A shed, pergola or gazebo can be considered as outbuildings. This type of accessory building is useful or necessary for the use of the main building or parcel on which it is located.

After installation of the outbuilding, at least 20 per cent of the land must be covered by vegetation planted in open ground.

Rules to follow

• Compliance with the maximum authorized site coverage rate (i.e. the ratio of the site coverage of the building and its outbuildings to the parcel area) is required
• In some zones, outbuildings may be prohibited or their maximum size limited
• An outbuilding cannot be erected in a front yard

If your outbuilding meets the following criteria, you do not need a permit:

• Maximum area of 15 m2
• Maximum height of 4 m
• Installed behind your home at least 3 m from the back wall or fence

or

• Installed on the side of your home at least 1.5 m from your house and all property lines

The latter case includes, e.g. a building located on a corner lot, which has yards facing public roads.

You need a permit:

• If the area of your outbuilding is greater than 15m2

Contact the permit counter to verify the rules applicable to your situation.

Permit fees

Processing fees for permit applications vary based on the projected cost of the work. You will be required to pay $9.80 for every $1,000 of work.

Regardless of the amount of work, you will be required to pay a minimum:

• $161 for a strictly residential building
• $473 for a commercial, industrial, institutional or mixed-use building

The projected costs must include all fees associated with the work (ex: plans, labour, equipment), taxes included.

Additional fees may apply if your building or the area in which it is located has historic value or is subject to specific architectural standards.

Fees are non-refundable.

• Urban planning by-law
• Règlement sur la construction et la transformation de bâtiments (11-018)

A permit is not required to install a shed or an outbuilding (e.g., a gazebo). However, you must follow these rules: 

Shed:

• Only one shed per lot 
• It must be located at least 3 m from any door or window of your home 
• A maximum area of 15 m2 
• Neither length nor width can exceed 5 m
• A maximum height of 3 m for a flat roof and 3.10 m for other types of roofs
• A shed must be located at least 0.6 m from the property line
• It must be located behind the residence

The shed must be located on the side of your home, beyond the side setback indicated in the specifications table (contact the permit office for more information).

Outbuilding (small seasonal shelter, pergola, gazebo and garden pavilion) :

• Only one outbuilding is allowed per lot
• Maximum surface area is 15 m² 
• Maximum height is 3 m
• Elle ne peut être fermée que sur une hauteur de 1 m, calculée à partir du sol
• installé à l’arrière de la résidence, à au moins à 1,3 m des limites de votre terrain.

Material

Metal sheds must be industrially manufactured.

Plant cover

For detached dwellings, at least 35 per cent of the lot must have a plant cover, and at least 20 per cent for semi-detached dwellings.

In person

• Urban planning by-law (in French)

If your outbuilding meets the following criteria, you do not need a permit:

• Prefabricated
• Maximum area of 15 m²
• Maximum height of 4 m
• Installed behind your home at least 1 m from your house

You need a permit:

• If the area of your outbuilding is greater than 15 m²

Permit fees

Taxes are included. Fees are non-refundable.

Processing fees for permit applications vary based on the projected cost of the work. You will be required to pay $9.80 for every $1,000 of work.

Regardless of the amount of work, you will be required to pay a minimum: $250 for an area of 15,01 m² to 25 m².

• Urban planning by-law

If your shed meets the following criteria, you do not need a permit:

• Maximum area of 15 m2 in a backyard or area of 6.5 m2 in a yard on the side of a house
• Maximum height of 3.3 m
• Installed behind or on the side of your home
• At least 15 m from the house
• At least 60 cm from the property line and 1.5 m from the street

You can install two sheds with a maximum area of 15m2 each.

You need a permit:

• If the area of your outbuilding is greater than 15m2

In person

• Zoning by-law (in French)

Permit required

A certificate of authorization is required to install a shed or other outbuilding. 

Only one outbuilding of each type is allowed per home. For example, you can only have one shed and one garden pavilion on your property.

Materials

Materials must be specifically designated for exterior siding and be complementary with the house.

Sheds and outbuildings

Minimum distances

• Between the end of the roof and any property line: 30 cm
• Between building and rear boundary: 61 cm
• Between building and side limits: 2 m

Area

• Maximum surface area: 10 m² (108 ft²)

Height

• Maximum height: 3 m to roof peak
• May not exceed one storey.

