Roadway Permits

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Roadway Permits

Our role as managers of the City’s Roadways, Boulevards and some Open Spaces/ Easements is to coordinate, review, approve and inspect requests made by individuals, companies, firms, other levels of government or agencies which are handled by the Utility Coordinator as per the following:

Municipal Consent Applications for proposed new utility infrastructure and equipment location within the City’s roadways, boulevards or open spaces; &

Road Cut (Road Occupancy) Permits for the temporary occupation or construction within the City’s roadways, boulevards or open spaces.

Approval or alterations of Telecommunication Facilities which are structures used for receiving and transmitting wireless signals such as transmitters, receivers, antennae, signaling and control equipment are reviewed and approved through the Development Planning Department.

All other Special Event and Filming Event Permits related to the City’s roadways, boulevards or open spaces are coordinated, reviewed and approved by the Clerk’s Department.

What is a “Municipal Consent”?

A “Municipal Consent” is a business process that Utility Companies seek to engage the City for the location approval to install new infrastructure and equipment or to undertake major upgrades and/or repairs to their existing infrastructure within the City’s roadways, boulevards or open spaces. This involves a formal drawing submission for the placement of the new utility infrastructure which has been approved by the Utility Coordinator.

No excavation except Emergency Work shall commence on the City’s roadways, boulevards or open spaces before the issuance of the City’s Municipal Consent Approval. In the event of an emergency utility repair, the Utility Coordinator or after hours the Public Works Dispatch (ext. 8807) shall be notified immediately prior to starting the repairs. A Road Cut (Road Occupancy) Permit application must be submitted immediately after the work is completed.

What is a “Municipal Access Agreement” (MAA)?

A Municipal Access Agreement is an agreement between the City of Vaughan and a Utility Company which has been approved by City Council that contains detail provisions for granting Municipal Consents and Road Cut (Road Occupancy) Permits to do work within the City’s roadways, boulevards or open spaces.

The City seeks to organize and coordinate the various activities of Utility Companies such as Bell, Gas, Cable and Hydro within the City’s roadways, boulevards and open spaces through our multi-agency Utility Coordinating Committee.

How do I apply for a Municipal Consent?

Municipal Consents and the associated Road Cut (Road Occupancy) Permits are only issued to Utility Companies which have the authority to construct, operate and maintain their infrastructure on the City’s roadways, boulevards and open spaces, as established through legislation or terms of a Municipal Access Agreement.

A Municipal Consent application (2) two hard copies or (1) copy via email is submitted to the attention of the Utility Coordinator with a covering letter stating the contact person, contact information, company project number(s) if applicable, a description and location of the proposed work and applicable drawing(s) detailing the proposed works. The application is reviewed for technical content to ensure compliance with City Standards (e.g. off-set locations) and to identify possible conflicts with existing features and/or future City interests. If Municipal Consent Approval for the location is granted, the applicant understands and agrees to abide by the terms and conditions of the consent in addition to the Road Cut (Road Occupancy) Permit for the construction terms and conditions which will be issued at the same time.

The date of the application will be the date the Utility Coordinator receives the application submission. One application shall be completed for each street location where the proposed works is to be done. If additional applications are required due to the length of the work to be carried out, the applicant shall provide the requested applications.

Applications are to be submitted to City of Vaughan at least 30 business days prior to the planned start date of the work. All applications must specify “MC” or “Municipal Consent” in the subject line of the email. When submitting an application please use the following format in the Subject line of the email in order to have the request processed (Utility + project # - Municipal Consent or MC – excess info). Eg. Bell P12345 – Municipal Consent – Main St rebuild plan.

The current fee for a Municipal Consent application review is available under our Fees and Charges By-law 396-2002 as amended .

Road Cut (Road Occupancy) Permit

Through Bylaw #294-94, the City of Vaughan has the right to regulate the occupation of the City’s roadways, boulevards or open spaces during construction or repair of utilities and to require all persons proposing to perform work upon or via the City’s roadways, boulevards or open spaces to obtain a Road Cut (Road Occupancy) Permit.

The purpose of the Road Cut (Road Occupancy) Permit is:

To provide notice to the City of proposed works by an individual, contractor, company or other;
Provide review for potential conflicts with the City’s current or future interests and for compliance to City Standards;
To ensure applicant completes the site restoration in a timely manner;
Collect fees to cover the administrative costs incurred by the review of each application; &
To complete an inspection to confirm restoration of the site.

A Road Cut (Road Occupancy) Permit is required for the following activities involving the City’s roadways, boulevards, open spaces, parks, walkways, where:

Utility construction works is to take place;
Site servicing construction within the City’s roadways, boulevards or open spaces that was not previously considered in a Site Development or Site Servicing contract between the City and the Contractor/ Developer;
Pool contractors if they require access to the rear or side yard via the City’s roadways, boulevards, parkland or open spaces;
Crossing the boulevard other than the driveway location to gain access to private property for construction activities such as landscaping purposes, shed installations, etc;
Test boreholes, monitoring wells, surveying and other investigations taking place on the City’s roadways, boulevards or open spaces by individuals, companies, firms or others.

Restoration complaints or any other concerns should be directed to the Utility Coordinator.

The current fee for a Road Cut (Road Occupancy) Permit is available under our Fees and Charges By-law 396-2002 as amended .

