Landscaping and interlock work in Vaughan, Ontario

Landscaping in Vaughan covers a wide spread of homes. Old Woodbridge and Glen Shields were built mostly in the 1960s to 1980s. Maple and Vellore are largely 1990s and 2000s subdivisions, and Kleinburg has estate lots with long driveways. A lot of the work people ask for here is interlock, and in Vaughan that comes with a few City steps that are easy to miss.

Vaughan yard rules at a glance

These are the numbers that come up most on driveway, fence, tree and sod jobs. Each one is explained further down, with a link to the City, York Region or TRCA page it comes from.

What do you need to do before digging up a Vaughan driveway?

Call Service Vaughan at least two weeks ahead for a curb box inspection, and book a utility locate if you’re excavating. The curb box is the shut-off valve for a home’s water service. It can sit under the driveway or elsewhere in the front yard.

The City’s curb cuts and driveway widening page says anyone paving, resurfacing, excavating or landscaping a driveway or front lawn must never touch or cover it. It asks homeowners to do two things first:

1. If you’re excavating, have the utility lines located. The City’s page still names Ontario One Call (1-800-400-2255), which now operates as Ontario Dig Authority. The City points out that this is the law in Ontario.
2. At least two weeks before work starts, call Service Vaughan at 905-832-2281 to request an inspection. A water operator comes out and marks any curb boxes under the driveway or yard.

The inspection request has to come from the property owner. The City says a contractor isn’t authorized to make it, and if contractors damage a curb box, the City repairs it and bills the owner.

So if you’re planning a new interlock driveway, or an interlock repair big enough to lift pavers and the base, make that call as soon as you’ve decided to go ahead. It’s the one step we can’t do for you.

Widening the driveway

A wider driveway or a new curb cut goes through Vaughan’s curb cut and driveway widening application. The City asks for a copy of your property survey showing the existing width and the addition, a tree declaration form if the work comes within 6 m of a tree, and a letter from the developer.

It takes about four weeks to process, so leave room for that before booking the install. Our guide to interlock driveway costs in the GTA covers what drives the price of the job itself.

Trees near the driveway

Vaughan’s Tree Protection By-law covers injuring a tree as well as cutting it down. The City has a construction permit for tree removal or injury tied to changing a driveway or walkway, adding a pool or building an addition. If a mature tree stands close to where a new base would be dug, settle the tree question before the excavator arrives.

Do you need a TRCA permit for a yard on the Humber?

You might, if your lot is inside a Toronto and Region Conservation Authority regulated area. The Humber River runs through Woodbridge and Kleinburg, and plenty of lots there back onto valley land.

TRCA says a permit is needed for filling, changing grade or building anything on a property within a regulated area, and those areas take in river and stream valleys. Its definition of development includes site grading and placing or removing material.

Bringing in fill to level a sloping backyard, or building a raised patio near the top of a slope, is the kind of work to check first. TRCA’s Regulated Area Search gives a general answer for your address, and its planners can confirm it.

What landscaping do older and newer Vaughan yards need?

Older yards mostly need interlock repair and refinishing, and newer ones need lawn and garden work. In old Woodbridge and Glen Shields the problems come with age: driveways that dip at the garage or along the edges, joints washed out and full of weeds, walkways settling next to the house, and fences gone grey.

Most of that can be fixed without tearing everything out. Sunken sections can be lifted and relaid (our guide on why interlock sinks explains how), and washed-out joints get polymeric sand and weed removal. Faded pavers respond to interlock cleaning and sealing, and grey boards to fence painting and staining.

In newer parts of Maple, Vellore and New Kleinburg, the lawn is often still the one the builder laid, and front beds can start out close to bare. These yards usually need sod repair or new sod and planted, mulched garden beds first. Fresh interlock there mainly needs keeping clean and well sanded, which our polymeric sand guide covers.

Vaughan rules for yard work

These are summarized from the City of Vaughan, York Region and TRCA pages linked here. Those pages are the final word, and they do change.

