Fill, ponds, and soil in Centre Wellington

Who it's for

Centre Wellington is one township. The work on this page is for people on land in that township: a farm, a rural lot, a build, or a house.

• Fergus
• Elora
• Salem
• Belwood
• the rural township

Landowners and farmers are the usual receiving sites. Builders are usually the ones with soil, granular, or other material to move, or with a project that needs clean fill. Homeowners call about a driveway, a garden, a small grade change, or a pond. If the ground cannot take the job, we say so.

What applies in the township

These are the same offers as the rest of Soil Swap, named for this place. Each one links to the page that explains it.

• Clay, gravel, and sand

  Free fill pickup in Fergus, or elsewhere in the township, means this: when clean clay, gravel, or sand is a good fit, we assess it, dig it, and haul it away at no cost to you. Contaminated soil, waste, and mixed debris are not a pickup.

• Pond digs

  Pond digging in Centre Wellington, when the soil is good: a farm or recreational pond for the cost of the work. Vasq Ltd. brings its own trucks, crew, and a dredge. Nothing is priced on this page.

• Soil you need

  Clean fill in Elora, Fergus, or on a farm lot, for a lane, a pad, or a build. What a load costs is said on the call.

• Soil that needs a home

  Builders with soil to move can match it to a local site that can take it, instead of treating disposal as the only option.

• Soil management

  We coordinate sampling and help with the O. Reg. 406/19 paperwork when that rule applies. A qualified person still signs what the regulation assigns to a qualified person.

• Firewood, brush, mulch, gravel, and grindings

  The same match covers organics, granular, and grindings. Say whether you have the material or need it.

• Income from permitted fill

  A fill placement permit in Centre Wellington is the Township's decision. On a job we take, landowners can be paid for clean fill placed under that permit. The amount is in a written agreement. No rate is posted here.

• Land that can take fill

  Open farm and rural land is the usual receiving site. Permit before loads. The Township still decides.

A pond may still need a municipality or a conservation authority to say yes. We do not promise that permit. Questions already answered site-wide are on the FAQ.

Fill rules in Centre Wellington

The Township's site alteration by-law is By-law 2019-25, A By-law to Prohibit or Regulate the Removal of Topsoil, the Placing or Dumping of Fill and the Alteration of the Grade of Land. It applies to the entire Township. The notes below are a plain reading of that by-law. They are not a permit, and they are not every section. Confirm the current rules with the Township before you move soil.

A permit is the rule

No one may place or dump fill without a permit (section 3.1). No one may remove fill without a permit (section 3.2).

The owner has to agree

The work has to be done with the registered owner's consent (section 3.3).

Site Alteration

1,000 cubic metres of fill or less, or a grade change of 1 metre or less.

Large Scale Site Alteration

More than 1,000 cubic metres of fill, or a grade change of more than 1 metre.

Small landscaping, and two other exemptions

Lawn dressing, garden beds, and driveway resurfacing are exempt only when every one of these is true:

• The grade rises no more than 20 cm.
• No more than 10 cubic metres is placed in any three-month period.
• The work stays at least 0.6 m from lot lines.
• Drainage onto neighbouring property does not change.
• The material is clean: no glass, plastic, metal, concrete, asphalt, garbage, contaminants, or invasive species.

A pool install with a pool enclosure permit is also exempt. So is building-permit backfill of up to 200 cubic metres within 10 m of the building.

On a job we take, we help sort out the permit and the soil testing and O. Reg. 406/19 paperwork. The Township still makes the permit decision.

This is general information so you know what to ask about. It is not legal, engineering, or environmental advice. Whether a rule applies depends on the material, the site, and the volume. If this page and the official text differ, the official text wins. Township of Centre Wellington by-law directory.

Start with a call or a text

Say where the land is, whether you have soil or need it, and roughly how much. There is no form.