 plus HST for the first tree.

### When does Richmond Hill pick up leaves in the fall?

For 2026, yard waste goes out every other week on your garbage day from April 14 to October 9, then weekly from October 13 to December 11. Use kraft paper bags or open rigid containers with the yellow yard waste sticker, keep each one under 18 kg, and don't rake leaves onto the road.

### Can I water new sod during Richmond Hill's watering restrictions?

Yes, for a while. From June 15 to September 30 the City limits lawn watering to odd or even days to match your address, between midnight and 6 a.m. or 7 and 10 p.m., up to four hours. Newly laid grass can be watered any time on any day for one month. During a total water use ban, there's no outdoor watering at all.

### How wide can my driveway be in Richmond Hill?

The City sets the maximum by lot width: 3 m on a lot under 9 m wide, 6 m on lots from 9 m to under 18 m, and 9 m on lots from 18 m to under 30 m. At least 45% of the front yard has to stay landscaped, and the City counts interlock and patio stones toward that, as well as planting.

### How high can a fence be in Richmond Hill?

The City's fence page allows up to 1.2 m (4 ft) in the front yard and up to 1.8 m (6 ft) in the back and side yards. Corner lots have their own provisions, so the City asks you to call By-law and Licensing Enforcement before building one there. Pool enclosures follow separate rules.

### When should oak trees be pruned in Richmond Hill?

Not between April 1 and October 31. The City's oak wilt page asks residents to leave oaks alone during the growing season, because fresh cuts can let the disease in. If a branch has to come off in that window, the City says to put a thin layer of wound paint on the cut right away.

### Do you work in Oak Ridges and the north end of Richmond Hill?

Richmond Hill is one of the areas we work in from our base in Markham, Oak Ridges and Lake Wilcox included. Postal codes up there start with L4E, and the rest of the city is L4B, L4C and L4S. If you're not sure we get to your street, use the postal code check on this page or text (437) 684-2535.

## Sources

1. [City of Richmond Hill: Yard waste](https://www.richmondhill.ca/en/living-here/Yard-Waste.aspx)
2. [City of Richmond Hill: Tree cutting permit (Tree Preservation By-law)](https://www.richmondhill.ca/en/learn-more/Tree-Cutting-Permit.aspx)
3. [City of Richmond Hill: Oak wilt](https://www.richmondhill.ca/en/oak-wilt.aspx)
4. [City of Richmond Hill: Fence by-law](https://www.richmondhill.ca/en/living-here/Fence-Bylaw.aspx)
5. [City of Richmond Hill: Lawn watering restrictions](https://www.richmondhill.ca/en/learn-more/Trees-and-Yards-Lawn-Watering-Restrictions.aspx)
6. [City of Richmond Hill: Front yard parking and driveway widths](https://www.richmondhill.ca/en/learn-more/Parking-Front-Yard-Parking.aspx)
7. [City of Richmond Hill: Grass and weed by-law](https://www.richmondhill.ca/en/living-here/Grass-and-Weed-Bylaw.aspx)
8. [City of Richmond Hill: Pesticides and lawn care](https://www.richmondhill.ca/en/learn-more/Trees-and-Yards-Pesticides-and-Lawn-Care.aspx)
9. [Government of Ontario: Oak Ridges Moraine](https://www.ontario.ca/page/oak-ridges-moraine)
10. [Wikipedia: Richmond Hill, Ontario](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richmond_Hill,_Ontario)
11. [City of Markham: Tree permit application](https://www.markham.ca/neighbourhood-services/trees/tree-permit-application)
12. [Wikipedia: Oak Ridges Moraine](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oak_Ridges_Moraine)
13. [Wikipedia: Oak Ridges, Ontario](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oak_Ridges,_Ontario)
14. [Landscape Ontario: 2022 charge out rate survey (April 2022)](https://landscapeontario.com/2022-charge-out-rate-survey)
15. [City of Richmond Hill: Mill Pond Park](https://www.richmondhill.ca/en/things-to-do/Mill-Pond-Park.aspx)
16. [Wikipedia: List of postal codes of Canada: L](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_postal_codes_of_Canada:_L)
17. [Wikipedia: List of postal codes of Canada: M](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_postal_codes_of_Canada:_M)
18. [Canada Post: Find a postal code](https://www.canadapost-postescanada.ca/cpc/en/tools/find-a-postal-code.page)