Permits Overview

Garden Hill Conservation Area lagoon
Flooded Stream

Regulated Area

You may require a permit from the GRCA if you plan on doing any of the following work within the regulated area within the Authority’s jurisdiction:

  • Construction, reconstruction, erection or placing of a building or structure of any kind;
  • Changes that alter the use, or potential use, of a building or structure (i.e., commercial use to residential use, conversion of a garage to a habitable space)
  • Increasing the size of a building or structure, or increasing the number of dwelling units in the building or structure (i.e. new apartment unit including basement apartments)
  • Site grading
  • Temporary or permanent placing, dumping or removal of any material (including, but not limited to fill, dirt, stone) originating on the site or elsewhere
  • Straightening, changing, diverting or interfering with the existing channel of a river, creek, stream, or watercourse
  • Changing or interfering with a wetland (including, but not limited to, fill in a wetland, dredging and grading)

GRCA reviews permit applications to ensure consistency with GRCA’s Policies for the Implementation of Ontario Regulation 168/06 (available from the Policies & Guidelines section).

Issuance of Permit

GRCA may require the issuance of a permit for projects in the Ganaraska River Watershed in the vicinity of a:

  • Watercourse
  • Floodplain
  • Valley slope
  • Wetland
  • Shoreline of Lake Ontario
  • Shoreline of Rice Lake
  • Hazardous lands

Please see GRCA’s Mapping tool for information on our Regulated Areas.