A reverse slope driveway is one that slopes downward from a public street to a parking area, such as a below-grade garage.
Submission of an application for a Toronto Water Technical Review does not guarantee an approval will be granted.
If a proposed or existing reverse slope driveway will not be discharging to grade and needs a storm connection to a City storm sewer, a Storm Connection Exemption will be required. An exemption will only be considered if discharging to grade would create a hazardous condition or is not technically feasible. Applicants should carefully review the City of Toronto Sewers By-law and the Storm Connection Exemption Application webpage for information on requirements in order to determine if the site is eligible for a storm connection and understand the additional submission requirements that will apply to the storm connection design. The Storm Connection Exemption Application can be included in the same application form as the request for a Toronto Water Technical Review for a Reverse Slope Driveway.
Please do not begin this process until you have reviewed, understood and prepared the required supporting documentation, including technical reports and drawings and a complete Municipal Services Application Form, and are prepared to pay the Technical Review fee.
Review timelines will not commence until a complete application is submitted. For an application to be considered complete, the following must be received by the City:
For any clarification on the submission requirements and/or application, please contact Victoria Crowther via email at Victoria.Crowther@toronto.ca.
To begin the process, you must submit a completed Municipal Services Application Form to the Toronto Water counter via email at TWC@toronto.ca and pay the Technical Review fee. For information on fees, please refer to Wastewater Fees – Technical Review by Toronto Water staff – Application to Toronto Water for an exemption to permit the construction of a driveway sloped downwards towards a residential building.
The Toronto Water counter will contact applicants to arrange for payment of the Technical Review fee. Accepted forms of payment:
Please provide the property owner and agent/applicant contact information to Toronto Water at the time of payment.
After you have submitted the Municipal Services Application Form and paid the Technical Review fee, you will be contacted within five business days by Toronto Water review staff to coordinate the provision of technical supporting documentation for your application.
Documents needed to start the Technical Review include:
1. Topographic Survey, prepared, signed and dated by a qualified surveyor.
2. Reverse Slope Driveway Report and related design drawings prepared, stamped, signed and dated by a professional engineer, licensed to practice in the province of Ontario.
For minimum report submission requirements and limitations for reverse slope driveways, refer to Appendix F of the Design Criteria for Sewers and Watermains – Reverse Slope Driveway Guidelines. Special consideration should be taken to include all of the requirements in Appendix F, including but not limited to:
If a connection is proposed from a reverse slope driveway’s drainage collection system to the storm sewer system, the report must demonstrate that discharging at grade would create a hazardous condition or is not technically feasible. In addition, the report shall demonstrate the following:
3. Copy of the conditional approval of the Committee of Adjustment or Ontario Land Tribunal’s decision (if applicable).
Submission of an application for a Toronto Water Technical Review does not guarantee an approval will be granted.
Considerations before applying:
Toronto Water will review the submitted materials and if the application meets the conditions necessary for approval, an approval letter will be issued within ten business days of the final submission. Toronto Water will approve the report and design drawings and provide a copy to the applicant so they can have verification of the approval.