Does a garden wall job need Ottawa's hardscaping licence?

The City of Ottawa's hardscaping licence (Licensing By-law 2002-189, Schedule 36, as amended by By-law 2025-415) covers businesses that install or alter hard landscaping features on private property, and it names steps, walkways, patios and similar features made of brick or flagstone. A freestanding brick or stone garden wall is not named in the by-law, but it is also not excluded, so the by-law does not say whether a particular wall job falls under it.

The by-law lists exclusions, among them "the installation or alteration of pools, decks and fences" and "performing minor repairs or minor alterations". We found no definition of minor repairs or minor alterations in the by-law, so a small patch or joint repair on an existing wall may or may not fall within that carve-out.

Two things are worth sorting out before the work starts. First, ask the contractor directly whether they hold the City hardscaping licence and whether they believe this job requires it. Second, check the City's published list of hardscaping licence holders to confirm. If you are unsure whether a small repair counts as a minor alteration under the by-law, the City can say. One more point: if the wall runs along a lot line, it may count as a fence under the City's Fence By-law (2003-462), which sets height limits of 1 m in a front yard and 213 cm in any other yard on residential property, measured from grade. Confirm with the City whether your wall triggers that by-law.

If the wall is meant to hold back soil rather than simply stand on its own, that is a retaining wall, which is a different scope of work; ottawapatios.com covers retaining walls.

When you compare quotes, check that each names the wall length and height, the stone or brick, the footing, the mortar or dry-laid method and the disposal.