Markham Landscaping Contractor · Reformity Inc.Landscaping & Grading in Markham
Markham lots are designed with a two-foot swale around them to carry surface water away, and the City protects it: anyone who interferes with it can be made to restore it or pay for the restoration, and fined. Under Site Alteration By-law 2011-232, topping up lawns and beds with up to 300 mm of fill is exempt from the by-law only if grades within 600 mm of a property line, and the neighbours' drainage, stay unchanged. In compact Cornell, Cathedraltown and Greensborough yards, that decides where raised beds can go along the fence.
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Recent landscaping jobs across the GTA.
Real Reformity jobs from our project files. Customer addresses are never published.
Landscape & grading plan — Grading, drainage swale, tree protection and planting. Click to enlarge.
Retaining wall details
Drawn before we build
Drawn before we build in Markham.
A grading and landscape plan: slopes away from the house, swales, downspout outlets, protected-tree zones, walls and planting. It's what site-alteration and tree permits ask for, and it keeps water off your foundation and your neighbour's.
Landscaping permits in Markham
Sidewalks, planters and landscaping need no building permit in Markham, but grading must leave the lot's drainage swale and neighbours' drainage intact, a retaining wall 1 m or taller can need a permit, site alteration within 30 m of the City's Natural Heritage Network needs a City permit, and a lot in a TRCA Regulated Area can need a TRCA permit; Reformity prepares the grading and layout drawings and handles any application.
- Dimensions to your lot lines
- Materials, sizes and spacing
- Footing and base sections
- Code notes for the inspector
City of Markham rules
Landscaping rules in Markham.
Checked against official municipal and provincial sources. Lots differ, so we confirm the rules for your address at the quote visit.
Private trees
A permit is required for trees 20 cm or more in diameter, measured at 1.37 m (By-law 2023-164).
City of Markham: tree permitsHeritage & conservation
Markham has four heritage conservation districts — Unionville, Markham Village, Thornhill and Buttonville — where most exterior changes, including new fences and driveway changes, need a heritage permit. Valley lands are regulated by TRCA, which can require its own permit.
City of Markham: heritage permitsWhat needs a permit
Markham's building permit list includes concrete porches, raised decks, replacing an exterior wall or cladding, and renovating to create a full basement. Maintenance and repairs, fences other than pool enclosures, retaining walls under 1 m, and sidewalks, planters and landscaping need no building permit.
City of Markham: building permitsSite alteration & grading
Lots under one acre generally need no site alteration permit, but work next to or within 30 m of the City's Natural Heritage Network (valleys, woodlands, wetlands, watercourses) does. Up to 300 mm of fill on lawns or beds is exempt from the by-law only if grades within 600 mm of a property line, and neighbours' drainage, stay unchanged.
Site Alteration By-law 2011-232 (PDF)Drainage swales
Every Markham lot is designed with a two-foot swale around it to drain surface water, and interfering with it isn't allowed. Anyone who does can be required to restore the original swale or pay for its restoration, and can be fined.
City of Markham: site alterationFront-yard paving
Under Zoning By-law 2024-19, hard landscaping (pavers, stone, concrete, even artificial turf) can cover at most 15% of a front or exterior side yard, not counting the driveway and porch. Driveways can't exceed the garage door width plus 2.0 m, or half the lot frontage.
Zoning By-law 2024-19 (PDF)Lot-line landscaping strips
On lots without a rear lane, Zoning By-law 2024-19 requires a soft-landscaped strip along side and rear lot lines, 0.6 m to 1.5 m wide depending on the zone. Gravel counts as soft landscaping; artificial turf doesn't. Patios and other hard landscaping can reach only halfway into the required rear yard.
Zoning By-law 2024-19 (PDF)Conservation areas
Markham is in the Toronto and Region Conservation Authority (TRCA) jurisdiction. On a lot inside a TRCA Regulated Area, around river or stream valleys and wetlands, decks, pools, sheds and landscaping can need a TRCA permit first, and the City can't issue a building permit until TRCA clears the work.
TRCA: landscaping permitsRetaining walls over 1 m
Under Ontario's Building Code, a retaining wall needs a building permit when its exposed height is over 1 m (3'3") and it's next to public property, access to a building, or private property open to the public. Those walls must be designed to the Code's structural (Part 4) rules.
Ontario Building Code, Div. A 1.3.3.5
What we build in Markham
Full-service landscaping.
- Sod Installation
- Garden Beds & Plantings
- Retaining Walls
- Drainage & Grading
Neighbourhoods
Landscaping across Markham.
- Unionville
- Markham Village
- Cornell
- Cathedraltown
- Berczy Village
- Thornhill (Markham)
- Milliken
- Wismer Commons
- Box Grove
- Greensborough
Markham Landscaping FAQ
Quick answers.
No. Zoning By-law 2024-19 counts artificial grass and turf as hard landscaping, the same as pavers, so it can't go in the soft-landscaped strips required along side and rear lot lines on lots without a rear lane, and it counts toward the 15% hard-landscaping cap in a front yard. Sod, planting beds, and even gravel or loose stone count as soft landscaping.
Lots under one acre generally need no site alteration permit, but work next to or within 30 m of the City's Natural Heritage Network (valleys, woodlands, wetlands, watercourses) does. Up to 300 mm of fill on lawns or beds is exempt from the by-law only if grades within 600 mm of a property line, and neighbours' drainage, stay unchanged.
A permit is required for trees 20 cm or more in diameter, measured at 1.37 m (By-law 2023-164).
Send the form on this page or call 437-241-6287. We reply within one business day, visit your Markham property to measure and check the City of Markham rules for your lot, and give you a fixed written price.
Free on-site quote
Planning landscaping in Markham?
We'll measure, check the City of Markham rules for your lot, draw it up and give you a fixed written price. One business-day reply.