Fill Grading and Topsoil

Caledon's Fill By-law regulates:

• Placement and removal of fill
• Storage and removal of topsoil
• Any changes to the grade of land

The purpose of the by-law is to protect natural features, prevent fill with hazardous materials and manage how residents are affected. It applies to all lands in the Town except those of the Niagara Escarpment Commission or land under the jurisdiction of local conservation authorities.

Fill permit

A fill permit is needed to:

• Place or remove fill
• Change the grade of any land
• Remove topsoil or store it on a property

To fill or alter the grade for minor lawn dressing or landscaping --- for flower beds and vegetable gardens, for example -- a permit may not be required.

Please check with us to see if a permit is needed.

We may issue a fill permit in the following situations:

• For certain agricultural lands that include an active agricultural operation where it can be shown that the proposed work is to improve the agricultural viability and the amount of fill imported does not exceed 10,000 cubic metres
• When a building permit has been issued for construction of a building
• To temporarily store topsoil related to a proposed development that has conditional site plan approval

To complete a fill permit application, click here.

If fill will be hauled on any Regional Roads, contact the Region of Peel as you may need an excess load moving permit.

Standards and conditions

Fill must be clean and free of:

• Rubber
• Plastic
• Metal
• Glass
• Garbage
• Termites
• Organic material
• Toxic chemicals
• Other contaminants

When altering grade, the finished grade cannot have a slope greater than 3 to 1. It must also not be higher than an adjacent property at a lot line.

You may not alter or block any drainage course (e.g., swale or ditch).

As the permit holder, you must ensure that no mud or fill is tracked onto the highway.

We may restrict delivery times, limit the number per day and apply other conditions.

Terminology