Asphalt paving in
Montreal.
For driveway paving in Montreal, as for commercial lots, the borough matters as much as the asphalt: Saint-Léonard and Saint-Laurent list asphalt among the allowed surfaces, while Côte-des-Neiges-Notre-Dame-de-Grâce and Le Sud-Ouest ban it for parking. From the free visit, we tell you whether a permit question arises, and the written quote names the request to plan for.
Asphalt paving in Montreal: one rulebook per borough.
In Saint-Léonard, the parking space of a single-family home is capped at 6 metres wide and not allowed in front of the building, unless it is a garage. Any widening there must start from the existing space. In Saint-Laurent, the paving of a single-family home covers at most 40% of the front yard, the remaining 60% must be landscaped, and a 1-metre strip of greenery borders it in the front yard, along the lot. Your frontage and front yard are measured during the visit, so the width written into the quote is already one your borough accepts.
Local particulars
The City of Montreal lowers or rebuilds the sidewalks of curb cuts from May to October. Before a curb cut can be changed, you first need an exterior renovation or demolition permit for the parking space, garage or passage it serves. In Mercier-Hochelaga-Maisonneuve, a request sent after June 1 pushes the sidewalk work to the following year.
Driveway paving in Montreal.
In Ahuntsic-Cartierville, an access lane must measure between 2.4 and 7.5 metres, all the access lanes on a lot together may not exceed 50% of its width, and at least 7.5 metres must separate two lanes. A garage driveway that slopes down must also run perpendicular to the street there, and may not be more than 0.9 metre wider than the garage door. A curb cut application needs a scale plan of the whole lot showing the neighbouring driveways up to 7.5 metres on each side and any street furniture, such as a utility pole or a streetlight. We take these distances on site and give you the measured dimensions for that plan. If the base still holds, a targeted asphalt repair may be enough; if it has shifted, the excavation and foundation are redone before paving.
- Single-family homes with a front yard
- Multiplexes of 2 to 5 units
- Reverse-slope garage driveways
- Parking reached from a laneway
- Areas of 5 units or more (possible PIIA)
Asphalt resurfacing in Montreal: a certificate even without widening
In Saint-Laurent, a certificate of authorization is required to create an outdoor parking area, to redevelop it or simply to resurface it. In Verdun, one is required as soon as the whole surface is redone; outside areas of more than 10 spaces, asphalt is allowed there only to redo a single space in the front yard or up to 3 spaces reached from a laneway. We only propose resurfacing after assessing the base: cleaning, repair of defects, a tack coat, then hot-mix asphalt laid with a paver and compacted. If the foundation has given way, our article on resurfacing or rebuilding explains why a new layer would not hold. Later, sealcoating goes on only after the cracks are filled, never over them.
Source: Obtenir un permis pour aménager ou modifier un espace de stationnement (Saint-Laurent and Verdun sections), City of Montreal, accessed October 26, 2026.
Permits and bylaws in Montreal
The City of Montreal requires a permit to add a vehicle entrance or change the surface of an existing parking space. The application goes to your borough, as a permit or a certificate of authorization. In Ahuntsic-Cartierville, the file includes 2 copies of the certificate of location, photos of the site, a landscaping plan and a detailed estimate of the cost of the work. The page does not say whether a localized repair counts as changing the surface, so confirm with your borough’s comptoir des permis (permit counter) before you sign. Source: Obtenir un permis pour aménager ou modifier un espace de stationnement (updated June 25, 2026), City of Montreal, accessed October 26, 2026.
Official City page: montreal.ca Permits to redo your driveway: what cities ask for
Commercial paving in Montreal
For commercial paving in Montreal, Rosemont-La Petite-Patrie requires PIIA approval (site planning and architectural integration program) under bylaw 01-279 once an area of 5 units or more is created or redeveloped. In Verdun, an area of more than 10 spaces may be surfaced with asphalt if it is combined with planting islands, and it also goes through a PIIA. In Saint-Laurent, above 15 spaces, the borough asks for the technical sheet of a surface with a solar reflectance index (SRI) of at least 29 and the planting of at least one tree, and a retention permit may be added. Work then proceeds zone by zone, and the written schedule tells your tenants which entrances remain open in each phase.
Commercial clients and property managers Commercial paving and parking lots
Frequently asked questions in Montreal.
What permit do I need to redo a parking area in Rivière-des-Prairies-Pointe-aux-Trembles?
The borough requires a permit to create, modify or remove a parking space, a loading space or an access lane to the building. You book an appointment with the comptoir des permis (permit counter), file the required documents and pay the review fees, used to check that the layout complies. Depending on the project, the borough may also require building, changing or closing a curb cut, which it also calls a bateau de trottoir.
Is a permit needed to occupy the street during paving work in Montreal?
Yes: in all 19 boroughs, leaving equipment or materials on the public road, laneways and sidewalks included, requires a permis d’occupation temporaire du domaine public pour travaux (temporary public domain occupancy permit). In Saint-Léonard, the request is filed 10 business days before the work. In Verdun, the borough asks the contractor to file it, rather than the client. The quote states whether a street occupancy should be planned in front of your home.
Where can I push the snow from my asphalt driveway in Montreal?
Onto your own lot: in most boroughs, pushing snow into the street, onto the sidewalk or onto a public square is prohibited, and some allow it only in very specific cases, possibly with a permit. You must also clear the entrance to your parking area, including the pile left by the City’s snow-clearing vehicles. On ageing asphalt, a plastic blade or a rubber edge is gentler than a bare metal blade, which pulls out the aggregate.
My reverse-slope driveway floods: what does the City of Montreal recommend?
The City considers these driveways, set below street level, more vulnerable when water builds up on the roadway, and it lists 4 measures: a speed bump behind the sidewalk, a watertight garage door, a removable flood barrier or filling in the driveway. According to the City, filling it in permanently removes the risk of flooding from the surface, and it reminds you to check your borough’s requirements first. For a speed bump, the slope down to the garage must be long enough for a car to cross it without scraping its underside. These measures qualify for financial assistance under the City’s RenoPlex program.
Asphalt paving: in nearby cities.
Your city is not on the list? See all our service areas or describe your project: we will quickly tell you if we come to your area.
Sources: Obtenir un permis pour aménager ou modifier un espace de stationnement, City of Montreal, accessed October 26, 2026; Obtenir un permis pour aménager une entrée charretière, City of Montreal, accessed October 26, 2026; Obtenir un permis d’occupation temporaire du domaine public pour travaux, City of Montreal, accessed October 26, 2026; Comment protéger son bâtiment face aux fortes pluies, City of Montreal, accessed October 26, 2026; Demander l’autorisation de déposer de la neige dans la rue, City of Montreal, accessed October 26, 2026; Déneigement des terrains privés, City of Montreal, accessed October 26, 2026; Arrondissements, City of Montreal, accessed October 26, 2026
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