Residential (Infill) Grading & Servicing (RGS)

A Residential (Infill) Grading & and Servicing (RGS) application is required to be submitted prior to the submission of residential building permit application. RGS applications consist of a detailed engineering review for infill residential construction, residential additions, and residential service connections.

Confirm whether the RGS Application is applicable to your project.

If your project falls under any one of the conditions below, a RGS Application is not applicable:

The project has an active Severance Application under review and/or the severance process has not been completed (i.e. . municipal address not registered with Land Registry Office)
The project has an active Minor Variance Application under review and a decision has not be finalized
The project is on a Heritage Property
The project is exempt from the Site Plan Control By-Law
The project is for a non-residential lot (institutional/commercial/industrial), or a non-single family lot (i.e. townhouse, semi-detached, condo, etc.). Exceptions may apply to some situations for townhouses and semi-detached dwellings. Please check with the Engineering Department.
Additions less than 50 square meters, or having no ground-level alterations.

For changes to grading related to non-residential properties, please refer to the Site Alteration Permit (SALT) page.

Determine the type of RGS Application for which you are applying

Type	Description	Plan	Application Fee
Type I	New detached infill residential construction of any size involving proposed grading and/or servicing works	Grading & Servicing Plan (1 Plan)	$350 plus HST
Type II	Residential addition of 50 m2 or more	Grading Plan required	$350 plus HST
Type V	Service connection only (May be combined with any of the types above)	Servicing Plan required	To be determined
Type VI ¹	Revision Application – Only for previously accepted applications	As per Application Type	To be determined

¹ This Application Type is for revisions after a RGS Acceptance was issued previously. It is not for re-submissions of an active application. The fee for the Revision Subtype may vary based on the nature of the revision. Revised Plan shall be uploaded at the time of application. A notification will be sent to the applicant regarding the required fee subsequent to application prescreening.

Service Connection Fee is determined upon acceptance of the RGS Application in accordance to Bylaw 2002-276.

Application Type-II can be combined with Type-V when new service connection(s) are required with an addition.

Area of the addition is calculated, based on the area of ground level disturbance. This will determine the type of RGS application. Total area on all levels are used to determine the Lot Grading Undertaking Deposit amount.

Application Submission

The applicant submits an application online via ePLAN.

When an application has been formally received via ePLAN, a Development Technician will conduct a preliminary ‘Prescreen Review’ to ensure that required plans and documents have been uploaded. The Development Technician will also check to make sure that all required plans and documents have been submitted. Application fees will also be determined and confirmed at this stage.

Note: A submission does not become an application with a review timeline until it has passed our Prescreen Review Process and application fees have been paid.

For more information on how to submit an application, please refer to the RGS ePLAN Quick Reference Guide.

For our application fees and submission requirements, please refer to the RGS Application Information Package.

Depending on the application type, the following will be required:

Grading and/or Servicing Plan (See ePLAN Submission Standards)
Signed RGS Requirement Checklist (The RGS Requirements Checklist can be found in the RGS Application Information Package.)
TRCA Clearance if applicable (See RGS Requirements Checklist Item 31)
Utility Locate Records (See RGS Requirements Checklist Item 39)
Servicing Locate Records (See RGS Requirements Checklist Item 40)
CCTV Inspection Video (See RGS Requirements Checklist Item 41)
Hydraulic Report (See RGS Requirements Checklist Item 45)
TAPP and Arborist Report (See Tree Preservation Requirements)

Additional information regarding Engineering Standards and Guidelines are available as follows:

Circulation

Once the application has passed our prescreen review, the Development Technician will circulate the file to Engineering, Operations Roads, and Tree Preservation Departments for review. Review and Acceptance from all three divisions are required prior to issuance of the Final RGS Acceptance.

Staff Review and Commenting Process

The applications are entered into a review queue and are reviewed in the order of submission date.
Review time varies depending on the volume of applications received. Generally, the response time is a minimum of four weeks. Correspondence is through ProjectDox or by email only.
If revisions to the drawing are required, an email is sent to the Applicant, identifying the deficiencies and the required revisions. Comments from Engineering, Operations Roads, and Tree Preservation are sent by ProjectDox at the same time.
Plan resubmissions are to be uploaded to ProjectDox following the Markham ePlan Submission Standards

Acceptance

Once Engineering, Operations Roads, and Tree Preservation find the plan acceptable:

If service connection works are required,
- A Quotation Letter indicating the estimated cost to carry out the service connection works, by a City Contractor, will be emailed to the Owner (and Applicant). Prior to issuance of Final RGS Acceptance, the Owner must bring a printed copy of the Quotation Letter and payment to 101 Town Center Boulevard - Drop Box, located outside the Thornhill Entrance.
- Payment is required in the form of a certified cheque, money order, or bank draft, including name of the Owner. Please place the letter and payment in an envelope marked, ‘Engineering Department’ and the RGS Application number. Please ensure cheques are payable to the City of Markham, and include ‘ENG,’ payee name and property address on the cheque.
- A RGS Lot Grading Undertaking Form (not required for Type V Applications) will be emailed to the Owner (and Applicant).
If service connection works are not required, the application proceeds to the Undertaking Deposit step.

