Montreal building permits: the borough permit counter, the documents, the $9.80 per $1,000 fee, and the permit validity periods.
Applies in: Quebec
Montreal issues building permits by borough, through each borough's permit counter, the comptoir des permis. The rules, the counter address, and some of the document lists change from one borough to the next, so this guide covers the city-wide process and tells you where the borough takes over. Several of the City's detailed pages are published in French only, and the French page governs where no English version exists. This guide covers the City of Montreal only.
Before you draw anything, contact the permit counter for the borough where the building stands. The City's permit page states the rule plainly: contact the permit counter to verify the rules applicable to your situation. The counter is your point of service for information and for permit applications, and it can tell you whether your project needs a permit, a certificate of authorization, or both. For general information call 311, or 514-872-0311 from outside Montreal, Monday to Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. and Saturday, Sunday, and public holidays from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Some counters take walk-ins, others are by appointment only, so check your borough's counter page before you go.
A permit or authorization certificate is required to construct a building. In some areas, preserving the neighbourhood's historical, architectural, or landscaping value is essential, and in those cases you will need to submit a Site Planning and Architectural Integration Plan, known as a PIIA in French or SPAIP in English, and your application will be reviewed by a committee. All new construction is subject to regulatory approval by the Urban Advisory Committee. If the building is located in a heritage area or on a heritage site, additional requirements may apply. The development project must integrate with adjacent buildings and the area, and detailed plans must indicate all project dimensions and specify all materials and their colours. If a building must be demolished to erect a new one, you must first obtain a demolition permit.
Prepare the description of the work, the project address, and your contact information. The required documents include detailed scale drawings, including the site plan, elevations, floor plan, and structural details, in two printed copies and one PDF, plus the building specification sheet for your request and a certificate of location of the property if needed. Some boroughs run a preliminary review first and ask for the certificate of location, a building data sheet, architectural drawings showing existing and projected plans, facades, and sections, estimates including taxes and professional fees, a power of attorney if someone other than the owner applies, and a resolution from the board of directors if a legal entity applies. Applications cannot be processed without all required documents and payment of the permit review fee. Depending on the project, the City may also ask for structural plans signed and sealed by an engineer, mechanical plans, a storm water management plan, an acoustic review, a landscape development plan, or a contaminated soil rehabilitation plan.
Submit the application through your borough's permit counter. The cost to analyze a permit request varies with the estimated cost of the work: you must pay $9.80 for each $1,000 of work. No matter the cost of work, you must pay at least $167.40 for a residential building and $491.70 for a commercial, industrial, or institutional building. The permit can be paid by certified cheque, debit card, or credit card. Analysis of your application begins when all required documents have been received and the permit fee has been paid. If your application must also be approved as a Site Planning and Architectural Integration Plan, additional fees apply to the cost of the construction permit. A cadastral operation can also trigger park fees of 10 per cent of land value, and the City lists other related permits and financial contributions, such as water and sewer connections, occupation of public property, and curb cuts, that may apply to your project.
Once issued, the permit must be prominently displayed on site for the duration of the project. The permit is no longer valid if construction work has not begun within 12 months of the permit's date of issue, or within 18 months in the case of a building more than 4 storeys high or with a building area exceeding 2,000 square metres. Construction work interrupted for more than 6 months also ends the permit. Construction must be completed within 18 months of the permit issue date, or within 24 months in the case of a building more than 3 storeys high or with a building area exceeding 600 square metres. If the lot to be built is more than 1,000 square metres and has an impermeable surface, you must provide calculations and 3 copies of plans for stormwater retention structures, signed and sealed by an engineer.
The permit validity period can be extended if the work has not started and the renewal application is submitted before the validity period expires. The renewal fee is 25 per cent of the cost of the original permit. Do not let the validity period lapse first: a renewal application submitted after expiry is not a renewal, and you would be starting over. Keep the permit counter's contact details on file, because the same counter handles the renewal.
The opened City pages state the fee rate, the minimum fees, the validity and completion periods, the renewal fee, and the document lists set out above. They do not state a processing time for a building permit application, or the fee for every related permit such as excavation, tree felling, or occupation of public property. Those figures were cut from this guide rather than filled in from another source. Ask your borough's permit counter for the current processing time and for the fees of any related permits before you file.
Yes. A permit or authorization certificate is required to construct a building, and you must obtain the permit before starting work. The person representing the construction company can also take care of the application, and a designated representative with power of attorney can apply on behalf of the owner.
At your borough's permit counter, the comptoir des permis. Montreal's permit rules are applied by borough, and the City's permit page shows different counters, addresses, and document lists by borough. Contact the permit counter to verify the rules that apply to your situation, and call 311 for general information or to make an appointment.
The cost to analyze a permit request is $9.80 for each $1,000 of work. No matter the cost of work, you must pay at least $167.40 for a residential building and $491.70 for a commercial, industrial, or institutional building. The permit can be paid by certified cheque, debit card, or credit card. If your application must also be approved as a Site Planning and Architectural Integration Plan, additional fees apply.
Detailed scale drawings, including the site plan, elevations, floor plan, and structural details, in two printed copies and one PDF, plus the building specification sheet for your request and a certificate of location of the property if needed. Some boroughs ask for a preliminary review package first, including the certificate of location, a building data sheet, architectural drawings, estimates including taxes and professional fees, and a power of attorney if someone other than the owner applies.
The permit is no longer valid if construction has not begun within 12 months of the permit's date of issue, or within 18 months for a building more than 4 storeys high or with a building area over 2,000 square metres. Work interrupted for more than 6 months also ends the permit. Construction must be completed within 18 months of the permit issue date, or within 24 months for a building more than 3 storeys high or with a building area over 600 square metres.
Yes, the validity period can be extended if the work has not started and the renewal application is submitted before the validity period expires. The renewal fee is 25 per cent of the cost of the original permit. The processing fees are not taxable, but taxes are calculated in the projected cost of the work.