Outdoor maintenance during the COVID-19 pandemic

April 25, 2020 10:00 a.m.

​Services providing safety, security, sanitation and essential maintenance permitted

During the COVID-19 pandemic, landscaping, lawn-care, fence and pool companies can continue to provide services related to safety, security, sanitation or essential maintenance purposes only. This marks the latest effort to ensure the protection and safety of citizens and their properties.  

Businesses including but not limited to landscapers, lawn maintenance, pool and fence companies require a Vaughan Business License to offer or provide services within the City. Operating without a valid license is a violation and a chargeable offense. For more information about licensing, contact Access Vaughan at 905-832-2281.
 
In compliance with the Ontario Essential Business list and the City’s Emergency Measures By-law, service areas that can continue include:
  • Landscaping and lawn care, including cutting, dethatching, aeration and fertilizing
  • Clearing yards of refuse and debris, including the removal of animal excrement
  • Fence installation and repairs, with proper permits
  • Emergency repairs to outdoor decks, with proper permits, subject to Schedule 2 of Ontario Regulation 119/20 for construction
  • Pool openings so stagnant and standing water can be removed, limiting mosquito breeding
  • Active home construction projects with permits issued prior to April 4, 2020 
Landscaping projects conducted by professional contractors for esthetic purposes do not apply. These include, but are not limited to, planting of gardens, flowers and trees, and installing pergolas, patios, interlock walkways and driveways, among others.
 
In enforcing these regulations, by-law officers will address and take all necessary steps to prevent any unsafe operation from continuing. Appropriate investigation and action will be taken for every reported instance to ensure that residents and their properties remain safe and that minimum maintenance standards are met. For further information, contact By-law and Compliance, Licensing and Permit Services at 905-832-2281.
 
For further information about the provincial list of essential businesses and related services, businesses can continue to call the Province’s ‘Stop the Spread’ Business Information Line at 1-888-444-3659. Additional resources on the virus, including a self-assessment online tool, are also available at ontario.ca/COVID19.
 
All businesses must adhere to physical distancing measures set by York Region Public Health officials to ensure the well-being of everyone in the community. For additional information and resources on COVID-19, visit York Region's website at york.ca/COVID19.
 
The City has also reinstated leaf and yard waste collection in response to community needs – it is being collected every second week on the same day as regularly scheduled garbage days. Due to volume, collection may be slower than usual. Residents are encouraged to leave leaf and yard waste out into the following day if it is not picked up. Learn more about leaf and yard waste collection, including safe set-out guidelines, in the public service announcement available at vaughan.ca.
 
As the City of Vaughan continues to respond to COVID-19, precautionary measures are introduced and re-assessed to help protect the health of all citizens. To stay up to date on the latest updates as they happen, visit vaughan.ca/COVID19. Residents are also encouraged to sign up for the City Update eNewsletter at vaughan.ca/CityUpdate, and follow the City’s Twitter, Facebook and Instagram channels.
 
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