Under Québec’s Act respecting land use planning and development, municipalities can require landowners to transfer part of their land, another piece of land or make a financial contribution when applying for a subdivision or construction permit.

This contribution, which is not a tax, is collected by the boroughs to fund park and playground acquisition, expansion and development. Park fees are also used to conserve natural areas and areas that are intended for the acquisition, expansion and development of parks and playgrounds, as well as the enhancement of natural areas or areas intended for school service centres.

A reserved fund for parks and natural areas

• Park contributions are only used to:
• Acquire or develop land to become local parks
• Acquire land to protect natural environments or areas intended for school service centres
• Purchasing plants and trees and planting them on municipal grounds
• Build structures whose purpose is inherent to the use or maintenance of a local park, playground or natural space (such as park cottages or welcome centres).

Contribution amount

The amount of the contribution is based on the value of the land and cannot exceed 10% of the value set by a city-appointed appraiser.

For subdivision permit applications, the contribution is equal to 10% of the area or value of the land. For redevelopment projects, the contribution of 10% of the value of the land is calculated in proportion to the number of housing units, excluding social and community housing and housing units with 3 or more bedrooms.

PDF document Fact sheet - Park contributions (in French)