Permanent vehicle shelters

A carport must be used only to store personal-use vehicles and everyday items and equipment.

Permanent vehicle shelters such as carports can be located in the back or to the side of the building. The following standards apply:

Minimum distances

• Between the end of the roof and any property line: 45 cm
• Between building and rear boundary: 75 cm
• Between building and side limits: 1 m

Area

• Maximum surface area: 40 m² (430 ft²)

Height

• Maximum height: 4 m to roof peak
• The carport may not exceed one storey.

• Zoning by-law (in French)

If your shed meets the following criteria, you do not need a permit:

• Prefabricated
• Maximum area of 15 m2
• Maximum height of 4 m
• Installed behind your home or on its side at least 1.5 m from your house ans all proprety lines.

You need a permit:

• For outbuildings whose area is greater than 15 m2 
  or
• If the total area of all outbuildings on your property is greater than 25 m2.

In person

• Règlement d'urbanisme

An outbuilding, also known as an accessory building, is a building, shelter or shed whose use is secondary, necessary or useful to the operation of the main building or the land on which it is located.

In a residential zone, you may use an outbuilding as a garage or shed, but you may not live, do business or manufacture goods in it.

Permits

You’ll need a permit if you plan to build an outbuilding larger than 15 square meters.

Fees

Taxes are included. Fees are non-refundable.

Processing fees for permit applications vary based on the projected cost of the work. You will be required to pay $9.80 for every $1,000 of work.

Applicable standards

Whether or not you need a permit, you must comply with the zoning and building codes, especially the greening percentage.

Maximum height

The maximum height of an outbuilding in a residential sector is 4 metres. In other sectors, you
must comply with the limits indicated on the zoning map.
View the interactive map (in French)

Location

With a few exceptions, outbuildings located in a front yard are prohibited.

Even if placement on the property line is authorized, drainage (including snow) must be on the owner’s property.

If one or more walls of the outbuilding are located less than 60 centimetres (2 feet) from the property line, they must be able to withstand fire for 45 minutes. This can be achieved by installing 16-millimetre (5/8-inch) Type X gypsum board inside the outbuilding. However, noncombustible exterior cladding is not mandatory.

Prohibited siding materials 

• Plastic film, except for a greenhouse; tarred, mineralized or vinyl paper
• Particleboard, a material not designed for exterior use or unfinished in appearance
• Glass, mirrors or any other material with an exterior daylight reflection rate greater than 20%, on more than 5% of the surface of a facade including openings
• Asphalt shingles, except for a crown and a roof
• Nailed brick or panel brick
• Ethylene tetrafluoroethylene (ETFE) cladding, except for a greenhouse
• Concrete brick
• Hollow concrete block, except for an invisible party wall
• Vinyl, metal or composite wood cladding
• Panels or elements made of plastic, acrylic, polycarbonate, polyvinyl chloride (PVC), extruded polyurethane or vinyl
• Any masonry less than 80 mm thick, except for parging or an acrylic coating.

The special case of greenhouses

Wall and roof surfaces

At least 80% of the walls and roof of a greenhouse in which plants are grown must be made of translucent or transparent material.

Authorized materials for greenhouses

• Double or triple polyethylene that is at least 6 millimetres thick
• Tempered glass
• Single polycarbonate at least 1 millimetre thick, or double polycarbonate (also known as ribbed, corrugated, twin wall, double wall, beehive or honeycomb polycarbonate) at least 6 millimetres thick.

• PDF file Example of a landscaping plan - Le Sud-Ouest [PDF 5 MB]

• Urban planning by-law
• By-law concerning the construction and conversion of buildings
• Québec Construction Code
• By-law concerning the site planning and architectural integration program (in French)

If your shed meets the following criteria, you do not need a permit:

• Prefabricated
• Maximum of:
  • 3.7 m if your property’s area is less than 2,787 m
  • 6 m if your property’s area is greater than 2,787 m
• Installed behind or on the side of your home 2 m away from any other building

You need a permit:

• for other types of outbuildings

• Zoning by-law (in French)

If your shed meets the following criteria, you do not need a permit:

• Maximum area of 15 m2
• Maximum height of 4 m
• Installed behind your home

You need a pemit:

• If the area of your outbuilding is greater than 15m2

  or

• If the total area of all outbuildings on your property is greater than 15m

Specificities

Specific standards apply to homes in the Faubourg Contrecoeur area. Visit your permit counter to find out more about them; no appointment is necessary.

