You asked, we answered

Every month, the City of Vaughan highlights the commonly asked questions received by the public and responded to by Service Vaughan in a series called ‘You asked, we answered.’

Here are the top five inquiries from August: 

1. How can I request seasonal maintenance services in my community?

You can use the Service Vaughan online portal to submit requests for:

• curb, sidewalk or interlock repair.
• new traffic sign or pavement markings.
• park, playground or splashpad repairs.
• road and boulevard maintenance.
• sports fields, courts or skate parks maintenance.
• and much more! 

Once a ticket has been created, staff will respond to requests in priority sequence. 

Grass cutting began in April and occurs every two weeks until October. Regional road maintenance is handled by York Region. City crews are also carrying out litter cleanup in parks, trails and along sidewalks, as well as a seasonal street-sweeping program that runs into the fall and helps keep debris out of storm drains and local waterways.

To learn more about our summer maintenance operations, visit vaughan.ca/seasonal.

2. How do I book or cancel my parking ticket dispute appointment?

Within 15 days of receiving your ticket, you can:

• submit an online Administrative Penalty Screening appeal form. A screening officer will review your dispute and respond accordingly.

• email bylaw@vaughan.ca or call 905-832-2281 to request a telephone screening appointment. A screening officer will call you at your scheduled appointment time to discuss the matter.

If you’re not the registered owner: Indicate this and provide a letter of authorization (PDF) to dispute the ticket on the registered owner’s behalf.

Deadline: If you do not contact the City by phone, email or online dispute form within 15 days of receiving your ticket, the penalty becomes due and payable.

To cancel or reschedule: Notify the By-law and Compliance, Licensing and Permit Services department at least 24 hours before your scheduled screening appointment. Missing your appointment without notice will result in a failure-to-appear fee, in addition to the original penalty.

For more information, visit vaughan.ca/PenaltyAppeals or contact the City at 905-832-2281 or mailto:bylaw@vaughan.ca.

3. When are my final property tax bill instalments due and how can I pay them?

The final payment for the City’s 2026 final property tax bill is due on Monday, Sept. 28. 

The City levy portion on the tax bill goes to the City of Vaughan for its services. It is the same amount as 2025. Vaughan Council passed a 0% tax increase for 2026 at the local level with no service cuts. With this, Vaughan continues to maintain one of the lowest and most competitive tax rates in the Greater Toronto Area. 

How to pay your tax bill

As all City facilities are cashless, here are easy and convenient ways property owners can pay their property tax bills:

• Pre-authorized payment plans, including a six-instalment or a 10-instalment option.
• Post-dated cheques made payable to the City of Vaughan with the amounts, roll number and due dates printed on the tax stubs.
• Financial institutions, either in person, through the bank machine, online or via telephone. 
• At Vaughan City Hall, placed in marked drop-off boxes at each entrance.
• By mail, with a cheque payable to the City of Vaughan and sent in the return envelope enclosed with the tax bill.

Didn’t receive your bill? 

All 2026 final residential and non-residential property tax bills were mailed at the end of June.  If you did not receive your tax bill in the mail, contact the City immediately by phone at 905-832-2281 or by email at service@vaughan.ca. Failure to receive a tax bill does not exempt you from paying property taxes – late payment penalties will be added. 

Learn more at vaughan.ca/PropertyTax.

4. After I submit a tree maintenance service request (e.g. tree pruning or stump removal), how long will it take for City staff to visit the site?

Requests for urgent maintenance services that pose a danger to the public – such as a fallen tree – are dealt with as soon as possible. Non-emergency requests that follow our pruning schedule will be addressed accordingly, while all other requests will be managed in priority sequence, following an inspection. 

Once a service request is created, a forestry inspector will visit the site within 30 business days to examine the tree's condition and determine the next steps. The forestry inspector will contact you (by phone or leave a notice on your door) with the status of your request. 

Please note: it can take up to eight months for a tree to be pruned or removed, and an additional 12 months for a tree stump to be removed.

To learn more, visit vaughan.ca/trees.

5. How can I register my kids for fall recreation and aquatic programs? 

Registration for the City’s recreation and aquatic programs is now open! View the full list of programs in the Fall Recreation eGuide. Programming begins on Saturday, Sept. 19 at all community centres, the City Playhouse Theatre and the Vaughan Studios & Event Space. 

Fall is a great time to explore why everyone belongs in the water! Registration for the City of Vaughan’s aquatic programs is now open for residents at vaughan.ca/swim. Registration for non-residents opens on Thursday, Aug. 27 at 7 a.m. Programs start on Saturday, Sept. 19 at all Vaughan community centre pools.

Learn-to-swim programming is available for all ages, starting with parent and tot classes for children as young as four months old to levels specifically designed for adults. For those aged 13 years and older, training and certification in aquatic leadership is available to prepare participants for employment as a swim instructor or lifeguard.

Virtual waiting room for program registration
We’ve improved the online registration experience for recreation programs to make it fairer and more reliable. You will now be entered into a virtual waiting room during high traffic periods on PerfectMind. During these periods, you will be placed in a virtual queue and a random spot in line will be assigned to you, so everyone has equal access to the programs they want to register for. You can see your place in line and an estimated waiting time, and once you’re in the system, you can register for multiple programs in one session without re-entering the queue. 

The online registration system is available 24-7. If you require assistance creating an online PerfectMind registration account, call Service Vaughan at 905-832-2281 or email rec@vaughan.ca. Visit vaughan.ca/recreation for more information.

Have more questions? We’re here to help. The City’s contact centre can be reached by phone at 905-832-2281 (toll free at 1-844-832-2112), by email at service@vaughan.ca, online at vaughan.ca/ServiceVaughan or in person at Vaughan City Hall (2141 Major Mackenzie Dr.).

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