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Acreage Owners

Excavation, gravel and driveways around Calgary

From digging a shop pad, basement or trench to keeping a long gravel driveway in shape, acreage site work takes the right equipment. New approaches onto county roads have their own rules.

  • Foothills County
  • Rocky View County
  • Around Calgary

Local providers

  • Alpine Earthworks

    • Foothills County
    • Rocky View County

    We provide a wide range of excavation and earthwork services, including:
    • Grading and site preparation
    • Driveway construction and repairs
    • Culvert installation and driveway approaches
    • Garage and shop pads
    • Shed and hot tub pads
    • French drain installation
    • Sump pump installation
    • Water management and drainage solutions
    • General excavation and earthwork

    Call 403-710-0269Website: alpineearthworks.ca

  • Dig It Excavating & Contracting Ltd

    • Foothills County
    • Around Calgary

    Communities: Based in Okotoks. Okotoks, Turner Valley, Foothills County and the Calgary area

    Okotoks-based excavation and contracting company run by owner Colton Short. Septic installation, acreage development, excavation and trenching, road and driveway construction, final grading and drainage, foundations and backfill, demolition, landscaping and retaining walls, bush removal and some snow removal. Colton is on Alberta's Private Sewage Certified Installer List. Licensed and insured.

    Call 403-200-3498Website: digitexcavate.com

  • Foothills Gravel Works Inc

    • Foothills County
    • Rocky View County
    • Around Calgary

    Foothills gravel works specializes in driveway repair and building. Our systems are best at reusing the existing gravel you already have minimizing the need to new material to be hauled in saving you money. Call for a free estimate!

    4 years in business

    Call 825-488-9987Website: foothillsgravelworks.com

Offer excavation, gravel & driveways? List your business free.

While we add listings: read the local guide below, or see the Foothills County and Rocky View County pages for county rules and contacts.

Common services

  • Excavation for shop pads, basements and trenches
  • Gravel and road crush delivery
  • Driveway grading and repair
  • Culverts and drainage
  • Road approaches

Local guide · Foothills & Rocky View

Approaches, culverts and digging: county rules around Calgary

Rocky View County. A new approach onto a county road, or a change to an existing one, needs permission from the county's Infrastructure division. Approaches that aren't part of a subdivision go through a Road Approach Application, emailed to roadapproach@rockyview.ca. Every new or upgraded approach is inspected before and after construction, and the county aims to respond to inspection requests within 72 hours. The driveway itself, on your land outside the road right-of-way, generally doesn't need county approval, though a bigger project may need a development permit.

Foothills County. Building, altering or moving a rural approach needs an approved Rural Approach Application. Check with Foothills County, or on the current application form, for the deposit, fees and inspections that apply to your approach. The county checks culvert needs and sight lines. Under its Rural Approach Standards, a culvert must be new corrugated steel, at least 500 mm (20 in) across, with at least 0.3 m of cover and riprap at the ends. A standard residential approach is at least 6 m wide with a 12 m culvert.

Before anyone digs. Excavating a shop pad, trenching for power or water, or putting in a culvert is ground disturbance. Request a locate through Utility Safety Partners first. It's free, but they warn that response times can stretch to 5 to 10 business days in busy periods, so ask early.

Heavy trucks and road bans. Foothills County issues seasonal road ban orders that limit truck weights on some roads, which can delay gravel and excavator deliveries in spring. Check your road before you book.

Getting quotes. Ask for the tonnage and type of gravel, whether grading and compaction are included, how drainage and culverts will be handled, and who applies for the approach permit.

Do I need a permit to regrade my own driveway?

Usually not, if the work stays on your land and out of the road right-of-way. Rocky View says a driveway on private property generally doesn't need county approval, but ask your county if the project is large.

Official links

Related services

General information only. Rules change: confirm with your county or the Province of Alberta. Sources checked October 4, 2026.

Other acreage services

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