Development Engineering Permit Application Process

Before starting a development engineering permit application, all applicants should understand the requirements.

Development Engineering activities will either be related to projects on private property or the municipal right of way. 

Are you a returning applicant that is familiar with this process? Skip the instructions and start your application now

If you are a new applicant, or need a reminder about the application process, please review the information below.

Confirm that you need a permit

Development Engineering Permits are required for:

Private property projects

  • Site alteration - pools, landscaping, patios/hardscaping, retaining walls, all teardown rebuilds and additions (for work outside building foot print)
  • Site alteration – commercial, subdivision, site plan, condos
  • Pool enclosures – new or retrofit
  • Private tree protection/removal
Site alterations

A permit is required when moving earth for a residential rebuild, pool, landscaping, additions, commercial development, site plan, condominium, and subdivision. This activity includes:

  • the placing or dumping of fill
  • the removal of topsoil and the alteration of the grade of land on all properties in Oakville

You may be exempt from a permit if your work falls into any of the by-law, schedule “B” exemption categories.

If site plan approval (commercial or industrial property) is being applied for or has been issued, earth moving and/or clearing and grubbing permits will not be issued. If a developer wish to start any works prior to site plan approval, under extenuating circumstances, a site alteration permit may be assessed on a site-by-site basis.

If a subdivision developer wishes to clear, grub and site alter, they may apply for a permit after draft plan approval, prior to pre-servicing or registration.

Pool enclosures

All pools require a secure pool enclosure as per the Pool Enclosure By-law. 

If you are planning to install a pool, you require a permit to construct the enclosure. An enclosure (fencing, wall, adjacent building or combination) must meet by-law standards.

The Pool Enclosure By-law defines a pool as any body of water, which is:

  • located outdoors on private property
  • entirely or partially contained by artificial means
  • capable of holding water in excess of 0.61 metres (two feet) in depth at any point
  • Swimming Pool Enclosure booklet (pdf)
Private tree protection or removals

Any work being done on private property that may result in private trees being potentially impacted, damaged or removed requires a permit. 

If any removals are proposed along with earth moving or pools, please indicate so on the Engineering Permit Application.

For more information, please visit the Private Tree Protection page.

Lot grading certification and security releases

Where earth moving activities (like site alterations or pool installations, for example) take place on private property, a Lot Grading Certification is required to be submitted upon completion of the work. 

The certificate indicates that, a Professional Engineer, an Ontario Land Surveyor or a Landscape Architect, has been on site within the past 30 days of the dated certificate, reviewed the work carried out, and confirmed that it meets the design of the approved plan.

In order for the Transportation and Engineering Department to release the permit security, a Lot Grading Certificate and an approved Final Inspection are required. 

A final inspection can be requested by submitting the Lot Grading Certificate to service@oakville.ca. Your request will be forwarded to the Transportation and Engineering department to schedule for an inspection.

Grading and drainage on your property

As a property owner, you are responsible for maintaining your property’s grading and surface drainage. 

Visit the Property Drainage & Grading page for more information.

Development Engineering Permits are required for:

Municipal right-of-way projects

  • Excavation - utility road cuts, service connection road cuts, and boreholes
  • Residential driveway (curb modification) - new and modification
  • Commercial/multi-residential driveway (curb modification) – multiple residential & non-residential new and modification
  • Minor temporary street occupation - bins, rubber tired equipment, materials, and licensed vehicles within the BIA only
  • Major temporary street occupation for cranes, tracked equipment, hoarding, shoring, and lane closure
  • Municipal tree protection/removal

"Municipal right of way" means land owned by The Corporation of the Town of Oakville as:

  • opened or unopened road allowances for the purposes of operating a public highway under the Municipal Act, 2001
  • a public walkway
  • municipal services (such as a public parking lot listed with the Parking Lot By-law)
  • public utilities

The municipal right of way does not include town lands owned or operated as parkland, creeks and watercourse, and related public trail systems.

Town property is all lands that extend from your front property line to the front property line of the home on the other side of the street.

Excavation (road cuts)

This type of work is associated with constructing or replacing storm sewers, sanitary sewers and watermain, and the respective connections from these services to private property. Additionally, work carried out by utility companies (Bell, Cogeco, Hydro, etc.) to construct or replace their facilities and services. An excavation permit is required for service connection installation (road cuts) within the town’s road allowance.

