Backfill & Haul-Away

Every dig ends with two questions: what goes back in the hole, and where the rest of the dirt goes. Backfill and haul-away are often the lines that separate a cheap quote from a real one.

Timing comes first on a new foundation. Regulation 2021-2 under the Building Code Administration Act calls for an inspection on completion of the footings and foundations, before any backfilling starts.

Material comes next. Crushed stone and granular fill are bought by the cubic metre and delivered by the load. Ask what material each quote uses against the foundation and under slabs or driveways.

Water limits where you can put fill. Within 30 m of a watercourse or wetland, depositing or removing fill needs a WAWA permit. The province's development guidelines do not allow infill to raise the grade within 15 m of a lake, or within 30 m of a flood-prone or tidal watercourse. No provincial rule on trucking clean fill between private lots was found, so ask your municipality before you accept free fill from somebody else's dig.

Few New Brunswick prices are published. Guides read in September 2026 put crushed stone at about $40 to $75 per cubic metre, Granular A at about $35 to $55, and delivery at about $75 to $200 a load. Haul-away is quoted by the truckload or by the truck hour, and those published figures vary too widely to average.