• Urban planning by-law

Permit required

A certificate of authorization is required to install a shed or other outbuilding.

• Zoning by-law (in French)

Permit required

A construction permit is needed to install sheds and other outbuildings. 

The total area of all outbuildings must not exceed 60 per cent of the area of the main building, or 100 m2.

In person

If your outbuilding meets the following criteria, you do not need a permit:

• Maximum area of 14 m²
• Maximum height of 4 m
• Installed at least 2 m from the residence and 0.5 m from the property line, in a side or back yard.

You need a permit:

• For an outbuilding that is larger than 14 m², if the lot area is 1000 m² or more.

In person

• Zoning by-law (in French)

If your outbuilding meets the following criteria, you do not need a permit:

• Maximum area of 15 m2
• Maximum height of 4 m
• Installed behind your home or on the side of your home at least 0.6 m from all property lines.

You need a permit:

• For outbuilding(s) with an area greater than 15 m2

Corner lot

If your property is located at an intersection, special standards apply. Contact the borough permit counter.

In person

• Zoning by-law (in French)

If your outbuilding meets all the following criteria, you do not need a permit:

• Maximum area of 15 m²
• Maximum height of 4 m
• Installed behind or on the side of your home

You need a permit:

• For outbuildings whose area is greater than 15 m²

  or

• If the total area of all outbuildings on your property is greater than 25 m²

Trees

The installation of an accessory building must not involve the felling a tree.

Materials

Materials that are not designated for exterior siding are prohibited.

• PDF file Ecological transition contribution monitoring form (in French) [PDF 4 MB]

• Urban planning by-law

If your shed meets the following criteria, you do not need a permit:

• Maximum area of 12 m2
• Maximum height of 3 m
• Installed behind your home at least 0.75 m from your house and all property lines

You can only install one shed.
To install a shed on the side of your house, contact your permit counter.

You need a permit:

• For all other types of outbuildings other than sheds.

Materials

The exterior siding of the shed must be complementary to the house.

• Zoning by-law (in French)

Permit required

A certificate of authorization is required to install a shed or other outbuilding, no matter its dimensions..

You can only install one shed per lot.

Rules to follow

For the installation of a shed or an outbuilding, you must follow these rules: 

• A maximum area of 15 m² 
• Neither length nor width can exceed 4.6 m
• A maximum height of 3.05 m
• A shed must be located at least 0.45 m from the property line

A permit is not required if the following criteria are met:

• The shed covers an area no larger than 15 m2.
• The shed is no higher than 4 m.
• The shed is installed at the back of the house or building.
• All the accessory buildings on the property cover a total area no larger than 50 m2.

A permit is required

• If the area of your outbuilding is greater than 15 m²

Contact the permit counter to verify the rules applicable to your situation.

Materials 

The following exterior siding materials are authorized:

• Any material designed to serve as exterior siding, except polyvinyl chloride (PVC)
• Wood, on the condition that it is painted, stained or torrefied, except cedar, which can remain natural

Fees

Taxes are included.

• Minimum of $250, regardless of the amount of work, for a residential accessory building covering an area between 15.01 m2 and 25 m2
• $9.80 per $1,000 of work

• Zoning by-law (in French)

If your shed meets the following criteria, you do not need a permit:

• Maximum area of 15 m2
• Maximum height of 4 m
• Installed behind of your home
• Installed on the side of your home at least 1,5 m from the house and 5 m from the street

You need a permit:

• For outbuildings whose area is greater than 15 m2 

Materials

Materials must be specifically designated for exterior siding.

• Urban planning by-law

If your outbuilding meets the following criteria, you do not need a permit:

• Maximum area of 15 m2
• Maximum height of 4 m
• Installed behind of your home
• Installed on the side of your home at least 5 m from the street

You need a permit:

• For outbuildings whose area is greater than 15 m2 

or

•  If the total area of all outbuildings on your property is greater than 25 m2

Materials

• Contact your permit counter to find out more about approved materials

In person

• Urban planning by-law