Intergenerational · Guide · 2026
One dwelling, not two addresses: what the word means legally, what ten cities really allow, what it costs in permits, what it returns in taxes, and what happens on resale.
In Quebec, the intergenerational home is not a duplex: it is a single-family home with a single supplementary dwelling, which the zoning by-law may reserve for people with a family or marriage link to the main occupant, on conditions each municipality sets (area, entrance, parking, address). Since 21 August 2024 and until 21 August 2029, a law allows an accessory dwelling to be built by right in a detached single-family home within the urban perimeter, even if zoning does not allow it. Rules change from one city to the next: maximum area of 40% in Repentigny and Mirabel (100 m² in Mirabel), no limit posted in Blainville, a 12-week conditional use in Lévis, permits of $732 in Laval, $250 in Mirabel, $1,000 in Lévis, a fee exemption for family links in Terrebonne. Taxes: caregiver tax credit of $1,494 for a parent aged 70 or over who lives with you. GCR warranty on a new intergenerational build. Sources read on 16 September 2026.
Québec.ca (urban planning decision guide, “Logement intergénérationnel”, updated 31 August 2026): the zoning by-law may allow a single supplementary dwelling per main dwelling, intended for people in an established category who have, or have had, a family or marriage link with the main occupant, and the municipality sets the conditions of layout and occupancy, which may vary from one category of buildings to another. In other words: a single-family home stays a single-family home, with one more dwelling inside, and not a duplex. That explains the rules found everywhere: a single civic address, a shared or controlled entrance, an interior link between the two dwellings, and sometimes a required family link.
From 21 August 2024 to 21 August 2029, the Act to amend various legislative provisions respecting housing allows an accessory dwelling to be built by right in a detached single-family home located within the urban perimeter, outside places subject to public-safety constraints and outside heritage buildings, even if the zoning by-law does not allow it (summary published by the City of Terrebonne). Several cities have since created or widened their “accessory dwelling” category with no family link (Terrebonne, Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Laval with the additional dwelling unit), which changes the question: no longer “may I?” but “on what conditions?”.
| City | Category | Area | Permit |
|---|---|---|---|
| Laval | Additional dwelling (ADU), no family link | Not posted | $732 + $92 + $2.50 per $1,000, 30 days |
| Longueuil | Zoning 728 by zone; sheet published only for the detached building | Not posted | Conditional use; $35,000 connection if detached |
| Brossard | Two-generation home (dedicated permit procedure) | In REG-362 | Analysis fee deducted from the final fee |
| Terrebonne | Uniplex or supplementary dwelling, no link required; by right | 600 m² lot for the uniplex | Fee exemption with a family link |
| Repentigny | Logement d'appoint | 35 m² to 40% of the home, 450 m² lot | Not posted |
| Blainville | Intergenerational supplementary dwelling, family link required | No limit posted | $10 per $1,000, min. $50; exemption via by-law 1227 |
| Mirabel | Supplementary dwelling, no link required | 30 to 100 m², at most 40% of the building | $250 + growth fund $600 to $2,000 |
| Gatineau | No category outside the farm zone: adding a dwelling (duplex) if the zone allows | Per the grid | $880 per dwelling added |
| Lévis | Two-family H4 if allowed, otherwise conditional use | Construction standards by room | $1,000 + $6.50 per $1,000 ($115 to $450); conditional use $825 |
| Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu | Intergenerational by conditional use; accessory with no link since September 2024 | Adjusted by category | Not posted |
Each city page cites the by-law or sheet read on 16 September 2026, and says when a figure is not published. The hub intergenerational home by city gathers them.
Three paths: converting an existing home (basement, attached garage), extending, or building new. The first two go through the city's permit, whose fee is on our pages building permit by city. The third belongs to the builder: The Garantie de construction résidentielle covers the multifamily building of two to five dwellings “intergenerational, duplex, triplex, etc.” and the factory-built home: if the turnkey sales contract is signed with the manufacturer, the manufacturer registers the unit; if it is signed with a general contractor, the contractor does; if the home is bought from the manufacturer and installed by a contractor, only the installation is covered and the general contractor registers it. Our guide to the GCR warranty gives the caps and delays.
An intergenerational home is financed like a single-family home, because it is one: a single loan, a single appraisal, no rental income to declare when the unit is occupied by family. The lender looks at the permit and the unit's compliance; a unit built without a permit is an appraisal and insurance problem before being a zoning problem. Two households buying together settle ownership (undivided co-ownership, shares, agreement) at the notary's before the offer.
A well-made intergenerational home, with a permit, sells to two audiences: families looking for exactly that, and buyers who see one more dwelling. What makes it sell badly: a unit without a permit, a non-compliant entrance or address, an area beyond the city's limit. The seller's declaration must say whether the unit was authorized, and the certificate of location (in French) shows it.
The duplex has two equal dwellings, two addresses, often two meters, and rents freely. The intergenerational home is a single-family home with a supplementary dwelling, often reserved for family by zoning, with a single address and a shared or controlled entrance. Financing, appraisal and taxes follow the category.
It depends on the city: where a family link is required (Blainville, the intergenerational category in Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu), no; where the category is an accessory or additional dwelling with no link (Laval, Mirabel, Terrebonne), yes, on the by-law's conditions.
The caregiver credit: $1,494 for a person aged 70 or over who lives with you, and $1,494 to $2,988 for an adult with an impairment, living with you. Read on revenuquebec.ca on 16 September 2026.
Sources read on 16 September 2026: Québec.ca (urban planning decision guide, intergenerational dwelling), the websites and by-laws of the ten cities cited on each page, revenuquebec.ca (caregiver tax credit), garantiegcr.com (buildings covered), tal.gouv.qc.ca (rent setting, mobile homes), National Bank (notice of 8 October 2024 on mobile homes). Informational page: the municipality, the insurer and the lender decide for your address.
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.