Examine your own grading and be prepared to make changes to ensure that your foundation grading will direct surface drainage away from your house. Evaluate the existing drainage pattern and discharge locations with your neighbour to determine the best point of discharge for downspouts or sump discharge hoses. Discharge points must not be less than 15 centimetres from the property line.

A swale is a shallow, sloped channel that conveys water from the buildings towards the street or lane. Lot grading between the houses has to be maintained for a positive and consistent slope along drainage swale.

All property owners are responsible to grade their lots properly to allow surface drainage away from buildings and towards the public right-of-way.

Many houses in older areas have the downspouts connected to the storm sewer system inside the house. Basement flooding may occur during heavy rainstorms when the storm sewer system is flowing at peak capacity, causing the sewer back-up.

Disconnecting the downspouts from the storm system allows the roof drainage to flow onto the ground before reaching the catchbasin in the street. The City supports this disconnection if surface drainage does not impact adjacent property or environmentally sensitive locations. In many cases, improvement of the existing surface grading is required to ensure the compliance with the Drainage Bylaw

Examine your own grading and be prepared to make changes to ensure that your foundation grading will direct surface drainage away from your house. Evaluate the existing drainage pattern and discharge locations with your neighbour to determine the best point of discharge for the downspouts. Discharge points must be at least 15 centimetres away from the property line.

A swale is a shallow, sloped channel that conveys water from the buildings towards the street or lane. Lot grading between the houses has to be maintained for a positive and consistent slope along drainage swale. A shared swale on the common property line is the ideal case. However, a separate swale within the lot is sometimes required to solve a drainage problem.

All property owners are responsible to grade their lots properly to allow surface drainage away from buildings and towards the public right-of-way.

There is no surface drainage design for properties developed prior to 1989. However, the Alberta Building Code and the Drainage Bylaw provide requirements for all houses to have a 10% slope away from the foundation walls. In the case of mature (in-fill) housing, the owner must submit a Lot Grading Certificate for approval to ensure conformance to the provisions of the Surface Drainage Bylaw and the lot grading guidelines.

To avoid surface drainage problems, you should:

• review and repair your foundation grading to re-establish the slope away from your house
• ensure that you have downspout extensions or splash pads to convey surface water at least 2 metres away from the house
• consult with the adjacent property owner to create a drainage plan that works for both properties
• check lot grading between the houses to make sure a positive and consistent slope along the drainage swale has been maintained

For a free evaluation of your grading, contact Drainage Services at 311 or email floodcheckup@edmonton.ca for an opportunity to participate in the Flood Prevention Home Check-up Program.

If your neighbour has re-landscaped his foundation grading to provide the required slope of 10% away from his house without changing the existing grade at the property line, then you should examine your own lot grading and be prepared to make changes to ensure that your foundation grading is slope away from your house. If you have poor or negative grade, surface water will flow towards your foundation wall and increase the risk of basement flooding. Evaluate the existing drainage patterns and discuss with your neighbour to overcome common drainage issues.

If the re-grading has resulted in directing surface drainage from the neighbour’s roof or foundation directly on to your property, there may be a bylaw violation.
Call 780-496-5576 or email: lot.grading@edmonton.ca to contact a drainage representative.

Drainage Services recommends maintaining positive slope from your foundation walls and paying close attention to how your stormwater is managed and directed.

You may want to call 311 and request to speak with our Lot Grading Inspectors. When provided with your address we can guide you with the appropriate requirements and make you aware of any specific designs that must be maintained.

You should also be aware that the City of Edmonton provides a complimentary Flood Prevention Home Check-up service that focuses on flood control and maintenance strategies to protect your home. Call 780-944-7777 to book a visit by a Flood Prevention Assessor.

Ask your neighbour to consider repairing his foundation grading in concern with your re-grading efforts. The combined foundation grading of both houses will form a common property swale that will convey damaging surface drainage away from both buildings. Grading changes to only one house will likely direct surface drainage towards the adjacent building. This is not permitted.

When working independently, you must ensure that surface drainage from the slope that you create away from your house is directed to drain towards a City right-of-way. You may need to construct an internal swale to achieve this requirement.

There is no permit requirement for re-grading that does not alter an existing drainage pattern. Your re-landscaping efforts must ensure that any grade changes will serve to direct surface drainage towards a public right-of-way (usually a street or a lane) without draining onto an adjacent private property. However, if there is an approved Lot Grading Plan for the area and alterations result in a complaint to the City of Edmonton, a re-application for Final Lot Grading Approval may be required.

Effective side-lot drainage requires the co-operation of both property owners. Check your own foundation grading and lot drainage. All property owners are responsible to have the lot graded to direct surface water away from buildings and towards the public right-of-way. Surface grading changes that promote the flow of surface drainage from the roof or the foundation directly onto adjacent private property may be a bylaw violation. Consult with your neighbour over common drainage issues.

Call 780-496-5576 or email lot.grading@edmonton.ca to contact a drainage representative.

If you are a lawyer or a realtor working on behalf of a vendor or purchaser, we can provide that information under the Freedom of Information and Privacy (FOIP) Act. Provide a written request, including property address and legal description, to Drainage Services and we will generally respond within 2 working days.

City of Edmonton
Drainage Services, Lot Grading
5th Floor Century Place
9803 – 102A Avenue NW
Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
T5J 3A3

Email: lot.grading@edmonton.ca
Phone: 780-496-5576
Fax:     780-496-2865

When selling or purchasing a home, it is the owner’s responsibility to ensure that lot grading meets approval and is in compliance with the Surface Drainage Bylaw. Drainage Services will only release this information upon receiving a written request from a registered owner or law or realty firm. This information is collected under the Freedom of Information and Privacy (FOIP) Act, and used only to maintain business practices for lot grading purposes.

City of Edmonton
Drainage Services, Lot Grading
5th Floor Century Place
9803 – 102A Avenue NW
Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
T5J 3A3

Email: lot.grading@edmonton.ca
Phone: 780-496-5576
Fax: 780-496-2865

All new commercial and multi-family properties have on-site stormwater management. The parking lot is designed to store rain water on the surface, which will slowly drain into the storm system through a reducer in the catchbasin. This is intended to prevent surcharging the storm sewers. All commercial and multi-family properties must contain surface drainage within the property (on-site).

All new commercial and multi-family properties are required to have on-site stormwater management. A lot grading plan indicating the proposed on-site drainage must be provided and graded in accordance with the lot grading plan and Lot Grading Guidelines. The builder of the new development must control the site grading, and stormwater management. Retaining walls may be needed to achieve this.

Adjustments to the site grading may be required to provide a better level of protection from rainfall and snow melt.

Maintaining the site grading is the responsibility of the Condominium Association. If the project was built after 1993, there should have an approved lot grading plan. This plan can serve as the basis for solving surface drainage issues. Problems in projects constructed before 1993 must be solved using common sense, good grading principles, and the provisions of the Drainage Bylaw with the Lot Grading Guidelines.

Maintaining good drainage on your residential property is a component of flood prevention. A flooded yard or basement can cause serious damage to your property and cost time, money and inconvenience. Our home flood prevention check-up service brings a drainage specialist to your home, for a complimentary one-on-one interior and exterior drainage assessment. The service is available from May-October to any residential homeowner in Edmonton (certain conditions apply). However, preference for booking an appointment is given to homeowners that have a history of flooding.

Call 780-944-7777 or email floodcheckup@edmonton.ca to schedule a complimentary appointment. All bookings are based on a first come, first served basis. The Flood Prevention Home Check-up webpage provides more information about the program.