Are brick steps covered by Ottawa's hardscaping licence?

Brick steps are named in the City of Ottawa's hardscaping licence by-law, so they can fall under it. The by-law covers businesses installing or altering hard landscaping features on private property, and lists steps explicitly among the named features.

The licence itself costs $319 for 2026, expires each October 31; the City's licence page lists its insurance and other requirements. That said, the by-law carves out an exemption for "minor repairs or minor alterations," and we found no definition of what counts as minor. A full replacement of a flight of steps reads differently than patching a single tread, but the City decides where the line falls, not the contractor and not this site.

A few other things are worth knowing before work starts on entrance steps. The City's guidance on landscaping materials providing access to a building says a permit can be triggered where a structure provides access to the building or where there is more than 600 mm difference in elevation between adjacent surfaces. Entrance steps provide access to the building. The Building Code also requires that foundations for exterior steps go below frost depth; ask the contractor how the base is supported below grade. On zoning, steps and landings at or below the first floor may project into a front yard to a minimum setback of 0.6 m from the lot line under Zoning By-law 2026-50, though some properties may also be subject to By-law 2008-250, with the more restrictive applying; confirm with the City.

If the property is designated or in a heritage conservation district, heritage approval may be required before any work that affects heritage attributes, and the exemptions that apply to other properties do not apply.

Before signing anything, ask the contractor directly whether the job requires the City hardscaping licence, and ask the City whether a repair of your scope counts as a minor alteration. The paperwork to have in hand before work starts: a written contract setting out the full scope and price, a WSIB clearance certificate if you want one (valid for up to 90 calendar days), and confirmation of the contractor's City hardscaping licence where the job is not a minor repair.