Over the whole territory of the Town of Montreal West, no one may proceed with one of the following interventions without obtaining a building permit in compliance with the provisions of the present by-law.

• The construction of a new main building or the modification of a main building;
• Renovation, extension, reconstruction of a main building;
• A new accessory building (e.g. garden shed, gazebo, detached garage, veranda, etc.) or accessory construction (e.g. patio, deck, etc.), except for the café terrace;
• Renovation, extension, reconstruction or modification of an accessory building or construction;
• The installation of a pool or spa;
• The displacement of a building;
• The demolition of a main or an accessory building;
• The construction and installation of a fence and the planting of a hedge;
• The construction, installation, extension or reconstruction of a retaining wall;
• The layout or extension of a parking area;
• The felling of trees, except in the case of tree felling required for construction work, if a building permit is required;
• The construction, installation, extension, reconstruction or displacement of a sign, including its support, unless it is stated otherwise in the Zoning By-Law;
• Another temporary use or temporary building;
• Excavation works.

No building permit is required for regular maintenance or minor repairs such as interior painting, interior renovations of aesthetic nature, as well as any maintenance as defined in article 1.3.3., provided however, that no modification is made to the exterior forms, plan, structure or any other basic building element. (Examples: interior painting, sandblasting floors, repainting exterior elements in same color, brick repointing without change in mortar color, replacement of bathtubs, vanity, toilet as per existing location).

An exemption from the obligation to obtain a building permit does not void the obligation to comply to the present bylaw and with any other applicable by-law.

Please note that, many interventions require Council's approval, as defined by article 1.5 of the Site Planning and Architectural Integration Program (SPAIP) #2012-005:

The construction, demolition, partial demolition, addition, removal, modification or alteration of any:

• Main or accessory building;
• Wall cladding, roof cladding (excluding replacement without modification of flat roofs), windows, doors;
• Storefront of a commercial building, facades of industrial and institutional buildings, including signs and fixed awnings;
• Other building element or architectural component visible from the exterior, including all changes in material, proportion, pitch, volume and/or colour;
• Retaining wall parallel to a street or a sidewalk and located within a distance of 2m from the edge of the street or sidewalk, accessory constructions requiring the felling of a tree, parking areas and landscaping of development projects.

Don’t forget to submit your complete application (filled out form and required documents) for your work to be submitted to the Planning Advisory Committee.

The following types of projects are excluded from the Site Planning and Architectural Integration Programme review:

• The installation or replacement of gutters and/or spot lights in the soffits.
• The replacement of roofing material if same type of material is being used (i.e. asphalt shingles for asphalt shingles, slate for slate).
• The repointing of masonry if there is no change to the original predominant colors and predominant original appearance at the time of the permit application and that the repointing involves a uniformity of the exterior masonry walls.
• In absence of a project referred to in paragraphs 1, 2 or 3, the replacement of any component of a construction located in a residential zone without modifying the said component in regards to its shape, model, color, material, dimension or any other architectural detail or feature.

Don’t forget to apply for a permit if your work requires a permit. Find out more about work requiring a permit.