Land Grading in Burlington — Yard, Driveway, Lot

We do land grading in Burlington — yards that pool after every rain, driveways that funnel water at the garage, new builds that need a lot grading certificate before the City signs off. OCM Excavation runs across Aldershot, downtown, Roseland, Tyandaga, and Headon Forest with a skid steer, laser level, and a crew that knows what 2% positive slope actually looks like on the ground. Call 416-317-3090 for a no-charge site visit anywhere in Burlington.

What land grading actually means in Burlington

Grading is shaping the soil so water leaves your lot the way the City wants it to leave. In Burlington that usually means a minimum 2% positive slope away from the foundation for the first 1.8 to 3 metres, then a controlled drop toward swales, splash pads, or the municipal storm system. The industry standard is 2% — drop two centimetres for every metre — and on a tight Roseland lot or a Tyandaga side yard that often takes a laser to hit cleanly.

If you are seeing wet basement walls, soggy lawn corners, ice sheets at the driveway apron, or window wells that fill up in March, the grade is wrong. We have re-graded plenty of Headon Forest backyards where the soil settled three to five centimetres after the original builder left and now the slope runs toward the house instead of away.

Burlington lot grading certificate work

New builds, additions, and major rear-yard reworks in Burlington typically need a lot grading certificate signed by an OLS or P.Eng. before the City releases occupancy or final inspection. We are the contractor side of that — we move the dirt, set the swales, hit the elevations on the approved grading plan, and call the surveyor back to certify when the job is ready. If the City has already flagged your lot or held your deposit, send us the plan and we will quote against the actual elevations.

Site Alteration By-law 064-2014 is the umbrella rule in Burlington — fill, grading, and excavation over the screening threshold need a permit and a screening checklist on file. We handle the dig and the build; the City handles the paperwork. For larger fills or anything in the Niagara Escarpment Plan area along north Burlington, we walk through what NEC Regulation 826/90 means for your timeline before we put a quote in writing.

Our Burlington grading process

• Site walk. We come out, shoot some elevations, look at where the water is going, and ask what the City has already told you.
• Plan check. If you have a grading plan or a certificate the surveyor flagged, we read it before we quote.
• Strip and shape. Skid steer pulls the topsoil off, we cut and fill the subgrade with the laser, and rebuild the slope at minimum 2%.
• Topsoil and finish. Fresh screened topsoil, raked, rolled, ready for sod or seed.
• Driveway aprons. If your asphalt or interlock funnels water at the garage, we re-pitch the sub-base before the surface goes back.
• Conservation Halton overlay. If you are inside a regulated 15 to 30 metre buffer near Bronte Creek, Grindstone Creek, or any tributary, we flag it before we dig.

Burlington neighbourhoods we grade in

Aldershot lots near Plains Road tend to have older clay subsoil that holds water — most of our re-grades there are about getting the surface flow moving instead of letting it sit. Downtown Burlington and Roseland are tighter lots with mature trees, so we hand-finish around root zones and watch the Private Tree By-law 040-2022 threshold (20 cm DBH inside the Urban Planning Area Boundary). Tyandaga and Headon Forest sit on rolling terrain where a single backyard might need three different slope zones to drain right. Up near Mount Nemo and Rattlesnake Point, NEC Development Control kicks in and we plan around it.

We are a real excavation contractor in Burlington — not a landscaper sub-renting a Bobcat — and grading is the most common single call we get from Burlington homeowners. See the full service area list for the rest of the GTA, or call 416-317-3090 to book a Burlington site visit.

What it typically costs

A small backyard re-grade with topsoil and seed often lands in the low single-digit thousands. A full lot regrade with driveway sub-base correction and a surveyor-certified plan is a bigger number — the variables are how much soil moves, how much topsoil comes in, and whether disposal of excess fill is on us or the City takes it. We quote in writing after the site walk, not over the phone. No deposits over the phone, no sight-unseen estimates.

FAQ — Land grading in Burlington

Do I need a permit to re-grade my Burlington yard?

Small surface re-grades that move minor soil and do not change the drainage pattern usually do not need a permit. Anything that meets the screening thresholds in Site Alteration By-law 064-2014, changes how water leaves the lot, or sits inside a Conservation Halton or NEC regulated area will need one. We screen this on the site walk and tell you straight.

How much slope is enough?

Industry standard is a 2% minimum positive slope away from the foundation — two centimetres of drop per metre — for at least the first 1.8 metres. Beyond that you want at least 1% sustained slope toward a swale or the property line. Less than that and water sits.

Can you fix a failed lot grading certificate?

Yes. Send us the surveyor’s report or the City’s deficiency letter and we quote against the actual elevations. We move the dirt, hit the numbers, and the surveyor comes back to re-certify. We work this kind of job across Burlington all year.

Will you tear up my driveway to fix the grade?

Only if we have to. If the apron is pitching toward the garage, the sub-base under the asphalt or interlock has to be re-pitched and the surface put back. On some jobs we can correct it with a re-pour at the apron only. We tell you which one your driveway needs before we lift a tool.

What about Conservation Halton and the Escarpment?

Conservation Halton enforces Ontario Regulation 41/24 inside a 15 to 30 metre buffer from creeks and stable top of bank. Niagara Escarpment Commission Regulation 826/90 covers north Burlington including Mount Nemo and Rattlesnake Point. If your lot is in either, we factor a 30 to 90 day review window into the schedule.

Do you do small backyard re-grades or only big jobs?

Both. A wet corner of a Headon Forest backyard is the same craft as a full Aldershot lot regrade — just smaller. We do not turn away small jobs, and we are the same lot grading contractor in Burlington whether it is one swale or a full certificate rebuild.

Book a Burlington site visit

Call 416-317-3090 or send the address through our free quote form. We come out to Burlington, walk the lot, shoot the elevations, and put a written number in your hand. No phone-quote guesswork.

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