Montreal
Do you need a permit for a pool in Montreal?
A permit (certificate of authorization) is required for any in-ground, semi-in-ground, above-ground or portable pool; no new application to reinstall the same portable pool in the same spot.
Permit requiredA zone, a heritage area or a shoreline can have its own standards: with your address, the Radar reads your zone's grid and tells you what applies to your property.
The rules, in short
Rules of the Ahuntsic-Cartierville, Rosemont–La Petite-Patrie and Ville-Marie boroughs. Each Montreal borough has its own by-law: check your address.
- Rosemont–La Petite-Patrie and Ville-Marie: if the fence surrounds a pool (e.g. in-ground) whose walls are under 1.20 m high, it must be at least 1 m from the pool. (montreal.ca "Installing a fence or hedge", Rosemont–La Petite-Patrie and Ville-Marie sections)
- Ahuntsic-Cartierville: the landscaping plan must show that at least 20% of the lot stays planted in open ground. (montreal.ca "Get a permit to install a swimming pool", Ahuntsic-Cartierville section)
Summary by Radar Foncier, in our own words: the official French text of the by-law, linked above, prevails.
Applying in Montreal
- Processing time: Varies by borough (no general processing time published)
- Cost: Varies by borough; example shown on montreal.ca: $9.80 per $1,000 of work, with a minimum ($167.40 for a pool)
- Urban planning department: 311
- Permits on the municipality's website
Other projects in Montreal
Pool elsewhere: Côte Saint-Luc, Dorval, Gatineau, Sherbrooke, Vaudreuil-Dorion, Westmount.
Version française de cette page
Source: Borough urban planning by-laws: Ahuntsic-Cartierville (01-274), Rosemont–La Petite-Patrie (01-279) and Ville-Marie (01-282); rules taken from the montreal.ca how-to pages for these 3 boroughs only, checked on October 22, 2026. Plain-English summary: the official French text prevails, and a by-law can change. Confirm with the Montreal urban planning department before buying materials. Radar Foncier is an independent service, not affiliated with the municipality.
Radar Foncier in English. Permits and rules for Québec homeowners; the full site and the reports are in French. Version française