On 8 April 2026, the City of Ottawa enacted the Access By-law (No. 2026-139), which replaced the Private Approach By-law (No. 2003-447). The old by-law had governed driveway and walkway accesses in the City right of way since 2003.
Why you are still finding the old name
"Private approach" was the City's term for the portion of a driveway that crosses the right of way, and it stuck for twenty-three years. Councillor newsletters, community association pages, contractor websites and a great deal of advice still use it, and plenty of that material has not been updated. The vocabulary changed with the by-law: the City now calls that strip a vehicular access, and the walkway equivalent a pedestrian access.
So if a contractor quotes you confidently on "the private approach by-law", they may simply be using old habits — or they may not have read the rules that apply to your job. It is a fair thing to ask about.
What the current framework looks like
Three by-laws and one design standard do the work now:
| Instrument | What it governs |
|---|---|
| Access By-law No. 2026-139 |
The design, use and maintenance of the access in the City right of way. Replaced the Private Approach By-law on 8 April 2026. |
| Zoning By-law No. 2026-50 |
The driveway on your own property — maximum width and location (s. 606), permitted surface materials (s. 601(5)), parking areas and land use. |
| Road Activity By-law No. 2003-445 |
The physical construction of the access and any work in the right of way. This is the road cut permit. |
| Encroachment By-law No. 2003-446 |
Anything of yours that extends into the right of way — a snow melting system under a driveway, for instance. |
| Access Design Requirements | The technical standard: total width, minimum distance from a neighbouring property line, distance from an intersection, slope, construction standards. Applies to homeowners and contractors alike. |
What has not changed
The core obligation is the same as it always was, and it is the part people miss either way: you need the City's permission before altering the access. An access permit is required to construct, modify, close or remove a vehicular access, and widening counts as modifying. The fee is payable at application and is not refundable.
The reasons behind the rules have not changed either. The City restricts what happens in the right of way to keep greenspace available for tree planting, to protect drainage and leave somewhere to store snow, to preserve on-street parking, to keep ditches, hydrants and buried utilities accessible, and to keep sightlines safe.
The width rules, as they stand
| Where your property is | Maximum driveway width |
|---|---|
| Downtown core and urban areas | Generally 6 m |
| Urban lots with less than 6 m of frontage | No individual driveway permitted — the driveway must be shared with an abutting lot |
| All other areas, including the rural and village areas | 50% of the lot width |
| Every property, as a separate cap | All accesses together — driveway and walkway — cannot exceed 50% of the frontage they sit on |
Working out your own maximum →
One live wrinkle
Front yard parking permits are on hold. The Zoning By-law (No. 2026-50) permissions for creating new front yard parking spaces are not in effect until the Ontario Land Tribunal declares those regulations in effect. The City anticipated that happening by the end of September 2026. Until it does, the City cannot process a permit application to install or widen an access serving a new front yard parking space.
If that is your project, the sensible move is to get the design and quote settled now and file the moment the hold lifts — which also puts you in the queue for spring rather than at the back of it.
Where to verify this yourself
We are a contractor, not the City, and by-laws change — this page is our plain-language reading, not legal advice. The City's own pages on driveways and walkways and on access permits are the authority, and a Development Information Officer will answer questions about your specific property at 613-580-2424 ext. 23434 or dioinquiry@ottawa.ca.
Working from advice that might be out of date?
Send us your address and what you were told. We'll check it against the current by-law and tell you where it stands.