Building · Land · 2026
Land is the only real estate purchase where almost everything remains to be checked: here are the eight points, in the order in which they kill a project, and the condition to write for each.
Before offering on a building lot in Quebec, eight checks: the zoning and the specification grid (permitted use, setbacks, height, PIIA), water and sewer service or the feasibility of a well and a septic system (soil and percolation tests), bearing capacity and wetlands, the certificate of location or surveyor's plan and the servitudes, agricultural status (CPTAQ), municipal taxes and the roll, the city's building permit (fee and delay) and financing, which requires a higher down payment for vacant land. Each check becomes a condition of the promise to purchase. Real example: our 7,883 sq ft lot at 26B Rue Meunier in Drummondville, already cleared, zoned residential, listed at $129,500 on 15 September 2026.
The zone's specification grid states the permitted use, minimum lot dimensions, front, side and rear setbacks, height, number of storeys and sometimes a site planning and architectural integration program (PIIA) that governs the architecture. A “residential” lot may only allow a detached single-family home, or require a garage. Read the grid at city hall before drawing, and check that the lot is buildable as is: a lot that is too narrow needs a minor variance that goes through council. Our base guide, buying land in Quebec (in French), remains the starting point.
If the street has water and sewer, the connection permit comes on top of the building permit (in Laval, for example, $450 for the first dwelling). Otherwise you need a well and a septic system, which require a conclusive soil and percolation test: without it, the lot may be unbuildable. Make the test a condition of the offer. Our page on septic systems and wells explains what gets discovered afterwards.
A geotechnical study says whether conventional foundations are enough or piles are needed, and whether bedrock forces blasting. Wetlands and watercourses are protected: part of the lot can become unbuildable, and a shoreline strip imposes a setback. A lot that is “already cleared and graded”, like our 26B Rue Meunier in Drummondville, saves weeks of preparation and thousands of dollars: that is what “ready to build” means.
On vacant land, the seller does not always have a recent certificate: ask for the surveyor's plan, and for boundary marking if the limits were never set. Servitudes (right of way, Hydro-Québec, storm sewer) are read at the land register and can prohibit building on a strip of the lot. Our page certificate of location (in French) explains what the document reveals.
In the agricultural zone, residential construction is strictly controlled: without an authorization or acquired right, no house. The check is done at the CPTAQ register before the offer, never after. Our guide buying in the agricultural zone details the cases.
A lot has a roll value, often behind the market: in Drummondville, 26B Meunier is on the 2022 roll at $73,200 and listed at $129,500. The welcome tax is calculated on the higher of the price paid and the roll value multiplied by the city's comparative factor; our page welcome tax on land does the math, and the assessment roll explains the gap.
The fee and the delay vary from one city to the next: a flat amount per dwelling in Quebec City and Victoriaville, a percentage of the cost of work in Montreal, Gatineau or Sherbrooke. Our guides building permits by city give the official fee of nine cities, read on 15 September 2026.
Vacant land is financed with a higher down payment than a house, from fewer lenders, and the construction loan that follows is disbursed in draws as the work progresses. The FHSA does not serve to buy land alone, but can qualify in a land + construction project: our page FHSA and buying land (in French) gives the rule, and financing a self-build the mechanics of the loan.
Higher than for a house, and variable by lender and type of lot (serviced or not, in town or in the regions). Ask your lender for the rule before the offer; our mortgage partners compare several lenders.
The notary asks for one for any sale; on a vacant lot, a recent surveyor's plan or a boundary marking often replaces an expired certificate. The cost is negotiated in the offer.
Cleared, graded, serviced or with a conclusive soil test, zoning confirmed, no blocking servitude: every word gets checked. 26B Meunier in Drummondville, for example, is cleared, zoned residential and on a corner; the rest gets checked with you.
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.