Concrete Patios & Pads
New poured concrete patios, pads and shed bases on Ottawa properties: base, mix, finish and what the City and the 2024 Building Code say.
2025-26 Ottawa-area published prices for plain broom-finish slabs; small jobs often hit a minimum charge of about $5,500. Excavation, removal and disposal can be extra.
Find a Concrete ProAbout Concrete Patios & Pads
A new patio or pad is a slab poured on a prepared base. The 2024 Ontario Building Code (O. Reg. 163/24) sets the concrete itself for exterior flatwork: at least 32 MPa compressive strength at 28 days and a water-to-cement ratio no higher than 0.45 (Div. B, 9.3.1.6. and 9.3.1.7.). Site-batched concrete for exterior flatwork must have 5 to 8% entrained air; ready-mix follows CSA A23.1, which the Code references. The Code does not set a thickness, a base depth, mesh or a vapour barrier for a backyard patio. Those come from your contractor's specification, so ask for them in writing.
On permits, the City of Ottawa lists landscaping among projects that do not need a building permit, and its patio page exempts a patio supported directly on the ground when its conditions are met. Designated heritage properties are not exempt. A small shed of 15 square metres or less without plumbing needs no building permit, which says nothing about the pad under it. Ask the City about anything raised, attached or serving an entrance.
Zoning still applies: under both Zoning By-law 2008-250 and the new 2026-50, parts of a yard not used for a patio, walkway or driveway must be soft landscaped, and the most restrictive rule from the two by-laws applies.
Since March 1, 2026 the City of Ottawa requires a hardscaping contractor licence for any business that installs or alters concrete pads, patios, walkways, steps, driveways or retaining walls on private property. Ask to see the licence and check the City's list of licensed hardscaping contractors yourself; we do not check it for you.
What This Work Covers
- Excavation and a compacted granular base to the contractor's written spec
- Concrete to the Code's exterior flatwork standard: 32 MPa, 0.45 water-to-cement
- Forms, control joints and a broom, exposed or stamped finish
- Cold-weather protection when the air is below 5 °C
- Removal and disposal of an old slab, itemized
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What this work costs
Common questions about concrete patios & pads
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