Whether you need a permit for demolition in Montreal depends on scope. Interior work touching walls, room division, or use needs a renovation permit — $9.80 per $1,000 of work, minimum $167.40. Only destroying more than 50% of exterior walls and roof triggers the demolition bylaw, where borough fees run $385 to $7,354.
Which Permit for Demolition in Montreal Applies to You
Most homeowners searching this question are gutting a kitchen or taking out a wall — not levelling a house. Those are two different permits at two very different prices, and mixing them up is why people either skip a permit they needed or panic over a fee that was never going to apply to them.
| Your project | Permit needed | 2026 cost |
|---|---|---|
| Paint, flooring, cabinets, counters, swapping a sink or bathtub | None | $0 |
| Interior work touching walls, room division, or use — kitchen gut, wall removal, reconfiguring rooms | Renovation permit | $9.80 per $1,000 of work Minimum $167.40 residential / $491.70 commercial |
| Destroying more than 50% of the exterior walls and roof — a teardown | Demolition permit (+ committee) | $385–$7,354 depending on borough |
A $20,000 interior gut works out to roughly a $196 renovation permit — not thousands. The big numbers below only apply once you’re demolishing the building itself. Note the City no longer issues permits for plumbing, electrical, or heating work; those follow provincial rules and their own certified trades.
When It Becomes a Demolition (Not a Renovation)
The City treats a project as a demolition when it destroys more than 50% of the combined area of a building’s exterior walls and roof — that’s the common threshold, but each borough writes its own. Ville-Marie measures 40% of the above-ground volume instead; Rosemont–La Petite-Patrie drops to 25% of the combined floor, roof and exterior-wall area when a facade is affected. Heritage buildings and regulated districts face additional review no matter the size.
Work that falls under the demolition bylaw:
- Full house demolition or teardown
- Garage and detached building removal
- Taking down exterior load-bearing walls or the roof structure
- Removing exterior balconies, decks, or porches
- Any demolition in a heritage zone
Work that needs a renovation permit instead — not a demolition permit:
- Interior demolition that changes room dimensions, division, or use
- Removing an interior wall — load-bearing or not
- Stripping a kitchen or bathroom back to the studs
That middle point surprises people: taking out an interior load-bearing wall and dropping in a beam is renovation-permit work, not a demolition file. In most boroughs the demolition threshold measures the building envelope — exterior walls and roof — so interior walls don’t count toward it. Ville-Marie is the exception worth a phone call: it measures above-ground volume, so a gut extensive enough could edge toward its 40% trigger.
Work that usually needs no permit at all:
- Replacing flooring, cabinetry, counters, or fixtures
- Repainting
- Cosmetic changes that don’t touch walls, foundations, or room layout
- Minor elements like a roof-slope feature or a small auxiliary outbuilding (borough-dependent)
Always confirm with your borough’s urban planning department before starting — even small jobs may need approval if the building is protected or sits in a regulated district.
What a Teardown Permit Costs in 2026
This is the tier that shocks people — and it only applies to demolishing a building. Fees are set by each borough’s annual bylaw, and when a project goes before a demolition committee, the study fee climbs fast. Current examples published by the City of Montreal:
| Borough | 2026 fee (published) |
|---|---|
| Villeray–Saint-Michel–Parc-Extension | $385 standard / $6,000 committee review |
| Ville-Marie | $2,436 authorization study |
| Ahuntsic-Cartierville | $3,239 (main building) / $678 (other cases) |
| Le Sud-Ouest | $7,354 committee review / $166 small accessory buildings |
Fees change with each borough’s annual bylaw and depend on building type — small accessory buildings can be as little as $50–$166. Confirm the current fee with your borough before budgeting.
How the Application Process Works
Each borough runs its own counter, but the sequence is consistent city-wide, and it is longer than most homeowners expect — plan for three to six months on committee-reviewed files.
- Meet at the permit counter: confirm whether your project triggers the demolition bylaw and which documents apply.
- Prepare the file: demolition plan, site layout, photographs, a materials-disposal plan — and a professional inspection for asbestos or other contaminants in older buildings.
- Submit and wait for analysis: the borough reviews the proposal, often with its planning advisory committee.
- Public notice: a notice is published and posted on the building before the demolition committee meets — 15 days in most boroughs, 10 in some (Le Plateau-Mont-Royal). Neighbours can object.
- Committee decision and appeal window: after approval there is a 30-day appeal period; if someone appeals, the borough council decides.
Delays usually come from missing documents or neighbour objections — especially in heritage zones and dense areas like Plateau-Mont-Royal or Outremont.
What Happens If You Skip the Permit
Unauthorized demolition is one of the costliest shortcuts in home renovation. Inspectors do site visits, and neighbours report unpermitted work. The consequences:
- Fines under the borough’s demolition bylaw
- Immediate stop-work orders
- Courts can order the building restored or reconstructed at your expense
- Loss of insurance coverage for unapproved work
- Problems selling the property later because the legal paper trail is missing
Contractors who work without permits risk their own licences too. Doing it legally from day one is always cheaper.
How DemoPrep Handles Permits for You
At DemoPrep, we run compliant demolition projects across Greater Montreal — and the permit file is part of the job, not your homework. Our team handles:
- Permit preparation and submission with the borough
- Interior and exterior demolition, part of our interior demolition services across Greater Montréal
- Garage tear-downs and structural removal
- Hazardous-material identification and certified disposal
And if the project starts with a packed garage or basement, our junk removal service clears the space before the demolition work begins.
Contact DemoPrep for a free assessment — permits included
Frequently Asked Questions
How long does it take to get a demolition permit in Montreal?
Plan for three to six months when the file goes to a demolition committee — the public notice runs 10 to 15 days before the meeting depending on the borough, followed by a 30-day appeal period. Simple cases like small accessory buildings move faster, but no borough issues same-week demolition permits.
How much does a permit cost for an interior demolition?
Interior work that touches walls, room division, or use falls under the renovation permit: $9.80 per $1,000 of work, with a minimum of $167.40 for a house and $491.70 for commercial or mixed-use. A $20,000 kitchen gut is therefore about $196 — not thousands. The four-figure fees people hear about are demolition-bylaw fees for levelling a building.
How much does a teardown (demolition) permit cost in Montreal?
Published 2026 fees range from $385 (standard authorization in Villeray–Saint-Michel–Parc-Extension) to $7,354 (committee review in Le Sud-Ouest). The fee depends on your borough and whether the project requires committee study — some boroughs, like Le Plateau-Mont-Royal, publish theirs in a separate fee table. This tier only applies once you’re destroying more than half the exterior walls and roof.
Do I need a permit to remove interior walls?
Usually yes — but a renovation permit, not a demolition permit. The City requires a permit for work that touches walls or changes the dimensions, division, or use of rooms, and that covers an interior wall whether or not it’s load-bearing. The demolition bylaw only kicks in on the building envelope — exterior walls and roof. Purely cosmetic work — flooring, cabinets, paint — needs nothing. When in doubt, your borough’s permit counter gives a definitive answer before you commit.
Can my neighbours block the demolition?
They can object. The public notice posted 15 days before the committee meeting exists exactly for that, and after approval there’s a 30-day window to appeal to the borough council. A complete, well-documented file is the best protection against delays.