Living In A New Subdivision
The Town of Carleton Place would like to welcome our new residents and are glad you chose to call Carleton Place home! The following information is directed toward residents who have moved into a new home, and into a new development within the Town of Carleton Place.
Subdivision Assumption
The Town of Carleton Place is currently working with several developers throughout Carleton Place who are creating new neighbourhoods within our community. It is a lengthy process for Developers and the Town of Carleton Place to create and for developers to construct these subdivisions in accordance with Subdivision Agreements, and Engineering and Servicing Specifications.
When new home construction begins in subdivisions, the services and the upkeep of the streets are the responsibility of the Developer, as the Town of Carleton Place has not yet assumed the land, and this can take several years, depending on the speed with which the developer sells the lots and the builder builds homes.
During all phases – from planning to construction – Town staff monitor the development to ensure that it complies with all facets of the Subdivision Agreement. The Town will not take over (assume) any subdivision until it has inspected all work, and the Developer has satisfied all parts of the Subdivision Agreement.
If you are uncertain if your subdivision has been assumed by the Town of Carleton Place, please contact Development Services at (613) 257-6213.
Making Changes to Your Property
Though you may have moved into your home, it is advised that you make few, if any, changes to your yard or driveway prior to the Town’s assumption of subdivision infrastructure, in order to avoid complications and delays. Should you choose to move forward with alterations, you will be required to remove any items that are built without permits / municipal approval or constructed as such that they interfere with the assumption of the subdivision; this can include altering the grading and drainage pattern.
Site Alterations and Grading
The Town’s Engineering Department and Developer have established how developments are graded to ensure surface water is directed away from your home and towards municipal infrastructure. Catch basins, swales, berms, and ditches play a vital role in dealing with water. Property owners may be given grading plans which will indicate how water is intended to drain from their property.
Changing the grade of your property by improperly designing or locating a fence, shed, deck, pool, etc., can impact not only the drainage of your property but also neighbouring properties.
It is your responsibility to ensure any changes to your property do not impact neighbouring properties. Should you negatively impact an adjacent property, it could become a legal matter between property owners.
Rear Yard Catch Basins
Rear yard catch basins and storm drain connections may be required on your property to facilitate proper drainage. The Town of Carleton Place is responsible for maintaining the infrastructure and, from time to time, will require access to your property to inspect and perform maintenance activities. These structures are generally placed at low points for drainage, and it is essential that homeowners do not alter the drainage patterns. It is also important to keep grass, debris and vegetation from blocking the catch basin cover, as even a partial blockage could impact the drainage and could cause the water to pond on the surface.
Note: Gardens, sheds, pools, fences, etc., shall not obstruct the drainage pattern. When obstacles are in place, water will find an alternative route, which could be your basement window.
Fences
The Town of Carleton Place does not have a fence permit system.
Property owners are reminded that all fences must be constructed entirely on the owner’s own property. Fences are required to comply with the height and size regulations outlined in By-law 93-2020. In addition to the size and height requirements, owners are responsible for ensuring they or their contractors have obtained locates by way of Ontario One Call prior to doing any work below grade when installing any fence.
The Town may be able to provide property owners with copies of plot plans (where available) that were submitted during the construction of a home. These plans may be helpful as a general reference for understanding the approximate lot size and the positioning of the house on the property.
However, please note:
- The Town of Carleton Place is not legally authorized to confirm or determine property boundaries. Only a licensed Ontario Land Surveyor can establish or certify legal property lines. If you require confirmation of your property boundaries before installing a fence, please contact a land surveyor. Please find more information on the Association of Ontario Land Surveyors website.
- Owners who install a fence without locating their property lines do so at their own risk and may experience issues in the future if installed outside of their legally owned property.
By ensuring your fence is within your property boundaries and in compliance with the Town’s by-law, you help maintain positive neighbourhood relations and avoid potential disputes and ensure that there are no requirements for removal of fences that were installed on private or Town-owned lands.
Building Permits (Decks and All Other Structures)
Building Permits (Decks and all Other Structures)
Building permits can be obtained from the Town Building Department. Please contact the Building Department at 613-257-6204 or visit the Building Department page.
Street and Sidewalk Maintenance
The Town of Carleton Place is not responsible for streets and sidewalks within new developments until the development is substantially complete and has met the requirements of the Public Works & Engineering Department.
Street Sweeping – When active construction is ongoing in a development, it is difficult to keep the streets free of dust and mud, especially during rainy periods. The Town does monitor streets, even prior to assuming them, and will inform developers if the streets need to be cleaned.
Snow Removal – The Town of Carleton Place has identified priority streets for winter maintenance, which are streets that have higher traffic volumes and are maintained first. Secondary streets, such as ones within developments, are generally considered secondary and are systematically cleared after priority streets. The Town of Carleton Place encourages residents to be aware of winter parking restrictions. Residents are not permitted to park vehicles on municipal streets or in municipal parking lots from midnight to 7:00 a.m. from November 15th to April 1st. Vehicles will be ticketed and potentially towed to a designated location.
Sidewalks – The Town of Carleton Place does not winter maintain each and every sidewalk within Carleton Place. There are a number of factors when making the determination to winter maintain sidewalks. The Town of Carleton Place will identify sidewalks each winter that will not be maintained by municipal staff. It should be noted that sidewalks not winter maintained by the Town will be deemed closed.
Once again, thank you for choosing Carleton Place as a place to call home. Carleton Place has much to offer our residents. Should you have any additional questions, please contact the Town of Carleton Place at (613) 257-6200.