Catch Basin Installation in Toronto, ON | OCM Excavation
OCM Excavation installs precast concrete catch basins across Toronto to stop pooling in driveways, backyards, walkways, and around window wells. We excavate the pit, set a 24″x24″ or 30″x30″ basin on a Granular A base, and tie it to the city storm sewer or a private dry well with sloped PVC. Most Toronto residential installs run $2,500-6,500 depending on depth and tie-in distance. Call us at 416-317-3090 for a free site assessment.
What a Catch Basin Actually Does
A catch basin is an in-ground concrete chamber with a cast-iron grate at the top. Surface water flows through the grate, drops into a sump well at the bottom that captures sediment and leaf debris, then exits horizontally through a PVC discharge pipe to your storm sewer connection or a dry well. The sump well is what separates a real catch basin from a glorified drain — it traps the silt that would otherwise clog the line. For older Toronto homes in Bayview, Forest Hill, and ravine-adjacent neighbourhoods, the sump function matters because runoff carries a lot of organic material.
Four Common Toronto Catch Basin Applications
- Driveway low spot. Pooling in front of the garage, especially on the flatter lots near Yonge and Lawrence. Grate sits flush in asphalt or concrete, tied to the street storm sewer.
- Backyard pooling. Flat Toronto lots — common in older Forest Hill builds — where water sits for days after rain. Basin set at the low point in the lawn, tied through a side-yard trench to the street or to a rear-yard dry well.
- Patio and walkway drainage. A linear trench drain set across the hardscape to intercept sheet flow before it reaches the back door.
- Window well overflow. When March and November storm events overwhelm window well drainage, we set a catch basin upstream in the lawn to intercept runoff before it pools against the foundation.
Our Toronto Install Process
- Locate utilities through Ontario One Call and pull a permit if we’re tying into the municipal storm sewer.
- Excavate the basin pit with our Yanmar SV40 mini-excavator — typically 4-5 ft deep at the basin and 3 ft deep along the discharge trench for frost protection.
- Set the precast basin on a compacted Granular A base and connect the PVC discharge with at minimum 1% slope toward the outlet.
- Backfill with 3/4 clear stone around the basin, soil along the trench, restore the grade, and install the grate flush with the finished surface.
Toronto Cost Drivers
Three things move the price on a Toronto catch basin job. First, tie-in distance — every 10 ft of trench between the basin and the discharge point adds roughly $300-500 in labour and restoration. Second, discharge type: tying into the municipal storm sewer is the most expensive route because it needs a Toronto permit and inspection, a dry well on private property is mid-range and skips the city permit step, and a daylight swale is cheapest but only works on lots that already slope away from the house. Third, surface restoration — an asphalt patch typically runs $800-1,500, a concrete patch $1,200-2,500, and a lawn restoration $300-800.
Why Toronto Homeowners Call OCM
We have a high concentration of Toronto yard-drainage calls in March and November when freeze-thaw and heavy fall rain expose every bad grade in the city. Most of our Toronto catch basin installs wrap in 2-4 days from first dig to grate-set. We work clean, restore the surface to match, and provide written documentation of the tie-in for your records. For larger Toronto drainage problems, we often pair the basin with a French drain or a sump pump discharge line. Reach us at 416-317-3090 to walk the yard.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need a permit for a catch basin in Toronto?
You generally need a permit only when tying the discharge into the municipal storm sewer, since that involves a connection on city property. Dry wells and swales on private land typically don’t trigger a permit. We confirm the requirement with the city before excavation.
How long does a Toronto catch basin install take?
Most residential Toronto installs take 2-4 days. Day one is locates and excavation, day two is setting the basin and running the discharge, day three is backfill and surface prep, and day four is final restoration if asphalt or concrete is involved.
What size basin do I need?
A 24″x24″ precast basin handles most residential drainage areas — single driveways, side yards, small backyards. We step up to 30″x30″ when the catchment area is large, when multiple downspouts tie in, or when sediment loading is heavy from a treed lot.
Can you tie a catch basin to my sump pump line?
We don’t combine them on the same line — surface water and foundation water belong on separate discharges. We can run parallel lines in the same trench, which keeps excavation cost down while keeping each system independent and code-compliant.
Get a Free Toronto Catch Basin Quote
Walking your yard takes about 30 minutes and the quote is free. Call OCM Excavation at 416-317-3090 or visit our contact page. We also serve Richmond Hill, Vaughan, and the rest of the GTA service areas. Need broader site work? See our Toronto excavation page.
in Toronto? Let’s talk.