Montreal Building Permit Data
558,853 building permits on record in Montreal, with a median issue time of 22 days.
The dataset shows 20,243 permits issued in the last 12 months, down 2% year over year.
How long do permits take in Montreal?
The median time from application to issue in Montreal is 22 days. Half of permits are issued within 22 days: the fastest quarter clears within 7 days, while the slowest tenth waits 138 days or more. These figures come from 18,335 permits where Montreal's open-data feed recorded both an application date and an issue date, over the last 12 months.
Based on 18,335 permits with application and issue dates on record, over the last 12 months.
Permit activity trend in Montreal
Montreal issued 20,243 permits in the last 12 months, down from 20,723 in the prior 12-month window. May 2025 was the busiest month in the two-year window, with 2,312 permits issued. Permit volume varies by season and by the number of large projects entering the pipeline; a single major development can shift monthly totals significantly, so month-over-month figures are best read as a direction indicator, not a precise forecast.
What gets built in Montreal?
The top permit categories in Montreal show where construction activity is concentrated. The counts reflect the last 12 months of available data.
Permis neige - 1 stationnement - 1 an represents 1% of Montreal's permits at 171 in the last 12 months.
REMPLACER LA MEMBRANE DE LA TOITURE PAR UNE NOUVELLE MEMBRAN represents 1% of Montreal's permits at 125 in the last 12 months.
Réfection de la toiture par la mise en place d'une membrane represents 1% of Montreal's permits at 125 in the last 12 months.
Réfection de la toiture par la mise en place de l'asphalte e represents 1% of Montreal's permits at 101 in the last 12 months.
Remplacer le revêtement de toiture en totalité par membrane represents 0% of Montreal's permits at 68 in the last 12 months.
Reading the data before you apply
Permit data works best as a reference range rather than a precise forecast. A median of 22 days in Montreal means half of permits resolve faster than that and half take longer. If your project is straightforward and the application is complete, you may land in the faster half. If it involves variances, rezoning, or a complex building type, expect the slower half of the distribution. Checking the permit history for nearby addresses gives you a real-world baseline calibrated to your specific neighbourhood and project type.
Distributions tell you more than averages when you are building a project timeline. The 90th-percentile wait in Montreal is 138 days, which means roughly 1 in 10 permits takes at least that long before a decision is issued. If your project has characteristics that put it in the slower category, such as a heritage overlay, a site with drainage constraints, or an unusual structure type, plan for the 90th percentile rather than the median. Permit fees, contractor availability, inspection scheduling, and any required engineering or heritage reviews all add time on top of the permit issue date itself.
The permit history lookup below lets you see every permit on record for any Montreal address, including permit type, declared project value, and issue dates. If a property has had previous permits, that record tells you what the building department has already reviewed and approved for that parcel, which can simplify the scope discussion on a new application. If there are no prior permits, that is also useful to know before you begin. The lookup is free, and the full permit history report for any address is available if you need the complete record for due diligence or renovation planning.
Check a Montreal permit for free
See every permit on record for any Montreal address, free. The full history report is $29 if you want it.
Frequently asked questions
How many building permits are issued in Montreal?
558,853 building permits are on record for Montreal in the Van Permit Audit dataset, with 20,243 in the last 12 months.
How long does a building permit take in Montreal?
The median time from application to issue in Montreal is 22 days. Half of permits are issued within 22 days: the fastest quarter within 7 days, and the slowest tenth waits 138 days or more. Based on 18,335 permits with application and issue dates in the last 12 months.
Neighbourhoods in Montreal
Permit cost benchmarks
Related guides
Check a Montreal permit for free
See every permit on record for any Montreal address, free. The full history report is $29 if you want it.
Source: Van Permit Audit national permit dataset, aggregated from official municipal open-data sources. Median issue times reflect 2018 to 2025 issued permits; permit-volume coverage windows vary by city. Citation: "Source: Van Permit Audit (vanpermitaudit.ca)."