Fill, ponds, and soil in North Dumfries

Who it's for

North Dumfries is one township, beside Cambridge. The work on this page is for people on land in that township: a farm, a rural lot, a build, or a house.

• Ayr
• Branchton
• Roseville
• rural North Dumfries

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.

Another area we cover: Centre Wellington (Fergus, Elora, and the rural township).

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 Ayr, 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 North Dumfries, when the soil is good: a farm or recreational pond for the cost of the work. Nothing is priced on this page.

• Soil you need

  Clean fill in Ayr, Branchton, Roseville, 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 permit in North Dumfries 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 North Dumfries

The Township's consolidated fill by-law is By-law 2612-14, as amended by By-law 2938-18 and By-law 3036-19. Its title is A by-law to regulate the placing or dumping of fill, alteration of the grade of, or removal of topsoil from land within the Township. The short title is the Alteration of Land By-law. The notes below are a plain reading of that consolidated text. They are not a permit, and they are not every section. Confirm the current rules and fees with the Township before you move soil. The fee schedule is set yearly.

A permit is the rule

No one may alter land in the Township without a permit (section 2.1). In this by-law, alteration means placing or dumping fill, removing topsoil, or changing the grade.

Do not split the job

An alteration cannot be divided into two or more alterations to avoid applying for a permit (section 2.3).

Fill has to be clean

Section 2.5 says all fill used in the alteration must be clean and free of rubbish, glass, garbage, termites, organic materials, liquid and toxic chemicals, and other contaminants. Rubbish, in the by-law, includes concrete, brick, rebar, wood, metal, plaster, plastics, asphalt, and roof shingles.

A report for each source

Section 3.2 requires a soil investigation report for each source of fill. If the source is not known when the application is made, the Chief Building Official may issue the permit on the condition that the report is provided before the work starts.

Three exemptions in section 2.4

The by-law lists other cases where it does not apply. These three are the ones people ask about. They are not the whole list.

• Landscaping

  Landscaping that uses less than 60 cubic metres of imported fill, and does not significantly change the elevation or the drainage pattern of the land, or change the drainage of neighbouring lands (section 2.4(i)).

• A farm field

  Less than 500 cubic metres of fill per year on agriculturally zoned land that is greater than 2 hectares, placed at least 10 metres from any property line (section 2.4(j)).

• A Grand River Conservation Authority permit

  Portions of land where a fill permit has already been obtained from the Grand River Conservation Authority, to the extent the alteration follows that permit (section 2.4(l)). The Township lists the Authority at 519-621-2761.

More than 1,000 cubic metres

Where the alteration uses more than 1,000 cubic metres of fill, section 3.3 says the Township holds a public meeting, sends notice by ordinary mail to properties within 120 metres, and requires an irrevocable letter of credit. The letter of credit is the greater of 50 percent of the estimated cost of the alteration, as determined by the Township, or $5,000. That figure is the Township's security. It is not a Soil Swap price.

A job meant to improve the agricultural use of the land, with less than 1,000 cubic metres of fill added, can be exempt from the lot-grading plan (section 3.6). Confirm the Township's form and the yearly fee before you rely on that.

The Township's permit page says to send the completed site alteration form, with drawings and specifications, to publicworks@northdumfries.ca. The Township telephone is 519-632-8800. On a job we take, we help sort out that 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.

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.