Overview
Municipal Consent gives companies permission to install or move utilities. It is also needed whenever a road needs to be excavated. Companies must have drawings that show where the utility will be placed as part of their application.
If a utility needs to be moved after work has already begun, all work must stop. Haldimand County needs to approve the new location of the utility before work can continue.
Eligibility
Municipal consent will only be given to utility companies who have a Municipal Access Agreement with Haldimand County. For all other work within the County right of way, companies or residents are encouraged to work through either the subdivision process or the Roads Operations Division permit process.
Municipal Consent Applications are required for:
- Installing new utility infrastructure in the County Right of Way
- Relocating new utility infrastructure in the County Right of Way
- Installing new service lines that cross a County Right of Way
- Repairs to an existing utility infrastructure that requires any excavation within the County Right of Way (simplified application)
If you have any questions on whether a municipal consent application is required, contact our Engineering Division.
How to apply
- If a project involves work at more than one location, send us a separate application for each location.
- Please apply at least 30 days before the planned start date of the work. The official application date is the date that Haldimand County receives the application.
- Please make sure that a drawing is attached and included with the application.
Emergency work
- Emergency work can be done by utility companies with an existing municipal utility agreement before getting municipal consent.
- You will still need to complete a simplified version of the application within 48 hours of any emergency repair.
Application drawing requirements
A drawing must be attached with each municipal consent application, except for the simplified repair application.
All drawings must:
- Be accurate
- Be in metric
- Show utility depths based
- Have distinct line types that make it easy to distinguish between types of proposed utility
- Be cleared by all other utilities, agencies and commissions that could be affected by the work (if requested by the Traffic Technologist)
Details should include the following:
- An arrow that shows which direction is north
- A legend
- The drawing's scale
- Street names for all streets, and a town/township
- 911 address (if known)
- Property lines, right-of-way limits and easement limits
- Description, location and dimensions of the proposed utility
- Driveways
- Guide rails or cables
- Sidewalks
- Ditches and their depth
- Existing utilities that may be affected by the work
- Above or below-ground structures that may be affected by the work
- Typical vault/GLB/cabinet details
- Trench details
Review and approval
Haldimand County reviews applications as quickly as possible, and generally within ten (10) business days.
Please make sure that your application is completed in full, as incomplete applications will be sent back. Once we have reviewed your application, we will send it back to you. If it is approved, you can start work as planned. If it is not approved, Haldimand County will let you know what needs to be changed. Once revisions are submitted and approved, your work may commence. The approved Municipal Consent is valid for one year. If the work is not started and completed within 1 year of the original application, a new application must be submitted.
All construction in the County Right of Way must be completed following the Occupational Health & Safety Act. All Traffic Control must be completed by qualified, competent individuals and must follow Ontario Traffic Manual Book 7. Road closures are not generally permitted, however, if required, please contact the Engineering Division and the Traffic Technologist will provide a Road Closure Form that can be submitted through that separate process for review and approval.
Please notify Haldimand County once the work is complete, and when the restoration is done. The Traffic Technologist will complete a final inspection of the restoration within 30 days of being notified to approve the restoration. Once restoration is approved, the utility will be notified, and the 1 year maintenance period will begin.
Restoration and maintenance
Any work that is done within a County Right of Way upon completion must be restored to the same or better condition. Quality construction practices and materials must be used. The utility and/or its contractor shall be responsible for monitoring and maintaining any excavation sites to a safe standard from the date of excavation until the final restoration is approved by Haldimand County.
Restoration work may include roadways, curbs, sidewalks, driveways, sod, trees, paint, urban decorative features, etc. The utility company must make note of all County infrastructure in the vicinity of the proposed location and ensure it is protected and/or repaired upon completion of their work. The County has design criteria that should be used as a guideline, in addition to the Ontario Provincial Standards, and Ontario Traffic Manuals.
If you are unsure about a specific restoration requirement, or materials that may be specific to your application site, contact the Engineering Division.
Upon completion of the restoration work, contact the County and staff will inspect and provide completion approval for that Municipal Consent. At the time of approval, a one (1) year maintenance period will commence. Should any repairs be required to a restoration site due to substandard work, and/or claims received during that period, the utility company will be notified and required to make such repairs within a reasonable timeframe. Timeframes may vary depending on urgency, however shall be no longer than 30 days.
