Building · Permit · Montreal · 2026
The official permit fee in Montreal, the delay and when it really starts, the work that needs none, the documents that block, and what unpermitted work costs on resale.
The building permit in Montreal in 2026: $9. Example: $4,410 for $450,000 of work. Delay: the permit is issued by the borough's permit counter, and the delay depends on the borough: Ville-Marie announces more than 60 days of analysis. No general dollar threshold: every new construction, extension and structural alteration goes through the borough's permit counter. The official delay only starts with a complete file (site plan by a land surveyor, plans, estimate), and a project that needs a minor variance or a PIIA waits for the council sitting. Figures read on 15 September 2026 on the City's official website.
$9.80 per $1,000 of work, minimum $167.40 for a residential building ($491.70 for a commercial, industrial, institutional or mixed building). Some boroughs set their own rate: Montréal-Nord charges $11 per $1,000. On a new house whose work is estimated at $450,000, the permit comes to $4,410.
The permit fee is never the real cost of the project: it comes on top of the surveyor's site plan, the architectural plans, the connection permit where it is separate, and the welcome tax that follows the purchase. Our page buying a new build (in French) puts the other items end to end.
The permit is issued by the borough's permit counter, and the delay depends on the borough: Ville-Marie announces more than 60 days of analysis. Work must start within 12 months (18 months for a building over 4 storeys or over 2,000 m²) and finish within 18 months; a stoppage of more than 6 months voids the permit. Renewal costs 25% of the original permit.
No general dollar threshold: every new construction, extension and structural alteration goes through the borough's permit counter. For small jobs (shed, fence, deck), our guide which small works need a permit (in French) gives the general rules, and the borough or planning department decides for your address.
The City asks for: scaled architectural plans, site plan by a land surveyor, building sheet, cost estimate, structural, mechanical and electrical plans signed by professionals depending on the project. The document that blocks most often is the site plan: it comes from a land surveyor, not from the builder, and it must be ordered early. Our guide to boundary marking and the surveyor explains it.
An extension, a garage or a basement apartment built without a permit does not disappear at the sale: the new certificate of location shows it, the seller's declaration requires you to declare it, and an informed buyer negotiates the price or demands regularization. The municipality can fine you and, in serious cases, order demolition. Before selling a converted property, have the permits checked by a broker from the team: that file is settled before the first showing, not at the notary's.
$9. Example: $4,410 of permit fees for $450,000 of work. Figures read on 15 September 2026: montreal.ca.
The permit is issued by the borough's permit counter, and the delay depends on the borough: Ville-Marie announces more than 60 days of analysis. The delay only runs from a complete file, and a minor variance, a PIIA or a specific project adds the council step.
A fine, a stop-work order and, in serious cases, an obligation to restore. On resale, unpermitted work shows on the certificate of location and in the seller's declaration: it is then paid for in negotiation or in regularization.
Sources: montreal.ca, “Rénovations : combien coûte un permis” (updated 10 April 2026) and “Obtenir un permis pour la construction d'un immeuble”, read on 15 September 2026. Municipal fees are indexed every year; this page is redone when the City publishes its new grid. It is informational: the City decides for your project.
The Loaa & Manseur team, led by Lotfi Manseur and Loaa Al Daow, is the number 1 team at RE/MAX Platine in 2024 and 2025, 6th RE/MAX team in Quebec, 15th in Canada and in the global top 50 of large residential teams according to the official RE/MAX ranking, computed on actual transactions. Its Google profile counts more than 220 reviews with a 4.9 rating. Its offices are at 55 avenue de l'Équinoxe in Brossard, one bridge from the island, and every broker's licence can be checked in the OACIQ public register. Three things to verify yourself before calling us, and to demand of any other broker.
Also available in French: version française de ce guide.
Published September 7, 2026 by the Loaa & Manseur team, the number 1 team at RE/MAX Platine in 2024 and 2025, 6th RE/MAX team in Quebec, 15th in Canada and in the global top 50 according to the official RE/MAX ranking. Tell us about your project.
Équipe no 1 de RE/MAX Platine en 2024 et en 2025, 6e au Québec, 15e au Canada et dans le top 50 mondial au classement officiel RE/MAX. Réponse en moins de 24 heures, sept jours sur sept.