Excavation of any boulevard, shoulder, ditch and sidewalk is also covered under this permit activity. A Municipal Tree Protection/Removal Permit would also be required.

In addition to your DENG permit, an excavation/road cut project may require a Municipal Right of Way permit. 

To improve the quality of work, longevity of town roads, and public safety, changes in the permitting process have been implemented. Changes include: 

Contractor responsibilities:

  • Apply for the development engineering permit (road cut activity only), using the town’s online services portal by creating an account
  • Provide the required securities. Once the work is complete and has passed final inspection, any remaining securities will be returned to the contractor that provided the securities
  • Provide the town with 48-hour notice before the work begins by contacting Service Oakville
  • Submit an inspection request 

Road cut inspections can take place when the work is complete, even if the other permitted work on the private property is still underway.

Driveway work

If you are going to be doing work on your driveway within the town’s property, a Driveway Permit will be required. Please review the Driveway Permits Procedure. A Municipal Tree Protection/Removal Permit is also required.

Driveway work includes the following activities:

  • Constructing a new driveway entrance onto a town roadway, with or without a culvert or requiring a curb cut/fill
  • Altering an existing driveway (widening)
  • Constructing driveway curbs or headwalls on the road allowance
  • Constructing a second driveway to permit a circular driveway
  • Repaving or changing the hard surface, without doing any of the above works does not require a permit.

Driveway work on private property is regulated by the town's Zoning By-law.

Temporary Street Occupation (TSO) – minor and major

If you would like to occupy the Town’s right of way (the road, sidewalk, boulevard, shoulder or ditch) for a short period of time, we call this activity temporary street occupation (TSO).

  • A Minor TSO will allow you to temporarily store (bins, equipment, trailers, etc.) and temporarily place materials (landscape stone, sand, gravel, etc.) on the right of way. A Municipal Tree Protection/Removal Permit is also required.
  • A Major TSO will allow for temporarily occupying municipal lands for cranes, fixed/mobile tracked equipment, hoarding and shoring. Lane and road closures will also require a Major TSO.
Municipal tree protection and/or removal

Any work being done on municipal right of way that may result in either municipal trees being potentially impacted, damaged or removed requires tree protection and a permit from Parks Forestry and an arborist report.

For more information, please visit the Private Tree Protection page.

Unauthorized private use of municipal boulevards, public roads and encroachments

The town's Use of Municipal Right of Ways and Municipal Parking Lots policy and related procedures, and the Municipal Right of Way By-law, indicates that owners or tenants with a property that abuts public road allowances are prohibited from:

  • Constructing parking lots, walls, fences, gate posts, light posts, signs, planter boxes and sprinkler systems
  • Placing large rocks, berms and contoured landscaping
  • Planting hedges, bushes and trees
  • Filling in municipal roadside ditches
  • Installing heating elements within the apron portion (town portion) of a driveway

If you have a residential development that is 10 units or less, please submit your Building Permit Application to the Building Services department.  

If you have a residential development of more than 10 units, please submit your Planning and Development Application to the Planning department.

Understand the requirements

Review any related by-laws that are relevant to your project before preparing your application

Common by-laws relevant to DENG permit applications include:

Check your zoning

Before you start a new project, check the zoning of your property to find out if there are any restrictions on what you can build.

Building Code and Oakville Zoning By-law

Find out if you need additional approvals.

Depending on the type of project you’re working on and where your property is located, you may need other approvals before your building permit can be issued.

Review and complete the Applicable Law Form to indicate which additional approvals may be required for your project. Save this form and be sure to upload it as a supporting document during the application process.

Online application process

Confirm that your project requires a development engineering permit.

Download and review the applications, forms and guidelines related to your project. To avoid delays, ensure you have all the required information and documents for your permit application. 

Review all relevant by-laws related to your project and check your zoning.

Help us process your application faster by following the document submission standards

These standards allow for easy identification of drawings using naming conventions and vector file types for most efficient review.

