Permit guideLondonSite Alteration & EngineeringRoad Occupancy & Encroachment
Work approval permits
The City regulates work that occurs on, above, or below municipal roads, sidewalks, and boulevards, and a work approval permit will need to be obtained prior to the start of work.
The municipality lists what to submit. CodeEase shows what the building code asks of it. See CodeEase →
Check whether you need a permit
- The City regulates work that occurs on, above, or below municipal roads, sidewalks, and boulevards.
- A work approval permit will need to be obtained prior to the start of work.
- Examples of work activities on city right-of-ways that require a work permit include material or equipment storage, excavation and roadway occupancy.
- Before starting, please take a moment to consider the impact the planned work will have on the surrounding plants and trees. For more information, review the Tree Protection By-law.
Prepare your plans0 of 3
When applying for a work approval permit, the City requires the following documentation to be submitted as a complete package:
You need an account to see these 3 items.It’s free. Use Sign in at the top of the page to create one, then tick the items off on any device and print them as a checklist.
- Only if a TCP is required for any Construction Work Approval Permit
Prepare the Traffic Control Plan
A Traffic Control Plan (TCP) is a Ministry of Labour and Ontario Traffic Manual (OTM) Book 7 requirement that effectively and safely harmonizes a project’s physical requirements with the operational requirements of the City of London and all of its right-of-way users.
Traffic control plans
The TCP should be an electronically created drawing(s) that includes, at a minimum, the following:
- provide a brief description of the work including the duration and the proposed time of working hours.
- show the street names on the plan including cross streets/intersections and the TC #’s for the signs and the Typical Layout reference # from OTM Book 7.
- quote the TL # used from OTM Book 7, and refer to Table A for short duration works and Table B for long duration works. The signage and distance between should reflect from the appropriate Typical layout figure and table (modified or not).
- show the location of the building/driveways and the municipal address(es).
- show all the lanes for each road on the drawing and define the proposed lane widths.
- state the impact on sidewalks/LTC bus stops and operations/school bus stops and operations/driveways, if any, and how they will be addressed.
Complete the forms2
Submit your application
- Please note: any application package that is not complete will not be reviewed.
- Application packages can be submitted to the Public Property Compliance team on the seventh Floor of City Hall or by e-mail to streetpermit@london.ca.
- As per the Streets by-law, the applicant of a work approval permit shall submit a complete application package to the City of London at least seven days in advance of commencing occupancy or work on, above, or below City of London public property.
- While we make every effort to meet your scheduled timelines and business needs, please be aware we reserve the right to take seven (7) business days to review, coordinate, and issue a Work Approval Permit.
Provide securities or a deposit
- Securities and/or deposits are required for all works issued under a Work Approval Permit. The security/deposit amount is based upon the cost for the City to reinstate the street and for any other services if the applicant does not complete the job to the satisfaction of the work approval permit.
- letter of credit
- surety bonds
- cash deposit
- Please be advise one of the three forms of securities will be required before a Work Approval Permit is issued. Please email Public Property Compliance at streetpermit@london.ca to determine the amount of security required by the City.
Pay the fees
- A pavement degradation fee is required for any section of roadway or portion thereof where the roadway is removed.
- Where an applicant anticipates occupying a street or a portion of a street for more than 30 days, the applicant shall enter into a licence agreement with the City prior to issuance of a permit.
- Under that agreement, the applicant shall pay a fee as set out in Schedule 1 of the City of London’s Various Fees and Charges By-law.
Restore the work site
- Full restoration to City specification of the work site is required to be completed on or before the expiration date of the issued work approval permit.
- The City does recognize at times there are unforeseen circumstances that prevent the completion of the work or restoration.
- If this occurs it is your obligation to notify the City’s Public Property and Compliance team to discuss an extension or alternative solution.
- Within the upcoming construction season the City will be conducting random inspections to ensure work is completed within approved timeframes. If it is discovered the approved permit timeframes have not been adhered to and the Public Property and Compliance team has not been notified of a required extension, enforcement actions may be taken.
- Only if Work Approval Permits issued for work within the City’s Right-of-Way from December 1 to April 30
Off-Season Restoration Requirements
Failure to complete full restoration by May 31
Failure to complete full restoration by May 31 may result in:
- Suspension of future permit issues until restoration is complete
- Use of securities or deposits to restore works
- Additional enforcement action as required
- Only if work cannot start and finish within the approved dates
Extensions and resubmissions
- A work approval permit extension may be requested if the work has begun and is going to exceed the approved permit end date. The cost of an extension is $100 per day, alternatively, a new permit can be obtained with all new application fees.
- If a work approval permit has been issued and work cannot start and finish within the approved dates provided the start date has not passed, notice can be provided to the Public Property and Compliance team and new dates will be scheduled at no additional cost.
- If a work approval permit has been issued and the start and end date have passed with no work having taken place, the permit will be revoked and any future work will require a new work approval permit application and fees be submitted.
Written from London’s own pages as published on 23 October 2026. The municipality decides what a permit needs: confirm with it before you apply. Legal notice