Building · Permit · Quebec City · 2026
The official permit fee in Quebec City, 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 Quebec City in 2026: Since 1 January 2026 (by-law R. Example: $1,400 for $450,000 of work. Delay: the City does not publish a standard delay: the application is made online, and the analysis starts once the file is complete and paid. For new construction the fee no longer depends on the cost of work: it is an amount per dwelling. 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.
Since 1 January 2026 (by-law R.V.Q. 3490, Schedule I), building a main residential building costs $1,400 for the first dwelling and $560 per additional dwelling; at 9 dwellings and more, 0.2% of the cost of work above $350,000 is added. An extension, conversion or alteration that changes fire separations or the exterior appearance costs 1.25% of the cost of work, minimum $180, maximum $980. Adding a dwelling to an existing building: $560. A subdivision permit: $420 per lot created ($180 for a divided co-ownership lot). On a new house whose work is estimated at $450,000, the permit comes to $1,400.
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 City does not publish a standard delay: the application is made online, and the analysis starts once the file is complete and paid. A project needing a minor variance, a PIIA or a conditional use goes to the borough council and waits for its sitting.
For new construction the fee no longer depends on the cost of work: it is an amount per dwelling. For a renovation that touches neither the structure, nor fire separations, nor the exterior, check with the borough whether a permit or certificate is required. 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: site plan by a land surveyor, architectural plans, cost estimate, and the subdivision permit when the lot is created for 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.
Since 1 January 2026 (by-law R. Example: $1,400 of permit fees for $450,000 of work. Figures read on 15 September 2026: reglements.ville.quebec.qc.ca.
The City does not publish a standard delay: the application is made online, and the analysis starts once the file is complete and paid. 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: reglements.ville.quebec.qc.ca, R.V.Q. 3490 (in force 1 January 2026), Schedule I “Tarification des permis et certificats”, 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.