  • Organize drawings and documents as separate files. Each document file can contain multiple pages like site plan drawings.
  • Orient drawings in landscape. Orient forms and documents in portrait.
  • Save all files in Vector PDF format, unlocked/editable, greyscale, flattened into a single layer and free of comments. Tip: To convert drawings created in AutoCAD to vector PDF, use Autodesk Vector Graphic Converter “DWG to PDF.pc3 plotter”.
  • Submit searchable PDF files for calculations, reports and other supporting documents (non-drawing files), when possible.
  • If including scanned documents, resolution of 1-bit black-and-white 300 dpi is usually acceptable. For plans and drawings with fine lines and detail, 600 dpi resolution is required. Full-colour renderings and photos may be submitted, but only as supplements to a sufficient set of plans. Grayscale is preferred.
  • Naming conventions: Please name your files according to the standardized naming conventions (pdf).  
  • Resubmissions: In the event you are requested to resubmit materials, please provide the documents requested only. Please do not resubmit the entire application package at this time, unless otherwise requested to do so.

Remember to have drawings, schedules and general review forms signed and dated by the appropriate designers. Make sure drawings are ready for review and are free of markings such as “not for construction”, “for reference only” or “preliminary”

Submitting your application online

Follow these steps or watch our How to Apply for a new Development Engineering Application video on YouTube.

If you are applying for a permit on behalf of the property owner, please fill out an Authorization of Property Owner form (pdf). You will need to upload it during the application submission.

To submit a new Development Engineering Permit application;

  1. Sign into your town account on our online services and visit the Planning & Construction page.
  2. Select “Development Engineering Permit” to start your permit application.
  3. On the “My Development Engineering Permits and Applications” page, select the “Add new permit/application” button.
  4. Provide a description of the proposed work.
  5. Search and select the property address for the proposed work.
  6. Choose the activities you are planning on conducting and answer all the required questions based on the activities you have selected.
  7. Provide the required project contact information.
  8. Upload the required permit application documents.
  9. Submit your application for pre-screening.

Start your DENG Permit Application

If your application is missing information, you will be notified by email. Once we have all required information, you will be notified what fees are to be paid online. 

Your application will be pre-screened to ensure all required information has been provided.

  • If the criteria has been met, the application will be accepted.
  • If information is insufficient or missing, you will be notified of the missing requirements that you will need to provide. To avoid delays, ensure all documentation meets the requirements and reapply as soon as possible.
  • Once we have all of the required information, you will be notified by email what fees are to be paid online.

After payment, depending upon the complexity of the application, your application will be circulated for technical review and approvals which may take six to eight weeks.

When fees and securities are owed, you will be notified via email with the amount owed and instructions on how to pay them. Applications will not be reviewed if there are any fees outstanding.

All application fees (up to $10,000) will now be paid online by:

  1. Sign into your town account, access the “My Development Engineering Permits and Applications” page and select the “Pay Fees” button beside the applicable permit application.
  2. Select the “Pay Selected Fees” button and pay your fees using your credit card.
  3. To access a copy of your receipt, select the “Application Documents” tab.

Application fees and securities over $10,000 can be paid by:

  • e-Transfer to devengrequests@oakville.ca, which is an automatically depositing email (Note: do not use security questions or passwords). For e-transfers the maximum daily limit is $10,000. (Multiple daily transfers are acceptable.)
  • Electronic Funds Transfer (EFT) to accountsreceivable@oakville.ca.
  • Securities may also be paid by Certified Cheque or Bank Draft, which should be mailed to “The Town of Oakville, 1225 Trafalgar Road, Oakville ON  L6H 0H3”, or dropped off in the secure drop box at town hall “Attention: Development Engineering”.  Please ensure you write the name and address of the payee on the front of the cheque. 
  • Securities can not be paid by credit card.

Wire transfer payments are not a preferred payment method and are subject to additional fees which may cause permit processing delays.

Once payment is received, your application will progress through a series of mandatory reviews. 

Once all examinations are complete and mandatory requirements are satisfied, your application will be approved.

Upon completion of your project, a request for inspection may be submitted using our online services.   

Follow these steps or watch our How to Request and Inspection for your Development Engineering Application video on YouTube.

Grading inspections cannot take place if the ground is snow covered and tree inspections cannot be completed until trees are in full leave (approximately May to October).

