Street Excavation Permit

A Street Excavation Permit is required for all excavation work carried out within City street rights-of-way (includes excavation of streets, curb & gutter and sidewalks).  Prior to beginning work, the contractor must obtain a Street Excavation Permit by calling Access St. John's at 311 or (709) 754-CITY (2489).

General Requirements
All permits are subject to the following general requirements:

1. Payment of a $300 permit fee;
2. Payment of a $200 non-refundable fee (amount may vary for exceptional circumstances) to cover the cost for the City to grind and resurface the cut after 2 years;
3. Payment of a refundable deposit, the amount of which is calculated by the City upon inspection of the site and is based on the cost of reinstating the asphalt, curb & gutter and sidewalk. This refundable deposit which is usually between $1,500-$2,000 will be released to the name and mailing address as it appears on the receipt following a 12 month warranty period.  This is provided there are no outstanding deficiencies in the contractor's work.  During the one year period, contractors may be required to effect repairs at the direction of the streets inspector. Where the work is not carried out by the contractor within a reasonable time, the City will effect repairs and deduct the cost from the security deposit and/or bill the contractor for the work.

Certificate of Insurance
The applicant shall provide a Certificate of Insurance indicating proof of general liability insurance in an amount of not less than $2,000,000 per occurrence with coverage for cross liability included. The certificate shall be in the legal name of the business/entity with the City of St. John's included as an additional insured. The Insurance shall be so written that the City of St. John's shall be notified of cancellation or restrictive amendment at least thirty (30) days prior to the effective date of such cancellation or amendment. Proof of insurance must be maintained for a period of not less than one year from the completion date (or for such longer period as may otherwise be stipulated).

Permit to Connect or Water Deferral Permit
Depending upon the circumstance, the contractor may be required to obtain a Permit to Connect or a Water Deferral Permit before the Street Excavation Permit is issued.

Other Requirements
Work will be scheduled to avoid undue interference with traffic and must be performed in accordance with City and Provincial safety standards. A detailed traffic plan may be required. 

Granular backfill must be inspected and approved by the streets inspector prior to placement of any asphalt.  During the period when hot asphalt is commercially available, a minimum of a base course of asphalt must be placed on all cuts within 2 days after backfilling the excavation, and the final lift of asphalt must be placed on all cuts within 5 days after backfilling the excavation.

Approved permits may be obtained at Access St. John's on the first floor of City Hall from Monday-Friday (9 a.m. to 5 p.m.) 

For additional help, contact information or to submit a service request visit  Access 311.