All email applications must specify “ROP” or “Road Cut” or “Road Occupancy Permit” in the subject line of the email. When submitting an application please use the following format in the Subject line of the email in order to have the request processed (Utility + project # - Road Occupancy Permit or ROP – excess info). Eg. Yourcompanyname P12345 – ROP – Main St rebuild plan.

*Fees and if applicable securities will be required once the Road Cut (Road Occupancy) Permit is ready for release.

How do I apply for a Road Closure Permit?

Road Closure applications are required to be submitted a minimum 4 weeks prior to the start date of the proposed closure. The 4 week period entails the following…

Reviewal, discussion and approval- approximately 2 weeks
Notification Process- Notify residents, emergency services, transit agencies and the Mayor and members of Council, of the disruption at least 2 weeks prior to the closure date. This time period includes the installation of advanced warning signs, as per the approved Traffic Control Plan and Detour Plan.

When applying for a Road Closure permit, we will require the attached Road Closure request form, and subsequent required documents, to be filled out and submitted. The attached form outlines all documentation required for a Road Closure.

A summary of what is to be included with the form includes…

A traffic control plan;
A detour plan;
Certificate of Insurance of a minimum $5M general liability, naming the City of Vaughan as additionally insured; A detailed explanation justifying road closure, other alternatives considered, and why alternatives were deemed unfeasible;
A communication plan notifying the surrounding community, emergency services, transit authorities etc.
Engineering drawings detailing the scope of work;
Anything mentioned in the Road Closure application form, not mentioned here
Any additional documents requested by city staff

Review of the closure will not begin until all required documents are submitted.

The current fee for a Road Closure is available under our Fees and Charges By-law 396-2002, as amended.

General Permit Information

This area explains the general requirements for Road Cut (Road Occupancy) Permits, and may or may not apply to the specific permit that you require. Specific requirements can be found under the permit type.

Purpose: A Road Cut (Road Occupancy) Permit allows you to occupy the City’s roadways, boulevards or open spaces, including the portion from the road shoulder/ boulevard to the private property line, to complete the work requested on the application.

Lead Time: Applications should be submitted at least 2 weeks prior to the required date.

Contacts: A 24 hour contact list must be submitted with the application. This will ensure that the appropriate people are contacted. If contacts are not submitted and the City is required to arrange for repairs, all costs incurred will be invoiced to the company, firm or individual.

Effective Dates: Effective dates requested on the application will be on the permit. The Utility Coordinator should be notified if the job is delayed or an extension is required.

Effective Times: Effective times will be on the permit. These times indicate when work can take place on the City’s roadways and are usually limited to periods between rush hours when there are low traffic volumes.

Fees: Fees may be required for some types of permits, and are payable at the time the permit is issued. Amounts will vary depending on the permit type.

Final Inspections: A final inspection is required prior to the release of a security deposit, and if required, is usually a condition of the permit. Please contact the Utility Coordinator to arrange for a final inspection.

Insurance Coverage: A certificate of insurance confirming coverage for bodily injury and property damage combined without deductible and naming the City of Vaughan as an additional insured may be required depending on the type of permit. The standard minimum coverage is $5,000,000, the Certificate must be signed and stamped by your insurance company and in most cases submitted with the application.

Lane/Road Closures or Restrictions: Lane Closures or Restrictions may be permitted between the effective times on the permit, usually between rush hours (9:30am to 3:30pm). Road Closures are not permitted at any time. Any unplanned road closures will be posted on our media releases.

Limitations of Permit: Limitations will be indicated as conditions of the permit, and may vary depending on the scope of work taking place. These conditions provide guidelines focused primarily on requirements of the work and the safety of the general public.

Revocation of Permit: Permits may be revoked without compensation or notice if the work does not conform to requirements of any governmental authority having jurisdiction over the area where the work is taking place.

Security Deposit: A security deposit may be required in the form of a letter of credit or certified cheque. The amount of the security is based on the scope of work and the perceived potential damage to City property, and will be determined on review of the application. The deposit may be drawn on by the City if it is required to be involved in the permitted works in any way. The Security deposit will be refunded once the permitted work is completed to the satisfaction of the City.

Traffic Control: For work taking place on the City’s roadways where a lane closure or reduction is required, a traffic control plan must be submitted with the application. All Traffic control plans shall conform to the standards set out in the Ontario Traffic Manual Book 7 "Temporary Conditions"

Waiver/ Indemnity Form: A Waiver form agreeing to indemnify and save harmless the City from and against any cost, claims, damages or loss, is required. The Waiver/ Indemnity form will be provided for signature at the time the permit is issued.

Application and Other Forms

Fees and if applicable securities will be required once the Road Cut (Road Occupancy) Permit is ready for release.

Applications/inquiries can be sent to:

Email: uc@vaughan.ca

Fax: 905-303-2043

In person: Joint Operations Centre, 2800 Rutherford Road

Transportation Services, Parks and Forestry Operations

Contact Information

Transportation Services, Parks and Forestry Operations

Phone:
905-832-2281

Email:
uc@vaughan.ca

Location:
Joint Operations Centre
2800 Rutherford Road
Vaughan, ON
L4K 2N9

Additional Resources

Road (Occupancy) Cut Permit
Fill in form and either fax/ email or in person.

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