Obtain a construction permit in the Greater Montreal area

A construction permit is an authorization from your municipality to undertake certain renovation projects. Through this guide we will cover what types of projects require a construction permit, the process to obtain a construction permit, the costs and processing times of a construction permit.

Types of projects requiring a construction permit

If you are planning renovations that change the function of a room, or modify the structure of the property, or even modify the exterior envelope visible from the street, you will need to apply for a construction permit from your municipality.

Thus, for the following types of renovations you will need a construction permit:

• Home / Building extension
• Reinforcement of the foundations
• Replacement of external doors and windows
• Installation of new stairs and / or a new balcony
• Installation of a pool
• Renovation of more than 50% of the brick cladding of the external facades of your property
• Transformation of an uninhabited basement into an apartment

Cost of a construction permit

For a residential property the cost of a construction permit varies according to the size of the project. The construction permit costs $ 9.80 per $ 1,000 of project cost, with a minimum cost of $ 146. Thus, for a $ 100,000 project you will have to pay $ 980 in fees to obtain a construction permit.

Acceptance criteria for a construction permit application

Each municipality of the Greater Montreal area has different by-laws regarding the modifications that can be made to your property.

Please note that for extension or transformation projects, the city will ask you to submit architectural plans and engineering plans to your construction permit application. Architectural plans provide information on the final layout of the part of your building to be renovated. While the engineering plans are used to provide the information required for the work to be done on each structural component of the project.

The City may request to see a 3D plan for certain cases.

You can consult the City of Montreal website for the documents required for a construction permit application in Montreal.

Duration and validity of a construction permit

In general, a construction permit is only valid for 12 months after its approval because it is possible that some by-laws may change depending on the municipality.

A construction permit expires if the renovations are not completed within 18 months after the construction permit approval or if the renovations are stopped for more than 6 months.

Once the construction permit is expired, you will have to reapply for a construction permit if the work has not been completed on time.

Processing times

In regards to the processing times of a request, they vary by municipality and also at what time of the year you make your request.

Some municipalities organize consultation committees twice a month, others once a month. During each consultation committee, it is not always possible to process all the files in the queue and therefore the processing times can range from 1 to 4 months.

Please note that processing times are also impacted during the period of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Risks of not applying for a construction permit

If you did not apply for a construction permit for a project requiring it, you run the risk of receiving fines ranging from $ 350 to $ 4,000. You also run the risk of having your new construction destroyed if it does not comply with the regulations of your municipality.