I need to get approval from the conservation authority to rebuild my house. What are they looking for?

If you’re building near an environmentally significant area like a wetland or river, the conservation agency may ask you to provide a topographical plan of your property. Sometimes they might refer to it as a ‘geodetic survey’.

The plan will show your house and any other significant details on your property. More importantly, the plan will show grid point elevations which will be used by the conservation authority to determine if your property is in a floodplain. This is a common concern for homeowners in Norval and Glen Williams, for example.

Even If your property isn’t in a floodplain, the conservation agency may need to approve your development if it’s near a top of bank. In this case they might stake out the actual location of the top of bank and I could measure it and show it on a plan to see if your proposed construction meets the required setbacks.

Once you are cleared by the conservation agency, the same plan will be used to prepare a site plan for submission to the Town.

As licensed Ontario Land Surveyors, we are available to discuss anything relating to your development and answer any questions you have.