Construction Design Guidelines and Standards

These guidelines and standards have been developed for use by engineering consultants and contractors working on York Region public and private infrastructure projects.

Road Construction Design Guidelines and Standards

Road Design Guidelines

Road Design Guidelines – January 2023
Appendix A - Storm Sewer Design Sheet – January 2023
Revision Log – January 2023
Archived Revision Logs (2005 – 2020)

Transportation CAD Standards

TRN_CAD Standards (28 MB file) – October 2023
Download the file from the FTP site using the following login:
Username: RoadDesign
Password: Guidelines

Standard Drawings

For the Natural Heritage and Forestry standard drawing series: NHF-100, NHF-200, NHF-400 and NHF-500 see the "Street Tree and Horticultural Design Guidelines and Standards" section.

Specifications and Bid Form Templates

Download specifications and bid form templates (Microsoft Word) for use in road construction contracts.

Utility Co-ordination

Utility Co-ordination Manual – Capital Planning and Delivery - Roads – December 2021

Development Charge Credits

Development Charge Credit List - March 2025

To provide feedback on the Road Construction documents, please e-mail Transportation@york.ca

Water and Wastewater Consultant Resources

Consultant Requirements Manual — Environmental Projects

The Consultant Requirements Manual includes information to enable project teams to successfully deliver capital environmental projects throughout the environmental assessment, preliminary design, detailed design, construction, commissioning and close-out phases. All Requests for Proposals issued by the Environmental Services Capital Planning and Delivery Branch will require consultants to fulfill project delivery requirements in accordance with the Consultant Requirements Manual.

Design Guidelines, Specifications and Standard Drawings — Environmental Projects

A design guideline is a recommended approach used for defining processes and design requirements.

Specifications are written descriptions of materials, services, and construction processes that dictate the performance and characteristics of the materials to be used, as well as the methodologies and quality of the work installations.

The standard detail engineering drawings that accompany specifications are a graphical depiction of the work to be done. They depict shape, dimensions, location, measurement of material and the relationship between building components.

PCS Requirements Manual – Environmental Projects

The PCS Requirements Manual details the requirements for Consultants and System Integrators to successfully deliver PCS engineering, programming and integration services for capital environmental projects.

Login Information

All documentation relating to the Consultant Requirements Manual (including any associated forms and templates), PCS Requirements Manual, as well as design guidelines, specifications, and standard drawings is available for download via FTP.

For optimal user experience, it is recommended to use the FTP site in Chrome.

Log on using the following credentials:

Username: STANDARDS
Password: STANDARDS

The Conditions of Use must be read and accepted before accessing the FTP.

I accept the Conditions of Use - Open FTP

For assistance, or to provide feedback contact cpd.pmo@york.ca.

Maps and Data for Capital Projects

YorkMaps
- Browse and search interactive and ready-to-print maps and dashboards
Open Data
- Explore and download publicly available data sets through Open Data
Consultants under contract to the Region can download project-related geographic data from a self-service catalogue
- Consultants must be registered for an account by the contracting York Region Project Manager, before using the system
Consultants under contract to the Region can also request for LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) data
- Consultants must contact the York Region Project Manager responsible for the affected project(s)

Designing Great Streets Guidelines

Road design that supports evolving land uses and urban form is an integral component of building resilient, livable and healthy communities that can effectively accommodate growth, an aging population, a diversifying mix of uses and safe transportation options for all users to create a stronger ‘sense of place’.

Evolving best practices call for cross-disciplinary collaboration and approaches to street design that integrate boulevard and roadway design while recognizing the unique attributes of the area and land uses, as well as lifecycle costs.

York Region has developed its Designing Great Streets (DGS) guidelines to update its road design process by better integrating road design and land use context, and responding to the challenges of a rapidly growing Region.  Through its decision-making process, DGS shifts the focus from planning for vehicle travel to planning for streets that provide greater mobility for all users and greater integration with the community.

The context-sensitive approach of DGS will support improved project outcomes by promoting:

Flexibility to design for community needs through the Environment Assessment (EA) process
Consistent road designs and features
Best practices and sound, professional judgement
A ‘made-in-York-Region’ approach that considers full lifecycle costs

DGS guidelines include six road types that reflect the Region’s aspirations for the Regional road network:

City Centre Street
Avenue
Main Street
Connector
Rural Road
Rural Hamlet Road

DGS guidelines are consistent with direction and policies outlined in York Region’s Transportation Master Plan, and are expected to be used by all design teams to produce resilient road design options that suit the specific, current settings and proposed future land uses.

Designing Great Streets Guidelines Cover

Designing Great Streets Guidelines - Part 1
Designing Great Streets Guidelines - Part 2

Accessible formats of these documents are available upon request.

