Overview

Yes, you can widen a driveway in Ottawa, but not without an access permit and not beyond the width your lot allows. These are the key points covered below.

• Ottawa’s Access By-law took effect on April 8, 2026 and replaced the old Private Approach By-law.
• Widening a driveway needs an access permit. Relaying pavers on the same footprint does not.
• The maximum width depends on your lot width and area of the city, not on the size of your garage.
• A walkway up to 1.8 metres wide beside the driveway can go in without a permit if it meets every condition, and you cannot park on it.
• Front yard parking changes in the new Zoning By-law were on hold at the time of writing, so check the current status.
• Plan on six to eight weeks for approval, and use a contractor on the City’s hardscape licence list.

Introduction

Most Ottawa homeowners who want a wider driveway are trying to solve a simple problem: a second car, a visiting family member, or room to get a wheelchair or stroller past the vehicle. The rules behind it are less simple, and they changed in 2026.

On April 8, 2026, the City of Ottawa brought in a new Access By-law (No. 2026-139), which replaced the Private Approach By-law that had been in place for more than twenty years. The goal is to protect greenspace and trees along the street, keep room for snow storage, manage stormwater, and stop driveways from taking over on-street parking. For anyone planning interlock in Ottawa, it means checking a few things before a single stone is laid.

This guide explains when a permit is needed, how wide a driveway can legally be, what you can add beside it without a permit, where front yard parking stands, and what happens if the work is done without approval.

Do you need a permit to widen a driveway?

Yes. The City treats widening as a change to the access, and an access permit is required to build, modify, close or remove one. The same applies if you change the slope of the driveway, move it, or change where it meets the road.

Resurfacing is different. If you are lifting sunken interlock and relaying it on the same footprint, or repaving the exact same rectangle of asphalt, no new permit is needed. The line is crossed once the shape or size of the driveway changes.

A permit also does not give a contractor the right to start digging. Work in the City’s right-of-way (the strip between the road and your property line) needs a separate road cut permit under the Road Activity By-law, and utilities have to be located first. A reputable contractor handles this, but it is worth asking about before you sign.

How wide can a driveway be in Ottawa?

The limit is set by your lot width and where you live in the city. It does not depend on how wide your garage is, so a three-car garage on a narrow lot does not earn a three-car driveway.

For a 15-metre-wide suburban lot, that works out to a maximum of 7.5 metres. In the urban areas, a lot with less than 6.0 metres of frontage cannot have its own driveway and must share one with the neighbouring lot.

The driveway also cannot flare out at the street. The part in the City’s right-of-way cannot be wider than the approved width on your property, and two-way accesses are capped at 9.0 metres at the property line or 50 percent of the lot width, whichever is less. One-way accesses are capped at 7.5 metres.

In urban and suburban areas the driveway also needs a stable, dust-free surface, and loose gravel is limited to rural areas. Ask your contractor to confirm that the material you choose meets the surface rules.

Can you add an interlock walkway beside your driveway?

Yes, and this is the one change the City lets you make without a permit. A walkway beside the driveway counts as a “limited driveway extension” and can be installed without a permit, but only if it meets every one of these conditions. Miss one, and the whole project goes into the regular permit process.

If your lot is 12.0 metres wide or less and already has a driveway, a separate standalone walkway is not allowed, but one right next to the driveway may be, as long as the 50 percent limit holds.

You cannot park on it

This is where homeowners run into trouble. The walkway is classed as a pedestrian access, and parking a vehicle on it is not allowed. If a car or trailer sits on it, the City can treat it as an illegal widening of the driveway. In Barrhaven, some homeowners who had installed interlock extensions were ordered to tear them out, as reported by CBC News. Enforcement is mostly triggered by neighbour complaints, so the risk is real even if the work has sat unnoticed for years.

What about front yard parking?

In general, parking in the front yard outside the driveway is not allowed in Ottawa. The new Zoning By-law (No. 2026-50) includes rules that would allow new front yard parking spaces under tight conditions, for example a space set perpendicular to the street, with two narrow paved strips and a permeable strip between them, and no more than half the area of the yard.

However, those provisions were under appeal and on hold at the time of writing, and the City said it could not process access permits for new front yard parking until the Ontario Land Tribunal made them active. The City expected a decision by the end of September 2026. Before you plan anything, confirm the current status with the City.

What does a driveway permit cost, and how long does it take?

The City’s 2026 fee schedule lists a standard access permit, which covers a residential driveway for one to three parking spaces and basic widening, at $208. Fees are non-refundable and due when you apply, so check your lot width and zone before you submit. Online payments may add a small third-party fee.

Plan on six to eight weeks from application to approval, which includes design review and the road cut permit your contractor needs afterwards. Fees and timelines can change, so confirm the current figures on ottawa.ca.

What if your driveway crosses a ditch?

In areas with roadside ditches instead of storm sewers, widening usually means installing or extending a culvert. It has to meet City standards, and the pipe must keep water flowing freely so it does not back up onto your neighbours’ properties. If your plans do not include stamped engineering or landscape architect drawings, a $121 culvert approval fee applies on top of the permit. The culvert is also your responsibility to maintain and replace over time.

What happens if you widen without a permit?

The City can issue a stop-work order, and it can have unpermitted hardscaping in the right-of-way removed, with the cost billed to the owner and sometimes added to the property tax bill. A conviction under the Access By-law carries a fine of up to $5,000.

The bigger cost is usually the one nobody plans for: paying twice. You pay once to install the stone and again to rip it out.

Choosing a contractor

Since March 2026, businesses that install or alter hard surfaces, including driveways and walkways, must hold a City of Ottawa hardscape contractor licence. A licensed contractor must carry liability insurance and use a signed contract, and the City keeps a public list of licence holders. Check that list before you sign anything.

This matters because the City has warned about door-to-door paving crews that pave over the right-of-way, leave homeowners with crumbling work and no recourse. When you are comparing an interlock company in Ottawa, ask for their licence number, who pulls the access and road cut permits, and what the quote says if the City refuses the design. A company that works in hardscaping across Ottawa every season should know the answers without looking them up. If you are planning wider changes, such as new beds or sod alongside the driveway, the same checks apply to any team doing landscaping in Ottawa.

Summary

You can widen a driveway in Ottawa, but you need an access permit first, and the width is capped by your lot, not your garage. Relaying pavers on the same footprint needs no permit. A walkway up to 1.8 metres wide beside the driveway can go in without one if it meets every condition, and it can never be used for parking.

Before you plan anything, check your lot width and zone, confirm the status of front yard parking, budget six to eight weeks for approval, and hire a licensed contractor who handles the permits. It is much cheaper to get the answers first than to remove stone later.

If you are thinking about widening or replacing an interlock driveway, KJ Landscape & Design can walk the property with you and explain what is realistic. See our interlock driveways in Ottawa or call (613) 229-0213.

External resources

• Driveways, City of Ottawa
• Driveway bylaw “a blunt instrument,” Barrhaven residents say, CBC News