Looking for hardscaping in Ajax? Michael Durham Landscaping designs and installs interlock patios, walkways, steps and retaining walls in natural stone and concrete pavers, and we also repair and seal interlock that is already in place. Below is what we build and what the Town of Ajax says before you dig, including a policy that lets you add a paver walkway beside your driveway without applying.
How We Build Patios, Walkways and Walls
Through our interlocking and hardscaping service, each Ajax project is built the same way from the ground up:
- Six inches of compacted base. Engineered aggregate goes down in three lifts, each one compacted, which is what keeps pavers flat after years of freezing and thawing.
- Water planned before stone. We work out every slope and swale first, so runoff heads away from your house.
- Polymeric sand in the joints, which binds the pavers together and discourages weeds and ants.
- Edge restraint around the perimeter so the pattern cannot creep.
- Full commercial liability insurance on every hardscape job.
A typical backyard patio takes 3 to 5 days, from digging out to sweeping in the polymeric sand. Jobs that add retaining walls can run a week or longer.
What the Town of Ajax Says About Hardscaping
Walkways beside your driveway
According to the Town's Resident Guide to Driveway Widening and Curb Cuts, you can now build a driveway-adjacent walkway along either side of your driveway with no application to the Town, as long as it meets the requirements.
The guide sets the widths. On the side of the driveway nearest the front door, the walkway can be up to 1.8 metres wide. On the opposite side, the limit is 0.6 metres. A walkway may run the full length of the driveway, including across the Town-owned boulevard, but the boulevard section has to be interlocking pavers, concrete or asphalt, with no raised curbs or other features sticking up above the ground. It also has to keep the same clearances the Town sets for widened aprons, such as distance from municipal trees, utility equipment and fire hydrants.
One more detail matters for design: on your own property, where the driveway-adjacent walkway meets another walkway or patch of at-grade hard landscaping, the connection between the two surfaces cannot be more than 1.5 metres wide. The guide also notes that only the Town or its contractors may cut a curb.
Retaining walls and building permits
Ajax's Planning and Development Applications page says a building permit is needed for designated structures under the Ontario Building Code, and it names retaining walls as one example. Under the Code, that applies to a wall more than 1 metre in exposed height beside public property, an entrance to a building, or private land the public can use. The same page says a Sediment and Erosion Control Permit has to be in place before topsoil is stripped, fill is brought in or land is graded, which can apply to a large regrading job. We look at both at the quote, and if a permit is needed we handle the application.
Permit applications go to Building Services, through the Town's online portal for residential work, as explained on the Building Permits and Inspections page. That page also reminds residents to request free utility locates through Ontario One Call before any digging, even with a shovel.
How Ajax lots are graded
The Town's lot grading design criteria are written for subdivision engineers, but they explain what your patio has to fit into. Front yards are graded to drain toward the street, every lot surface is built to at least a 2% grade, a front walkway is designed at no more than 6%, and side yard swales sit to one side of the lot line between neighbours. In new subdivisions, the criteria also call for a guard on any retaining wall 0.6 metres or taller. Our job is to keep a new patio or path working with that pattern so water still leaves your yard the way the lot was designed.
Patios next to a pool fence
Ajax's Fence By-law 42-2025 requires a swimming pool enclosure permit before a privately owned outdoor pool is dug or built. It also bars owners from placing materials or objects against or near the outside of a pool enclosure that could help someone climb it, unless the yard itself is fenced to the by-law's standard.
Pickering Village heritage properties
Ajax has a heritage district in Pickering Village. The Town's Heritage Considerations page says a heritage permit is needed before alterations that could affect the character-defining features of a designated property, with district attributes listed in the Pickering Village Heritage Conservation District Plan. The Town's heritage permit information sheet recommends speaking to Heritage Planning staff first to find out whether your work needs one.
Town rules change from time to time, so confirm current requirements with the Town of Ajax before work begins.
Planning Your Ajax Project
Decide how you will use the space, then where the water goes; a back patio usually needs a gentle fall away from the house. For layout ideas, see our post on interlocking ideas for patio and walkway designs, or read when you need a retaining wall if part of your yard is sliding.
Common Questions
Can I add an interlock walkway beside my driveway in Ajax without a permit?
Yes, if it meets the Town's requirements. A walkway on the front door side can be up to 1.8 metres wide and one on the other side up to 0.6 metres. Any part on the boulevard must be pavers, concrete or asphalt, sit flush with the ground and keep the Town's setbacks.
Does a retaining wall in Ajax need a building permit?
It can. The Town treats retaining walls as designated structures under the Ontario Building Code, which covers walls over 1 metre in exposed height next to public property, a building entrance or private property open to the public. We confirm whether yours qualifies when we quote.
Can I build a patio or seat wall right next to my pool fence in Ajax?
Not always. The Fence By-law does not allow materials or objects near the outside of a pool enclosure that could help someone climb it, unless the rest of the yard is fenced to the by-law's standard. We plan seat walls and planters around that rule.
Do you repair or seal older interlock in Ajax?
Yes. Along with building new patios, walkways and driveways, we repair and seal existing interlock. Describe the problem when you ask for a quote and we will assess it at the site visit.
Book an Ajax Hardscaping Quote
Get in touch to arrange an on-site visit and a free quote for your patio, walkway, steps or retaining wall in Ajax. For lawns, gardens and other services, visit landscaping in Ajax.
Sources: Town of Ajax, A Resident Guide to Driveway Widening and Curb Cuts; Town of Ajax, Planning and Development Applications; Town of Ajax, Building Permits and Inspections; Town of Ajax, Design Criteria Section E, Lot Grading; Town of Ajax, Fence By-law 42-2025; Town of Ajax, Heritage Considerations; Town of Ajax, Heritage Permit General Information.