Areas
Mississauga, from Streetsville out
Our home city. We have built here since 2011, from the village streets of Streetsville to the big lots in Lorne Park and the tight new ones in Churchill Meadows.
Mississauga's yards come in eras. Lakeview has post-war cottages on generous square lots. Sheridan and Applewood are 1960s to 1980s with mature trees. Erin Mills south of the 403 is 1970s and 1980s, Meadowvale is 1970s towns and semis, Lisgar is late 1990s and 2000s detached, and Churchill Meadows is newer and tightly packed. Mineola and Lorne Park have the custom builds and the big lots. Streetsville runs from old brick village houses along Queen Street to subdivisions built from the 1950s to the 2000s.
Under most of it is the Halton-Peel till plain. A 2025 geotechnical report for a site on Eglinton Avenue West found 1.0 to 2.1 m of mixed fill over glacial till of sandy silt, silty sand and silty clay, with high frost susceptibility and a frost design depth of 1.2 m. That is why we build a full base under everything. The City's Residential Drainage Guide asks for a grade that drops about 2 to 3 percent in the first 2 metres from the house, sump pumps that discharge on your own lot, and swales that are never filled.
The work follows the eras. Older lots in Lakeview, Sheridan and Applewood need patios rebuilt and planting around big trees that are now protected. The 1970s and 1980s houses in Erin Mills and Meadowvale often need regrading, because decades of settling and garden beds have turned the grade back toward the foundation. The newer lots in Lisgar and Churchill Meadows are small, so every square foot of patio and planting has to earn its place.
Since 2022, any job near a tree 15 cm or more across starts with the bylaw. We check every tree at the first visit, so a permit question never stops a crew in the middle of a dig.
The neighbourhoods, as a local sees them.
- StreetsvilleHome base on the Credit River. Old brick village houses near Queen Street and Main Street, subdivisions from the 1950s to the 2000s around Britannia and Creditview.
- Lorne Park and MineolaCustom builds on the big lots, mature canopy everywhere. Terraces, natural stone and planting that works with the trees, not against them.
- Erin Mills1970s and 1980s houses south of the 403. Regrading, drainage and rebuilt back patios are the usual jobs.
- LakeviewPost-war cottages on generous square lots near the lake. Big yards that reward a full design-build.
- Churchill MeadowsNewer, tightly packed lots. Compact patios, side-yard walks and planting chosen for small spaces.
The rules on your lot.
Checked against the municipality's own pages. Bylaws change; we confirm them again before every job.
- Trees
- Private Tree Protection By-law 0021-2022, approved 2 February 2022. A permit is needed to injure or remove any private tree 15 cm or more in diameter. The base fee is $399.77 including HST plus $139.72 per additional healthy tree, with no fee for dead or dying trees. One native replacement per 15 cm removed, with a deposit refunded after one healthy year.
- Decks, sheds and fences
- No permit for landscaping, fences, retaining walls under 1 m, one-storey storage sheds under 15 m2 without plumbing, gazebos of 10 m2 or under, or decks under 0.61 m. A permit is needed for larger sheds, sheds with plumbing, other accessory structures over 10 m2 and decks over 0.61 m. Fences may be 2 m at the rear and side and 1 m at the front, or 1.5 m if open; an exemption costs $361.20.
- Pools
- Swimming Pool Enclosure By-law 0191-2011 requires a Certificate of Approval before the pool is filled. A residential enclosure must be at least 1.22 m high, with self-closing, self-latching gates.
- Watering
- Peel Region runs a voluntary smart-watering campaign. There is no odd and even watering bylaw in Mississauga.
Straight answers
Do I need a permit for a patio in Mississauga?
No. Landscaping work needs no building permit. Decks over 0.61 m and larger accessory structures do, and protected trees near the work may need a tree permit.
Why does my patio heave every spring?
Most likely it was built on clay or on limestone screenings with too little gravel. Mississauga's till is highly frost-susceptible, so water under the stone freezes and lifts it. The fix is a rebuild from the clay up, not a relay.
Can I build over the swale between our houses?
No. The City's drainage guide says swales must never be filled, and the Property Standards By-law requires owners to keep their drainage from affecting neighbours. We design around the swale.
Where should my sump pump discharge?
On your own lot, according to the City's drainage guide. The Property Standards By-law also makes owners responsible for keeping their drainage off a neighbour's property.
In Mississauga? We are probably nearby
Send the street and a photo. We will tell you what the yard needs and whether the trees need a permit before we come out.
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