Driveways and Curbs

Winter is here! Due to snow cover and cold temperatures, curb cuts will not be inspected or completed during the winter season (December 1 to March 31). Thank you for your cooperation.

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 minimum length of a parking space is 5.75 m
• Driveways cannot be more than 50% of the front yard area to maintain a 50% landscaped area
• Must be 1 m away from any above ground utilities or boulevard trees

• 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
  

Curbs and Curb cuts

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.

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.

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

Application for Access to Property

Once the curb cut is approved, Road Operations will send a 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 and when the minimum number of metres of curb to be cut has been accumulated, Road Operations will notify the curb cut contractor to proceed with curb cutting.

Learn about parking for accessory apartments 

New Subdivision Homeowners - Driveway Widening and Curb Cuts

If the City has not assumed your subdivision, the curbs are still under the developer's responsibility. You must contact the developer through your builder and get written consent to widen your driveway and curb cut. Once consent is obtained contact Service Oshawa for more information on how to start a request.