Pedestrian and Cycling Planning and Design Guidelines

The York Region Pedestrian and Cycling Planning and Design Guidelines provide a concise and easy-to-use manual for planning and design of active transportation facilities (i.e., cycling, walking and rolling). These guidelines directly support the work of York Region’s Designing Great Streets context-sensitive design manual and policy directions outlined in the Transportation Master Plan.

Developing high-quality cycling and pedestrian infrastructure in York Region presents a unique set of challenges including:

A variety of street designs that often require transition zones and the ability to accommodate goods movements as part of the Regional mandate
Must be balanced with a pedestrian-friendly design specifically through elements such as lane size, etc.
Balancing urban design elements including sustainable streets and streetscaping (e.g., trees, seating, lighting, etc.) with space for pedestrians and cyclists

Pedestrian and Cycling Planning and Design Guidelines

Pedestrian and Cycling Planning and Design Guidelines part 1
Pedestrian and Cycling Planning and Design Guidelines part 2
Pedestrian and Cycling Planning and Design Guidelines part 3

Accessible formats of these documents are available upon request.

To provide feedback on the School Sites Design Guidelines or the Pedestrian and Cycling Planning and Design Guidelines documents, please e-mail Transportation@york.ca

Sustainable Mobility Wayfinding Guidelines

These guidelines are a toolkit for wayfinding signage and pavement markings that may be used as a reference for walking and cycling practitioners in the cities, towns, and hamlets throughout York Region. The guidelines are intended to provide a coordinated system for both pedestrian and cycling wayfinding signage, and options for supportive pavement markings and trailhead signage.

Sustainable Mobility Wayfinding Guidelines

Accessible formats of these documents are available upon request.

Transportation Planning Guidelines for Regional Roads

These guidelines are intended to establish appropriate locations and practical designs of the proposed public roads, private accesses and entrances to Regional roads. The guidelines are applicable to any development application that involves vehicular access to Regional Roads. The primary purpose of these guidelines is to ensure safety and protect the Region’s investment in the transportation network. They also help to minimize collisions, maintain roadway capacity, preserve community character and advance economic development goals.

These guidelines are intended to assist both designers (transportation consultants and planners), and municipal staff (Regional and local) to understand and comply with the Region’s standards and requirements.

Access Guidelines for Regional Roads (November 2020)

Access Guidelines for Regional Roads Cover

York Region – Transportation Mobility Plan Study Guidelines

Accessible formats of these documents are available upon request.

To provide feedback on the Access Guidelines for Regional Roads document, please e-mail Transportation@york.ca

Street Tree and Horticultural Design Guidelines and Standards

To provide a consistent approach for designing softscape elements and supporting infrastructure into road design as well as preserving existing green infrastructure in the Regional road allowance, York Region developed the Street Tree and Horticultural Design Guidelines, the Street Tree and Forest Preservation Guidelines and related resources.

These resources provide a full range of design criteria and standard practices for tree preservation and incorporating new trees and other plant materials within the Regional road allowance. These documents were created to help designers (transportation and development consultants and planners) and municipal staff (Regional and local) understand and comply with the Region’s expectations.

Resources:

Street Tree and Horticultural Design Guidelines - January 2022

NHF-100 and NHF-200 Series Street Tree and Horticultural Standard Drawings - January 2022
Street Tree and Horticultural External Specifications - (Coming Soon)
Acceptable Tree Species for Regional Road Allowances - January 2022
Acceptable Shrub and Perennial Species for Regional Road Allowances - January 2022

Street Tree and Forest Preservation Guidelines - January 2022

Refer to the Road Construction Design Guidelines and Standards section above for Roadworks Items Bid Form and Specifications documents to support tree protection and arboriculture works.

Irrigation Design Guidelines - April 2024

NHF-500 Series Irrigation Standard Drawings - April 2024

Refer to the Road Construction Design Guidelines and Standards section above for Irrigation Items Bid Form and Specifications documents to support the construction of irrigation systems.

NHF CAD Standards and Additional Resources

Please complete the York Region Natural Heritage and Forestry Standards and Guidelines form, to access CAD files and additional resources pertaining to Natural Heritage and Forestry Standards

To provide feedback on these resources and for more information, please contact AccessYork@york.ca or call 1-877-464-9675

School Sites Design Guidelines

These guidelines are intended to help stakeholders create a community that encourages active travel (walking and cycling) to school through site design, and neighbourhood design, and by providing supporting policies, programs and resources. This guide is also intended to help a wide variety of stakeholders find common ground and clarify a common language to create partnerships and advance recommendations that would otherwise be unachievable due to funding or resource limitations. The strategies presented in this guide are applicable to elementary and secondary schools, existing and new schools, and in urban, suburban and rural contexts.

Over the last two decades, travel to school by walking or cycling has steeply declined. Meanwhile, the lack of physical activity and obesity among children has become a leading public health issue. Promoting active travel to school is seen as a way to increase physical activity for children, as well as encourage healthy life habits and decrease reliance on single-occupant vehicles.

York Region School Sites Design Guidelines