Leaf and yard waste

Vaughan collects leaf and yard waste weekly in season, starting in late April. Check the City’s collection schedule for your zone’s dates, including the last fall pickup. The City is specific about containers:

Set it out no earlier than 6 p.m. the night before and no later than 7 a.m. on collection day. Keep the bags dry, since overweight or broken bags can’t be collected. Grass clippings are better left on the lawn.

The City also says companies hired for lawn care must be told these rules. If you book a fall cleanup, tell us your collection day so the timing works with it. Our fall cleanup checklist lists what to get done before winter.

Trees

Under Vaughan’s Tree Protection By-law 177-2025, removing or injuring a tree 20 cm in diameter or more needs a permit. Every permit type needs an arborist report except the one for dead, hazardous and Emerald Ash Borer-infected trees. The arborist can apply on your behalf with your written consent.

A forestry inspector visits the site before a permit is issued, and the City gives 30 business days as its standard initial response time.

Fences and pools

Vaughan’s Fence By-law 189-2020 sets heights by location. On a house lot, a fence in the front yard within 2.4 m of the street can be 1.2 m tall. Most side and rear yard fences can be 2.0 m, a little more than the 1.8 m allowed in Markham.

A hedge that acts as a fence in the front yard within 2.4 m of the street is held to 1.2 m too, and corner lots can’t block the sight triangle at the intersection. A pool needs a swimming pool enclosure permit before any digging. The enclosure must be at least 1.22 m high, with self-closing, self-latching gates. Our guide to fence rules covers Markham and Toronto for comparison.

Watering

York Region lists Vaughan’s outdoor water-use by-law as running from May 15 to September 30. Homes can water on odd or even days to match the house number, in the 6 to 9 a.m. and 6 to 9 p.m. windows.

New sod and seed get a one-month grace period. That’s half of Markham’s two months, so keep an eye on a late-spring sod job once the month is up. Our guide on watering new sod explains how much it needs.

Heritage districts

Vaughan has four heritage conservation districts under the Ontario Heritage Act: Kleinburg-Nashville, Maple, Thornhill and Woodbridge. The City says designation covers the whole property, landscape included, and work that changes a property’s appearance needs a heritage permit.

Each district has its own guidelines, fencing among them, though general maintenance and repairs usually don’t need a heritage review. If your home is in one of these districts, talk to the City’s cultural heritage staff before booking a new driveway, front walk or fence.

Getting a landscaping quote in Vaughan

Vaughan is a longer drive from Markham than Thornhill or Richmond Hill, so the quickest start is to text us a few photos with your street or postal code at (437) 684-2535, or use the form below. We’ll arrange a visit and give you a free quote.

For a driveway job, call Service Vaughan about the curb box inspection the same week you ask for quotes. It needs two weeks’ notice and has to come from you as the owner, so it’s usually the step that sets the start date. On the Vaughan side of Thornhill, our Thornhill page covers the rules on both sides of Yonge Street.

Sources

1. City of Vaughan: Curb cuts and driveway widening
2. City of Vaughan: Tree removal permits and protection
3. City of Vaughan: Fences
4. City of Vaughan: Leaf, yard and Christmas tree waste
5. City of Vaughan: Kleinburg-Nashville Heritage Conservation District
6. City of Vaughan: Heritage conservation districts
7. City of Markham: Fences and swimming pools
8. York Region: Outdoor water-use bylaws
9. Toronto and Region Conservation Authority: Apply for a permit
10. Toronto and Region Conservation Authority: Planning and permits (Regulated Area Search)
11. Wikipedia: Vaughan
12. Wikipedia: Woodbridge, Ontario
13. Wikipedia: Maple, Ontario
14. Wikipedia: Kleinburg
15. Wikipedia: Concord, Vaughan
16. Wikipedia: List of postal codes of Canada: L
17. Wikipedia: List of postal codes of Canada: M
18. Canada Post: Find a postal code