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Culvert Installation in Alberta

Needs filtering — large unfiltered list · 16 providers

Culvert installation for road and driveway water crossings.

When to use: Water crossings for driveways, roads, and access routes.

Duration: 1–3 days
Typical size: 12–72 inch diameter
Permits: May require Water Act approval

Scope of work

Culvert sizing
Excavation
Installation
Backfill
Compaction
Inlet/outlet protection

How this works in Alberta

Installing the culvert correctly is how the crossing lasts. Diameter, bedding, and outlet decide whether next spring washes it out.

A new driveway approach off a county road usually needs a permit from the county, which often sets the culvert size and the minimum length. Undersized culverts are the main reason approaches wash out in spring.

A culvert in a creek or a defined channel is a watercourse crossing under the Water Act; many are covered by a Code of Practice that requires notification and specific design and timing. Check before you install.

The first question for any culvert is what it crosses. Alberta's Code of Practice for Watercourse Crossings applies to a "water body with defined bed and banks, whether or not water is continuously present", so a draw or creek that only runs in spring can still fall under it. If the culvert sits in a constructed ditch along a municipal road, check your county; many require an approach permit and set their own culvert requirements.

Under the code, the crossing type you may build depends on the class of the water body (A, B, C or D) shown on the code's maps. A culvert set on the bed is a "Type 3" crossing. On a Class D water body, Types 1 to 4 are all allowed. On Class B and C water bodies a bridge or open-bottom culvert must be considered first, and on a Class A water body a new crossing can only be a single-span (Type 1) crossing for pedestrian and equestrian use.

Paperwork runs ahead of the machine. You must give notice to the Director at least 14 calendar days before work starts, and code notices are submitted through Alberta's Digital Regulatory Assurance System. A plan for the works must also be completed at least 14 days before work. In most cases its technical content must come from a professional engineer or engineering technical specialist.

Timing can save money. If the water body is dry or frozen to the bottom when the work is done, the code's requirement to isolate the work area does not apply. Work must also respect the restricted activity periods for fish set on the code's maps.

Typical cost in Alberta

No Land Intelligence estimate and no reliable published Alberta price for a supplied-and-installed culvert was found, so this page does not give a per-job figure. Installation is usually billed as machine time, and the most recent provincial survey of those rates is shown below.

Item	Range	Source	Type
Excavator (dugout, drainage and land-levelling work)	$120–$185 per hour (most common, 2016)	Custom Rates 2017 - Land Clearing and Breaking (surveyed fall 2016), Alberta Agriculture and Forestry	Official · 2017-09-25
Backhoe	$130 per hour (2016)	Custom Rates 2017 - Land Clearing and Breaking (surveyed fall 2016), Alberta Agriculture and Forestry	Official · 2017-09-25
Dump truck	$100–$110 per hour (2016)	Custom Rates 2017 - Land Clearing and Breaking (surveyed fall 2016), Alberta Agriculture and Forestry	Official · 2017-09-25

Culvert pipe, bedding material, erosion protection and any engineering or aquatic-specialist fees are not included. The provincial survey figures were collected in fall 2016 and published as "survey results only - not recommended rates"; trucking to the site is not included. Treat them as a dated reference point and get current written quotes.

Ranges are planning figures from the sources shown, not quotes. Get written quotes for your site.

Alberta rules and permits

The Code of Practice for Watercourse Crossings covers placing, constructing, maintaining, replacing or removing a crossing (including culverts) over a water body with defined bed and banks, whether or not water is continuously present. (Code of Practice for Watercourse Crossings (Water Act; consolidated to March 8, 2019), Alberta King's Printer)
The owner must give notice to the Director at least 14 calendar days before works are commenced, unless the Director specifies otherwise in writing. (Code of Practice for Watercourse Crossings (Water Act; consolidated to March 8, 2019), Alberta King's Printer)
Applications for Water Act Codes of Practice notices must be submitted through the Digital Regulatory Assurance System. (Water Act codes of practice, Government of Alberta)
A plan for the works must be completed at least 14 days before the works; its technical content must be prepared by a professional engineer or engineering technical specialist except in the limited cases the code allows an owner to prepare it. (Code of Practice for Watercourse Crossings (Water Act; consolidated to March 8, 2019), Alberta King's Printer)
Realigning a channel more than 20 m upstream or downstream of the crossing, or diverting water from the site, is outside the code and requires a separate Water Act authorization. (Code of Practice for Watercourse Crossings (Water Act; consolidated to March 8, 2019), Alberta King's Printer)
Before digging, submit a locate request; Utility Safety Partners members require a minimum of 3 full business days before planned ground disturbance. (Digging Safely in Alberta, Homeowner Edition v1.4, Utility Safety Partners)

Sizing and planning

The code requires culvert capacity to be enough that back-flooding does not cause flood damage to private or public property, with enough freeboard to pass floating debris and ice.
Fish passage: water velocities through the crossing must not block migrating fish for more than 3 consecutive days at a 1-in-10-year recurrence interval.
Where applicable, the culvert must be placed at or below the level of the stream bed and the existing slope of the bed maintained or approximated.
The notice to the Director includes the culvert diameter and length, so have these from your designer before filing.

Alberta providers

16 providers on file — Needs filtering — large unfiltered list. Showing 7 first (verified and located listings first). Confirm relevance and service area before you contact anyone.

Keystone Civil

UNCLAIMED Identified

Alberta, AB

Service area: Alberta