Ottawa to give residents ‘flexibility’ to install sidewalks in right-of-way

A Kanata couple was told in the summer of 2025 they have to rip out some of their nearly $40,000 landscaping project over a bylaw violation. (Katie Griffin/CTV News Ottawa)

The City of Ottawa is set to loosen the rules for landscaping in front of homes by giving residents flexibility to build walkways or expand their driveways on the city’s property.

A report for the public works and infrastructure committee meeting on Feb. 26 recommends the city adopt a new Access Bylaw, providing new opportunities for “walkways and the limited expansion of driveways in the city’s right-of-way.”

• City of Ottawa now requires landscapers to obtain a licence

Under the rules, the maximum width for hard surfaces, the driveway and extended walkway in the city’s right of way will be 50 per cent of the lot, with staff saying residents will have a “measure of flexibility” to install a sidewalk “where there is space to do so.”

“It is further proposed that on a lot where the frontage width is 12.0 metres or less and there is a driveway, that a pedestrian access is not permitted such that an area of contiguous soft landscaping can be preserved where a tree could be planted,” the report said.

Staff note that many homes already have a driveway that covers 50 per cent of the width of their lot, meaning they wouldn’t have the option to install a sidewalk into the right-of-way.

“The intention of these recommendations is to offer a measure of flexibility to residents where there is space to do so while still preserving the functions of the right of way, notably space for tree planting and protections for existing trees, stormwater management, snow storage and on-street parking,” the report said.

The proposed changes come as the city sees an increase in cases of Bylaw Services issuing orders for unauthorized alterations on the city’s right-of-way, with a new widening of private approaches taking up more than 50 per cent of the lot’s frontage.

In August 2025, a Kanata couple was told to rip out their $40,000 landscaping project on the city’s right of way.

Staff recommend the city repeal the current Private Approach Bylaw that regulates the design, use and maintenance of private approaches in the city and establishes the process for issuing a permit.

The new Access Bylaw would align with the city’s recently approved Zoning Bylaw and provide “more opportunities to have walkway and driveway configurations” allowed to continue to the sidewalk or roadway,” according to staff. The city said the new bylaw would “also increase flexibility to respond to individual contexts or unique design requirements when reviewing permit applications.”

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Under Ottawa’s new Zoning Bylaw, approved in January, the maximum cumulative width of all walkways and driveways must not exceed 50 per cent of the lot width in the front yard. The soft landscaping requirements state any part of a yard must be soft landscaped if not occupied by hardscaped pads, driveways and pedestrian walkways.

New Access Bylaw

Here is a look at the main elements of the proposed new Access Bylaw, according to staff:

• An established set of permissions” for residential properties to install a walkway into the right-of-way. “The cumulative maximum is set at 50 per cent, which is the existing established maximum for hard surface in the Private Approach Bylaw,” staff said.
• A vehicle access already established to serve as a parking space is permitted to remain in the right-of-way. “The new Zoning By-law also provides the option for the addition of a front yard parking space on some lots. Under the proposed Access Bylaw, a property owner who can take advantage of these permissions on their lot and wishes to create a corresponding access in the right of way may apply for an access permit to initiate a technical review,” the report said.
• Staff say the new Access Bylaw will streamline the development review process for walkways. “From a regulatory and enforcement perspective, outlining the design and location parameters and the maintenance requirements for walkways sets clear expectations for residents and their contractors moving forward,” the report said.