Landscape maintenance in Ajax covers the regular work that keeps a yard healthy and tidy through the growing season: lawn cutting, edging, garden care and cleanups in spring and fall. It also keeps you on the right side of the Town of Ajax, which sets a height limit for grass and weeds and makes owners responsible for the boulevard in front of their property. Michael Durham Landscaping provides lawn care and garden maintenance across Ajax on a set schedule, weekly or every two weeks.
What a Maintenance Plan Includes
Our lawn maintenance service is built around a regular route:
- Cutting on a set day. The same crew comes on the same day, weekly or bi-weekly. Weekly cutting suits the peak growing months of May to September.
- Clean edges. String trimming along beds, walkways and fences, and line edging along driveways and curbs.
- Clippings mulched by default. Clippings go back into the lawn to return nutrients to the soil. Bagging is available on request.
- Seasonal programs. Spring dethatching, fall aeration and overseeding, and a four-application fertilization program.
Garden beds can be added through our garden maintenance service, with weeding, pruning, hedge trimming and mulch top-ups on a checklist each visit. Spring and fall yard cleanups clear leaves and debris and haul everything away.
Ajax Rules a Maintained Yard Keeps You Within
The 15 cm grass and weed limit
Ajax's Property Standards By-law 46-2017 says every yard and property, including vacant lots, must be kept free of grass and weeds taller than 15 cm. The same by-law requires other landscaped areas and ground cover to be kept in reasonable condition. In a wet June, a lawn can pass that height quickly if cutting slips for a couple of weeks, which is where a fixed schedule helps.
The boulevard is yours to keep
Under the Town's Public Nuisance and Safety By-law 46-2025, every owner or occupier must keep the boulevard next to their property clean and tidy. That means removing discarded material, keeping grass and weeds over 15 cm cut, and stopping plants from growing over the boulevard, road, sidewalk or walkway where they block sight lines or safe passage. The by-law also says no one may damage or interfere with any tree, shrub, plant or hedge on a road allowance or Town property, so Town trees on the boulevard should be left alone. Our line edging along driveways and curbs keeps the edges of the strip crisp.
Leaves stay off the road
The same by-law says no one may rake, blow or place leaves on a road, except in an approved yard waste bag set out for collection. This applies to contractors as much as homeowners. Our fall cleanups blow, rake and tarp the leaves, then remove them from the property instead of leaving piles at the curb.
Dead trees, hedges and drainage
The Property Standards By-law also requires dead or decayed trees, hedges and bushes in developed areas to be removed, and trees to be kept from becoming a safety hazard. It says yards must be maintained so water does not get into the basement, and low spots that collect water must be drained and graded. Regular visits are a chance to spot a dying hedge or a low area that stays wet before it becomes a by-law problem.
Rules change, so check the current by-laws with the Town of Ajax.
Durham Region Rules for Yard Waste and Watering
What Durham will and will not pick up
Durham Region collects yard waste from April to early December. It must go in paper yard waste bags or labelled, reusable open-top containers, not plastic bags, and each bag or container can weigh no more than 20 kg. Brush must be tied in bundles no longer than one metre, with no branch over 10 cm thick.
Grass clippings are not accepted in yard waste collection, and neither are sod, soil or stones. This is one reason mulching clippings back into the lawn makes sense in Ajax: the clippings feed the grass instead of needing somewhere to go.
Odd-even watering from May to September
Odd-even lawn watering is mandatory across Durham Region from May to September under the Regional Water System By-law. If your house number is odd, water on odd calendar days; if it is even, water on even days. The Region recommends about 2.5 cm of water a week, including rainfall, when the soil is dry, applied early in the morning.
The Region's lawn guidance also says to mow to 6 to 8 cm and never cut more than one-third of the grass length at once, and to top-dress and overseed in the fall while the soil is still warm. That timing matches when we schedule aeration and overseeding.
Commercial and Multi-Unit Properties in Ajax
The same height and boulevard rules apply to businesses. For commercial sites, rental properties and multi-unit buildings, our commercial property maintenance contracts combine lawn care, garden upkeep, seasonal cleanups and snow management under one agreement, with visit logs and photos for property managers.
Common Questions
How tall can grass get in Ajax before it breaks the by-law?
15 cm. The Town's Property Standards By-law requires yards to be kept free of grass and weeds taller than that, and the Public Nuisance and Safety By-law sets the same limit for the boulevard in front of your home.
Do I have to maintain the boulevard in front of my house in Ajax?
Yes. The owner or occupier must keep the abutting boulevard clean, keep grass and weeds cut, and keep plants from growing over the sidewalk or road. Trees and shrubs on Town property must not be damaged.
Can grass clippings go out with Ajax yard waste?
No. Durham Region does not accept grass clippings in yard waste collection. We mulch clippings back into the lawn by default, which returns nutrients to the soil.
How often should my lawn be cut in Ajax?
Weekly cutting is ideal during the peak growing season, May to September. Bi-weekly cutting works well for slower-growing lawns.
When can I water my lawn in Ajax?
From May to September, Durham Region's odd-even rule applies: odd-numbered houses water on odd calendar days and even-numbered houses on even days.
Book Landscape Maintenance in Ajax
Contact us for a free quote on lawn care and garden maintenance for your Ajax property. For seasonal timing, read our fall lawn care tips for Durham Region. For new patios, sod and other projects, see landscaping in Ajax.
Sources: Town of Ajax, Property Standards By-law 46-2017; Town of Ajax, Public Nuisance and Safety By-law 46-2025; Region of Durham, Yard Waste and Christmas Tree Collection; Region of Durham, Water Efficiency.