building permit or not for a cabin in canada?

[nexxtech]

i live in quebec, canada and want to know if i need any kind of permit to build a cabin in a country lot.. whats the general answer for this question? is there a maximum size? i went on some goverment sites for building codes in quebec and there's no specific answer.. can someone help me out, thanks

[MountainDon]

The answer is it varies. There is no one rule that covers every place and that's a good thing. One size does not fit all.

Here in NM who you talk to, get a permit from, pay the money to, can be the local city or town planning, zoning or building department. Or if not located within the boundaries of a city or town then the country is the place to go. Also here, one can go directly to the state if not in an incorporated city or town and get plans approved there. Sometimes that's cheaper than going through the county.

In short we can't say for sure what you need for where you are. Start with the local city/town/village and work your way up through the county and state/province levels. We've got a member or two rom La Belle Province, maybe one of them will be o greater assistance.

[nexxtech]

but why would someone say anything if i build a 20x20 1 floor house with a flat roof and solar panels on top? its completely safe, even a child can see that

[rocking23nf]

In all of alberta a permit is needed, so chances are, you will need one also.

Its like 150 bucks, and if you ever want to sell, without a permit your property will not comply with the real property report(required at selling time)

[nexxtech]

so is this an easy 150$ permit I can obtain and still build the cabin 100% myself? (for manitoba), something similar in quebec?

[Alasdair]

Here in Nova Scotia you need a permit for anything over 200sq ft and even if it is under that but is a residence or has mains electricity or plumbing you need permits. That being said many people have camps/cabins in the woods which are much bigger than this without permits and a blind eye is turned to these. As Don says - it depends.
I would go to your local planning dept and sound them out - you may find they are more helpful than you expect! My building inspector has been extremly helpful in letting us know our options and offering workable alternatives that do not require permits/inspections.

[MountainDon]

but why would someone say anything if i build a 20x20 1 floor house with a flat roof and solar panels on top? its completely safe, even a child can see that

I don't know if you are totally serious with that comment or not?  Since you asked a simple serious sounding question I have to assume you are serious and not joking. It is not necessarily obvious to a cursory visual inspection of a completed building whether or not it is safe or not.


In part building permits are required to be certain that what are considered to be minimum safe standards are met. Theoretically your building won't fall down, catch fire, sink into the ground, the pipes will drain properly and the rain will stay on the outside, etc. if those rules are followed.  Building permits also try to protect the next purchaser. Building permits also bring in money to the local governing bodies.


I agree that permits are an intrusion into my personal life, but that is another topic for another place.


Once again you must check locally to check what permits are required. Or not. If permits are needed there may also be electrical and plumbing permits.


Why a flat roof? If you get much snow that is not the best roof, IMO. Here in NM we have lots of flat roof homes. As well we have lots of flat roofs with leaks. It doesn't rain all that much here, but when it does the roofers always get busy.

[rocking23nf]

You can build it yourself, you will need building permit, and electrical and plumbing permits. Expect to pay around 500$ total. The inspector I had was nice, gave me tips on building, told me things he didnt want to see, and what he wanted to see. Was very reasonable.

[nexxtech]

why flat roof? so I can walk on top of my roof and inspect my solar installation, and I would put a rain catcher to drain the water into a water tank and I can use that water for my purposes..  I don't see why some guy has to come inside and tell me its ok

[MountainDon]

There are many who have built their own place without obtaining any permits of any kind. Usually they are off the beaten track far enough to not be seen by every Tom, Dick and Harry. It helps to be surrounded by about 40 acres of your own forest.

However trying to slide under the government radar like that can become a problem in some places when or if you try to be connected to the power grid or have a well drilled.


I say check locally so you know what is required. Then you know if it's $25 or $2500 and what risks you would want to take. It helps to know all the rules of the game, whatever the game is, especially if you intend to circumvent some of the rules.

[nexxtech]

ok fine but where do I call ?? I mean, I'm not ready to buy land but im doing my research ahead of time.. I don't know where I will purchase in quebec, the province has many municipalities.. where do I call to see how much the permit is and what I can build/do ?I allready have a solar system where I live now and it works great, I would be off-grid 100% for sure with my cabin in the woods

[rwanders]

Check with the local authorities when you identify your property-----a word of advice----building has enough problems to solve so why do you want to spend time/money tilting at windmills? Most inspectors and permitting agencies are pretty helpful to the owner/builders. Approach them (when required) without a chip on your shoulder and you may be pleasantly surprised. If they prove to be intent on throwing unreasonable roadblocks at you, then you will have plenty of opportunities to rant.

[nexxtech]

i live in quebec, and not being french canadian (im english speaking italian descent) I find that descrimination is often an issue in everyday life here from the french

[MountainDon]

If PQ operates much the same as the levels of government here do there is no clear simple answer. It depends on what the local government has done in addition to whatever the state/province rules are.

You are right in doing this research before you buy land. However, you need to check locally on the permit question.

Google came up with this:

http://www.rbq.gouv.qc.ca/dirEnglish/construction/renovEn.asp

[MountainDon]

City or Town Building Departments in Quebec

http://www.about-building-in-canada.com/building-departments-quebec.html

[nexxtech]

thanks, so I guess the answer is it depends on where I want to build really.. and since I haven't decided that part yet there's nothing much I can do now to see how I will be building

[MountainDon]

Right! But if you research likely spots, or should I say spots you like, now, you can eliminate places with rules that may be more stringent than others.

That also applies to buying land within a chosen municipality. Some tracts come with covenants and restrictions that are more onerous than others.


G/L

[nexxtech]

another option would be to get something cheap in upstate ny since im only 1 hour from there.. would love to have 1-5 acres in the woods in the usa.. live out my american dream

[Dimitri]

If you declare it a non-residance and you build it like a garage there are exceptions for that. Which is why many hunting cabins today have garage doors, not that they plan on using them much, just a detached garage has rules that allows it to be built without permits.

Depending on the township ofcourse.

Dimitri

[glenn kangiser]

If you are in a snow area and have a flat roof you want to be sure it can take the load.  An engineer or architects help may be in order.

[sharbin]

Hello Alasdair,

I live in Quebec and I am in the final stages of building my cottage (I hope  )
The answer to your question is 99% of the times yes you need a building permit. I said 99% becuase it depends on the municipality and not the province. In my case my cottage is in Lac-Des-Plages, 40k away from Mont-Temblant ski resort.
I had to apply for the building permit in addition of having to provide a plan made by an environmental engineer to show the type of soil and the plan for the septic installation. This has to be provided before starting the construction. As for electrical and plumbing and the rest, you can do it yourself with no permits since this is a cottage for yourself. But again it will depend on the municipality. Hence, it is better to contact your municipality to get the information.

good luck.

[Old Dog]

I believe you will need one. Whichever municipality you pay your land tax to will tell you.  They always have a building department in the township offices. If you are wooded and just want to have a cabin with no increase to your taxes you can wing it.  Flat roof in a snow belt I am from central Ontario and that would be next to suicide to try that.  You should have a pitched roof and a 6 or 7 /12 pitch should be more than adequate.

On the cheap my old cottage has roughcut 2by4 at 24 inch centres with collar ties and supports every 4 feet.  It would be nowhere close to code but that's how it was built when my uncle came back from the war. and it is now 60 years old... and a 200 square foot structure could work but why not build it above code for your own preference.. There will probably be a local lumber mill around there without stamped wood at a freaction of the cost and evry bit as good.

Old Dog