Driveways and Curbs

Driveways

Consider the following before making changes to your driveway:

• Parking must be on private property, not the boulevard, per the Boulevard By-law
• The parking space size for a house is: 5.75 m x 2.75 m. 
• Driveways cannot be more than 50% of your front yard area to maintain a 50% landscaped area
• They must be 1 m away from any above ground utilities
• Forestry Services will inspect and assess any request that is within 2 m of OR within the dripline of a City tree (The drip line is defined as the area beneath a tree's outer most branch tips)
• The City requires at least 10 business days to review the application for access to property/curb cut request once submitted
• All applications require a site visit before approval. The City will contact the applicant if any issues prevent the approval of an application
• Curb Cut reviews can occur between April 1 and November 30. Applications received outside these dates will kept until the following season. Applications submitted close to the end of the season may be deferred at the City's discretion
• Please note that the City is not responsible for curb cut requests within a Regional Road allowance. It is the applicant's responsibility to verify the road jurisdiction before submitting a request
• A third party contractor performs the curb cuts, and the City cannot guarantee timelines
• For inspection to proceed, the location of the proposed curb cut must be clearly staked or marked and visible for inspection
• Curb cuts use a horizontal curb cutting machine to provide an even and uniform cut through the entire thickness; however, 100% matching with the existing depressed curb is not guaranteed
• Under the Site Alteration by-law the elevation of the land within 0.6 m of the property line must not be changed unless approved under a Site Alteration Permit. There can be no change in the location, direction or elevation of any swale or ditch used to drain land. Visit our Landscaping and Grading webpage for more information regarding the grading and drainage of your property
• Driveways must meet all requirements set out in the Zoning By-law

If repaving your driveway and you have questions about of the curb or sidewalk in front of your driveway, contact Service Oshawa. City staff will assess the condition of the curb to determine if it requires replacement.

Approvals required for changes to driveways

You must contact Service Oshawa when:

• your driveway will be within 2m of or within the dripline of a City tree. They will request Forestry Services to inspect your proposed driveway widening
• your driveway widening requires the Curb to be Cut.  You must make a Curb Cut request to obtain an Access to Property Permit. 
• When your driveway will be more than 50% of your front yard area 
• Once the curb cut is approved, Road Operations will send confirmation by email to the email address provided. The email will include details, such as the length of the approved curb cut, the costs, and a link for payment processing.
• Once payment is received, Road Operations will notify the curb cut contractor to proceed with curb cutting.

You must apply for a Site Alteration Permit through Engineering Services when:

• the elevation of the land within 0.6m of the property line is to be changed.  This includes changes in the location, direction or elevation of any swale or ditch used to drain land. For more information you can review our Site Alteration by-law or visit our Landscaping and Grading webpage for more information regarding the grading and drainage of your property

If none of the above approvals apply, you can proceed with your driveway widening while maintaining the Driveway requirements listed above in the Driveway section.

 Curbs and curb cuts

The City of Oshawa regulates curb cuts, which are breaks in the curb to allow you to widen the driveway. Contact Service Oshawa to request a curb cut adjacent to your property. If the request is approved, you must get a permit and pay a fee at Service Oshawa. Once complete, we will send a contractor to cut the curb.

• All Curb Cut requests require a site visit before approval. The City will contact the applicant if any issues prevent the approval of an application
• Curb Cut reviews can occur between April 1 and November 30. Applications received outside these dates will kept until the following season. Applications submitted close to the end of the season may be deferred at the City's discretion
• Please note that the City is not responsible for curb cut requests within a Regional Road allowance. It is the applicant's responsibility to verify the road jurisdiction before submitting a request
• For inspection to proceed, the location of the proposed curb cut must be clearly staked or marked and visible for inspection
• Curb cuts use a horizontal curb cutting machine to provide an even and uniform cut through the entire thickness; however, 100% matching with the existing depressed curb is not guaranteed

Curb cut fees

Note: Additional costs may be associated with any required modifications, such as relocation of signs, poles, or utility plants and maintenance hole adjustments.