  1. To request an inspection for an already issued Development Engineering Permit, select the “Activity” button beside the applicable permit.
  2. Select the “Inspections” tab and select the applicable inspection type you wish to request.
  3. Upload the required inspection documents. A final Lot Grading Certification is required from the site surveyor to verify they have been on site within the past 30 days of the dated letter, and that the works have been carried out in accordance with the plan. Site photos must be included with submission of the LGC. Review some Lot Grading Certificate samples (pdf)
  4. Provide any special instructions to the inspector(s).
  5. Your inspection request has now been provided. Grading inspections cannot take place if the ground is snow covered and tree inspections cannot be completed until trees are in full leave (approximately May to October).
  6. Once your inspection has taken place, you will be notified via email of the results. If the result of the inspection is “Not Passed”, you will need to address any deficiencies noted in the email provided and then request a new inspection following the steps provided above.
  7. Forestry inspections will automatically be scheduled after the grading inspection has been passed. These inspections occur while the trees are in leaf (May to October).

Application fees include a maximum of two inspection visits. Additional inspection fees will be charged after the two failed inspections.

Securities collected on the permit will only be released once all required inspections have passed.

Final inspection and release of securities

Final inspections are required prior to releasing site securities and are intended to confirm that work has been carried out in accordance with the approved plan.

  • Securities are collected prior to issuance of approval. 
  • Upon completion of your project, a request for inspection may be submitted using the online services.   
  • Prior to requesting a final inspection, a final Lot Grading Certification and Stormwater Certification (pdf) is required from the site surveyor to verify they have been on site within the past 30 days of the dated letter, and that the works have been carried out in accordance with the plan. Site photos must be included with submission of the LGC.
  • Application fees include a maximum of two inspection visits. Additional inspection fees will be charged after the two failed inspections.
Securities forms and guides

Sign in to Online Services

Start your development engineering permit application

Sign in to begin

Adjusting your application

If, during your permit application circulation, it is deemed that more information is required you will be notified via email. A letter will outline the additional information or documents that are required to be resubmitted and instructions on how to submit them using online services. 

Follow these steps or watch our How to Complete a Resubmission for Your Development Engineering Permit Application video on YouTube.

  1. Sign into your town account and access the My Development Engineering Permits and Applications page. Select the “Re-submit” button beside the applicable permit application.
  2. Select and upload the document(s) that is required to be re-submitted. Once you upload all required documents, select “Continue” to proceed to submit your application for circulation again.

If you need to revise an approved permit or if you wish to add any new activities to an already approved permit, you can do so by using the Town of Oakville online services.

Follow these steps or watch our How to Request a Revision Development Engineering Permit video on YouTube.

  1. To request a revision to an already issued Development Engineering Permit, select the “Activity” button beside the applicable permit.
  2. Select the “Revision or Add New Activity” button.
  3. Select the type of activity you are revising or select any new activities you wish to add to the already issued permit.
  4. Answer all the required questions based on the activities you have selected.
  5. Upload the required permit application documents.
  6. Once all application documents have been unloaded, proceed to submit your revision application to the town for pre-screening.

If you need to renew you permit to provide more time to complete the approved work, you can apply for a permit renewal by using the online services.

Follow these steps or watch our How to Renew Your Development Engineering Permit video on YouTube.

  1. To request a renewal to an already issued Development Engineering Permit, select the “Activity” button beside the applicable permit.
  2. Select the “Renew” button.
  3. Proceed to submit your renewal application to the town. Once your renewal application is accepted, you will receive an email notifying you of fees owing.

If you submitted permit application or you have an approved permit prior to the launch of our online application system, you can access the permit by creating a Town of Oakville account.

  1. Go to the Online Services page and select "Sign in or Create an Account" from the list of options.
  2. Click “Create account”. Please note: If you have ever used our report a problem tool, you may already have an account and will be notified if an email match exists.
  3. Complete all of the required fields. When you are done, select “Create an account”. 
    • When creating your account, use the same email that was submitted with your permit application.
  4. You will receive a message directing you to check the email used to create your account, where you should get a link to create your password. You must complete this step within 24 hours to activate your account.
  5. Check your email and click the link to create your password.
  6. Once you have created your password, you will be redirected to the Town of Oakville online services page. You should already be signed into your account.

If you created an account and you do not see the permit on your “My Development Engineering Permits and Applications" page, contact service@oakville.ca or 905-845-6601.

Video guides

Contact

ServiceOakville
905-845-6601

service@oakville.ca

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Other types of applications

If a road corridor permit isn't what you need for your planned work, you might be interested in one of our other application types:

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