Upon receipt of payment for service connection works, or if not required, the Owner and/or Applicant will receive an email notification from ProjectDox that a copy of the stamped, accepted RGS Plan can be downloaded.

Note: If revisions to the grading and/or servicing design are required after the Final RGS Acceptance is issued, a re-submission is required for review and re-acceptance. A review fee is required upon submission of the revised plan.

Undertaking Deposit

The Undertaking Deposit is due for payment prior to issuance of Building Permit. Refer to the last page of the RGS Application Package for the Lot Grading Undertaking Deposit Guide for applicable deposit amounts.

Please print the Undertaking Form and attach the form, with the payment in an envelope, marked, ‘Engineering Department’ and the RGS application number. Drop this off at the Markham Civic Centre drop box, located outside the Thornhill Entrance. Payment is required in the form of a certified cheque, money order, or bank draft, including the name of the Owner. The Final RGS Acceptance and payment of the Lot Grading Undertaking Deposit are required prior to issuance of Building Permit. For more details regarding Building Permit Applications, please contact the Building Standards Department.

Construction and Inspections

Construction and Inspections managed by the Engineering Department.

Service connection works within the municipal right-of-way are carried out by City contractors and inspected by the Engineering Department. Homeowners are responsible to engage their own private contractor for the installation of private service connections from the house to the streetline.

Lot Grading is inspected and managed by the Engineering Department. House construction is inspected and managed by the Building Standards Department.

Lot Grading Undertaking Release

Upon completion of all lot grading work, the homeowner is to submit a Lot Grading Undertaking Release Request Form to the Engineering Department via this email address: dsc@markham.ca
An As-Built Drawing and a Grading Certificate (with a Professional Engineer's signature and seal, or an Ontario Land Surveyor) must be submitted with the Request Form.
Upon receipt of the Request Form and the required documents, an Engineering Inspector will review the documents and schedule an on-site inspection. If required, the Inspector will contact the homeowner.
When the lot grading has been found satisfactory to City Standards per the accepted Lot Grading Plan, a cheque for the associated undertaking amount is sent to the payee by mail.

Service Connection Installation Process

The City’s Service Connection Installation Contract is awarded through an Open Tender Process managed by the City’s Procurement Department. All qualified contractors are eligible to bid. The contract is awarded to the lowest bidder.
The Service Connection works to be carried out by the City Contractor include installation of new service connections within the City right-of-way (from the mainline in the road up to the front property line), decommissioning of existing service connections within the City right-of-way, and all related restoration works.
Prior to tendering, the homeowner will receive a Quotation Letter from the Engineering Department based on an estimated cost. Payment must be made in order for the service connection works to be included on the tendering list.
Tendering takes place around March to August each year. The final cost is adjusted upon completion of the tendering process, and the Engineering Department will advise the homeowner accordingly.
The Construction Season for service connection works takes place between May 1st and October 31st of each year. Any work that is not completed prior to the end of the Construction Season is to be completed in the following year.
After the service connection contract is awarded to the lowest bidding contractor, the installation of services are completed in 10-12 weeks.
The City is to contact the homeowner, or representative, prior to installation advising of the approximate installation date.
Preliminary works to prepare for construction begins immediately after the contract is awarded. If the homeowner wishes to postpone the works, the homeowner must contact the Engineering Department in writing. The cost of any preliminary works completed prior to the homeowner’s notification to postpone work is to be paid for by the homeowner. Please note that a Demolition (or Building) Permit must be obtained prior to start of any service connection works.
Quotations for service connection works expire at the end of each construction season. Adjustment in cost may apply if work is postponed past the said construction season.

Service Connection and Water Meter Hook Ups

Homeowners are responsible to engage their own private contractor for the installation of private service connections from the house to the streetline under the supervision of the Buildings Department Inspector. The homeowner’s contractor shall have the service connections installed from the house to the streetline, ready for hook up, prior to contacting the City for supervision and inspection.
When a new water meter is required, the homeowner shall contact Waterworks (Mr. Mario Rogue - 905.477.7000 extension 2053).