NEW RETAINING WALLSREPLACEMENT WALLSNATURAL STONE, DRY OR MORTARBLOCK WALLS WITH DRAINAGEPLANTERS & GARDEN WALLSSLOPED BACKYARDSAJAX & DURHAM REGIONNEW RETAINING WALLSREPLACEMENT WALLSNATURAL STONE, DRY OR MORTARBLOCK WALLS WITH DRAINAGEPLANTERS & GARDEN WALLSSLOPED BACKYARDSAJAX & DURHAM REGION
The Setting Stone Company is a retaining wall contractor working across Ajax, including Meadow Ridge beside the protected lands along Duffins Creek and Salem Heights near Carruthers Creek, on new walls and replacements alike.
The Town is direct about walls. Its planning page says a building permit is required for all construction work, including designated structures under the Ontario Building Code, and it names retaining walls as an example. If your lot sits in the Regulated Area of the Toronto and Region Conservation Authority (TRCA), its process comes first, because the Town cannot issue a building permit until TRCA has issued a permit or clearance.
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TRCA describes the Lake Iroquois plain in the Duffins watershed as mainly clay, with a band of sandy soil along the old shoreline. That is regional, so we check what is on your lot. A wall holds back water as well as soil, so ours get a gravel drainage layer and perforated pipe, on a compacted base. Property Standards By-law 46-2017 also says yards must be kept so water does not enter a basement, and we grade with that in mind.
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The Town’s subdivision grading criteria handle grade differences with a 3:1 slope or an approved wall, so your yard may have inherited either one. We work with both, here and across Durham Region.
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Expect paperwork first. Inside its Regulated Area, TRCA’s landscaping rules ask for a design detail and cross section on a replacement wall, and its review may lead to a slope stability assessment or a stamped structural letter. A new wall goes on the submission too, along with the fill you are adding, stated in cubic metres. TRCA’s online Regulated Area Search shows whether your lot is affected.
The creek decides the authority. Carruthers and Duffins fall to TRCA, while the part of town draining to Lynde Creek goes to Central Lake Ontario Conservation Authority (CLOCA).
Property Standards section 4.23 says walls required through a subdivision, condominium or site plan agreement must be kept in place without alteration.
Parts of this area sit in a flood plain Special Policy Area, where development includes site grading and placing fill, so check with the Town early.
The Town's Applicable Law Checklist asks if your property borders one, and lists both TRCA and CLOCA for construction and fill permits.
Fence By-law 42-2025 measures grade as the ground below a fence at each support, so wall and fence should be planned together.
TRCA may want a design detail and cross section of your wall, so we start with a proper look at the site. No numbers over the phone.
We reply within 1 business day and set up a free consultation at your home, with no obligation to go further.
We go over TRCA's Regulated Area Search, the slope and any old wall together, then tell you which approvals may apply.
Your quote is clear and itemized, so you can see what the job includes. There is no obligation, and the decision stays yours.
Tim's own crew does the work with no subcontracted labour, protects your yard, cleans up and finishes with a final walkthrough.
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A wall here may need one. The Town says all construction work needs a permit, and names retaining walls among designated structures, but its page gives no height. Provincially, a designated wall is one over 1,000 mm in exposed height next to public property, access to a building, or private property open to the public. These rules can change, so confirm yours at buildingpermits@ajax.ca. We go over this at the quote.
Check first. Section 4.23 of Ajax's Property Standards By-law says retaining walls required through a subdivision, condominium or site plan agreement must be kept in place without alteration. If your wall came with the subdivision, find out whether an agreement required it before you take it down or change it.
This is a Town permit tied to moving earth. The Town says one is needed before removing topsoil, placing fill or grading land, and a retaining wall can involve any of those. The Town's page gives no size limit or small-job exemption, so ask the Town how it applies to your job. We raise it at the quote.
Yes. The Town of Ajax tells anyone digging, even with a shovel, to get free utility locates through Ontario One Call at 1-800-400-2255. A wall needs excavation for its base and its buried bottom course, so we wait for those locates before any digging starts on your property.
We can't price a wall we haven't seen, so we visit for free and send a clear, itemized quote instead of guessing by phone. Where a building permit applies, Building By-law 48-2023 prices it per metre of wall with a minimum fee. The Town sets that fee.
A wall job can lead to more: stone steps on the slope, or a flagstone patio above them. Here is what else we do nearby.
Tell us about the yard. We will look it over for free, explain the approvals and send an itemized quote. (905) 922-6684.
Expert interlock, flagstone, driveways, retaining walls, decks, and fences across Courtice, Bowmanville, Newcastle, Oshawa, and Clarington.
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Tim at Setting Stones rebuilt our slipped stone steps and installed a new retaining wall. Hands down the best contractor we’ve worked with. He was professional, listened closely to our vision, and accommodated every design change without complaint. He kept the site immaculate throughout the project, and the finished stonework speaks for itself. Highly recommend.
Samra M. Google review