Renovating in Québec: licences, taxes, permits and programs (2026)

The RBQ licence is not optional

Any contractor who does renovation work for a client in Québec must hold a licence from the Régie du bâtiment du Québec in the subcategory of the work: general contractor, plumbing, electricity, roofing and so on. There is no dollar amount below which the licence stops being required. The one exemption is the owner-occupant who does the work alone, on their own home.

The register of licence holders is public and free. Look up the number the contractor gives you, check that the subcategories cover your job and that the licence is active, and keep a screenshot with the contract. A contractor without a licence cannot give you a valid warranty, and an unlicensed job is the first thing a pre-purchase inspector asks about at resale.

Checked against: Régie du bâtiment du Québec (2026-09-16)

GST + QST: 14.975 % on every invoice

Québec does not use the HST. A contractor charges the 5 % GST and the 9.975 % QST separately, 14.975 % in total, on labour and materials alike. Our city estimates are shown before tax; add 15 % to compare with a quote that includes it. Across the river in Ottawa the same job carries 13 % HST, which is one of the reasons a Gatineau bathroom is quoted differently from an Ottawa one.

Checked against: Revenu Québec · Agence du revenu du Canada (taux TVH) et Revenu Québec (TPS + TVQ) (2026-09-16)

The written contract and the deposit

The Office de la protection du consommateur recommends a written contract for any renovation: description of the work, materials by type and quantity, start and end dates, total price, and the name of the contractor’s liability insurer. Pay a small deposit only, get a receipt for anything paid in cash, and keep the final payment until the work is finished to your satisfaction.

Checked against: Office de la protection du consommateur (2026-09-16)

Co-ownership: the syndicate decides on common elements

In a divided co-ownership, the roof, façade, balconies, party walls and much of the plumbing are common elements: the syndicate orders the work, not the co-owner, and your share is paid through the reserve fund or a special assessment. Since 14 August 2025 every syndicate must hold a reserve-fund study by an independent professional, renewed every five years. Ask for it before buying a plex or condo whose roof or windows are due.

Checked against: Gouvernement du Québec — copropriétés divises (2026-09-16)

Rénoclimat and LogisVert

Two programs are active in 2026. Rénoclimat, run by the Government of Québec, covers insulation, air sealing, doors and windows and some mechanical systems after an energy advisor evaluates the home; it pays $150 per existing rough opening replaced with an ENERGY STAR door or window, provided the home’s EnerGuide rating improves. LogisVert, run by Hydro-Québec, pays up to $6,700 toward an efficient heat pump, more for cold-climate models, and covers neither windows nor insulation.

The federal Canada Greener Homes Grant is closed to new applicants. Any page that still promises it is out of date.

Checked against: Gouvernement du Québec — Rénoclimat · Gouvernement du Québec — Rénoclimat · Hydro-Québec — LogisVert (2026-09-16)

Permits: it depends on the city

Permits are municipal. Montréal charges $9.80 per $1,000 of work with a $167.40 minimum, through the borough. Laval asks no permit to renovate an existing kitchen or bathroom or to replace plumbing or wiring, but one to add a bathroom, a bedroom or a dwelling or to change the number, size or structure of rooms, at $92 for the first $20,000 plus $2.50 per further $1,000, in about 30 days. Gatineau needs no permit under $26,000 unless the foundation, structure or interior walls are involved, and commits to no processing time. Québec City routes everything through its Assistant-permis, with heritage rules in the protected sectors.

Checked against: Ville de Montréal · Ville de Laval · Ville de Gatineau · Ville de Gatineau · Ville de Québec (2026-09-16)

Backwater valves: required in Laval, paid for in Montréal and Québec City

Sewer backups are the Québec basement problem. Laval’s bylaw L-11870 requires safety devices including a check valve on the building’s sewer connection, which the owner must have, locate and maintain; without one the city declines liability for backup damage. Montréal’s RénoPlex pays $90 for a valve, $600 when it goes under an existing slab and $1,600 for a retention basin with pump. Québec City reimburses the full cost of an anti-backflow device installed by a licensed plumber, up to $350 for a mechanical valve and $1,500 for an electro-pneumatic one, for houses built before February 2015, while funds last. Put the valve in the quote of any basement job.

Checked against: Ville de Laval · Ville de Montréal — RénoPlex · Ville de Québec (2026-09-16)

Sources

• Régie du bâtiment du Québec — https://www.rbq.gouv.qc.ca/foire-aux-questions-faq/constructeur-proprietaire/licence/
• Revenu Québec — https://www.revenuquebec.ca/fr/entreprises/taxes/tpstvh-et-tvq/perception-de-la-tps-et-de-la-tvq/calcul-des-taxes/
• Agence du revenu du Canada (taux TVH) et Revenu Québec (TPS + TVQ) — https://www.canada.ca/en/revenue-agency/services/tax/businesses/topics/gst-hst-businesses/charge-collect-which-rate.html
• Office de la protection du consommateur — https://www.opc.gouv.qc.ca/en/consumer/good-service/housing-renovation/home-renovations/shopping-advice/before-hiring-renovation-contractor/
• Gouvernement du Québec — copropriétés divises — https://www.quebec.ca/habitation-territoire/achat-vente/condos-coproprietes/mesures-coproprietes
• Gouvernement du Québec — Rénoclimat — https://www.quebec.ca/en/housing-territory/heating-energy-consumption/financial-assistance-retrofits/renoclimat/financial-assistance/doors-windows-grant
• Gouvernement du Québec — Rénoclimat — https://www.quebec.ca/en/housing-territory/heating-energy-consumption/financial-assistance-retrofits/renoclimat
• Hydro-Québec — LogisVert — https://www.hydroquebec.com/residential/energy-wise/financial-assistance/logisvert/
• Ville de Montréal — https://montreal.ca/articles/renovations-combien-coute-un-permis-2715
• Ville de Laval — https://www.laval.ca/reglements-permis/trouver-mon-permis/renovation-residentielle-interieure/
• Ville de Gatineau — https://www.gatineau.ca/portail/default.aspx?p=guichet_municipal%2Fpermis_certificats_autorisation_urbanisme%2Fai_je_besoin_permis_construire_ou_certificat_autorisation
• Ville de Gatineau — https://www.gatineau.ca/portail/default.aspx?p=guichet_municipal%2Fpermis_certificats_autorisation_urbanisme%2Fdemande_information%2Ffaq
• Ville de Québec — https://www.ville.quebec.qc.ca/apropos/programmes-subventions/habitation/arr_historique.aspx
• Ville de Laval — https://www.laval.ca/en/environment/water/water-accumulation-infiltration-sewer-backflows/
• Ville de Montréal — RénoPlex — https://montreal.ca/articles/renoplex-determiner-les-montants-accordes-par-type-de-travaux-11573
• Ville de Québec — https://www.ville.quebec.qc.ca/apropos/programmes-subventions/habitation/anti_refoulement.aspx