Montreal
Do you need a permit for a shed in Montreal?
In all 3 boroughs, no permit for an outbuilding of up to 15 m² and 4 m high that meets the standards; a permit above 15 m² (and, in Rosemont and Ville-Marie, if all outbuildings together exceed 25 m²).
Permit depends on the caseA 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.
- Ahuntsic-Cartierville: never in the front yard; at most 4 m high; in the rear yard at least 3 m from the rear wall, or at the side at least 1.5 m from the house and the lot lines; 20% of the lot must stay planted in open ground. (montreal.ca "Installing a shed or outbuilding", Ahuntsic-Cartierville section)
- Rosemont–La Petite-Patrie: no permit if the outbuilding is at most 15 m² and 4 m high and stands behind or beside the house; a permit if it is over 15 m² or if all outbuildings together exceed 25 m²; no tree may be cut down. (montreal.ca "Installing a shed or outbuilding", Rosemont–La Petite-Patrie section)
- Ville-Marie: no permit if the shed is at most 15 m² and 4 m high, at the back, or at the side at least 1.5 m from the house and 5 m from the street; a permit if it is over 15 m² or if all outbuildings together exceed 25 m². (montreal.ca "Installing a shed or outbuilding", Ville-Marie 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
Shed or garage 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