Heavy machinery near a lake at my Grand Lake cottage, permit?

Work Within 30 Metres of Grand Lake Needs a WAWA Permit First

Before any machine moves on your lot, check whether your work falls within 30 metres of the water's edge. The province's Watercourse and Wetland Alteration permit, issued under the Department of Environment and Local Government, applies to anyone doing construction, clearing, grading, landscaping or operating heavy machinery within 30 metres of a watercourse or wetland. That 30 metres is measured horizontally from the top of the bank in the field, not from a map, so have someone walk it before you book a machine.

The permit fee is $25 for a single alteration. The permit is typically granted to the landowner; if someone else applies on your behalf, they need a signed landowner consent form. A WAWA permit does not replace any other permit your job may need, and local by-laws may add their own setbacks on top of the province's 30-metre rule. Ask your municipality or Regional Service Commission whether a development or building permit is also required for your project.

Before any digging begins, two separate locate requests are needed. Info-Excavation, reached through Click Before You Dig, requires at least three working days' notice; the locate is valid until the end date written on your request. NB Power runs its own separate underground locate service and asks for at least five business days' notice; that locate is valid for 60 days from the date on the locate form and covers only NB Power-owned lines. Any private lines, pipes or cables that a past owner installed are yours to find and mark before the machine arrives.

If the work is a new foundation, addition or structure, Regulation 2021-2 under the Building Code Administration Act requires at least one inspection of the footings and foundation before any backfilling begins. Ask your Regional Service Commission how to book that inspection, and do not let the contractor backfill until it is done. The Construction Remedies Act requires you to retain a holdback of 10% of the contract price for 60 days after the certificate of substantial performance is signed or the contract is completed, abandoned or terminated.

When you get quotes, ask each contractor:

• Whether they will pull both locate tickets and show them to you before starting
• How rock is priced if the machine hits it (hourly rate for a hydraulic breaker runs $200 to $300 per hour, based on published price guides read in September 2026)
• Where excavated material is trucked and whether that cost is included or billed separately
• Whether they are registered with WorkSafeNB, and ask for a clearance certificate confirming their account is in good standing

We found no provincial licence for excavation contractors, so credentials are yours to check. Ask for a WorkSafeNB clearance certificate and confirm the contractor is aware of the WAWA permit requirement before they quote.

One question worth asking on a lakeside job: ask the contractor to spell out in writing exactly how rock removal and spoil hauling are priced, and whether those figures are included in the quoted price or added on top.