Urban planning and by-laws

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URBAN PLANNING AND BY-LAWS

Urban planning and by-laws:  zoning by-laws, subdivision by-laws, construction by-laws and terms for issuing construction permits.  Effective 2020.

There are many by-laws governing construction, renovations, usage, subdivisions, etc. on the Town of Dunham’s territory.  The norms change based on usage and zones designated by the Municipality.

You will find the zoning plan designating the Municipality’s zones in « Plan et matrice graphique ».

The plan and urban by-laws are available in the following section.

# 381-19    Plan d’urbanisme

# 382-19    Règlement de zonage

# 383-19    Règlement de lotissement

# 384-19    Règlement de construction

# 385-19    Règlement relatif au PIIA

# 386-19    Règlement relatif au PAE

# 387-19    Règlement relatif aux dérogations mineures

# 388-19    Règlement relatif aux permis et aux certificats

*** These documents are available for consultation at the Town Hall during our regular office hours.***

These by-laws are only available in French.  However, upon request, we could translate certain brief paragraphs, but the translation would have no legal value.

Application for a building permit, a subdivision permit and a certificate of authorization

For your work and projects, please read the following section which indicates works or elements requiring municipal approval.

Please note that the following section indicates only authorizations required from the Municipality.  In some cases, your project may require approval from a different level of government.

For example, authorization from la Commission de Protection du Territoire Agricole du Québec (“CPTAQ”) is required for use other than agriculture within an agricultural zone.

Please contact the various organizations, as required.

Work requiring a building permit

The following work requires a building permit:

  1. Construction, renovation, expansion or reconstruction of a main building or mobile home;
  2. Construction, renovation, expansion or reconstruction of a building or ancillary building of any kind;
  3. Installation or assembly of a modular or prefabricated building;
  4. Construction, renovation, expansion or reconstruction of a telecommunications antenna;
  5. Construction, modification, replacement or the relocation of a wind turbine more than twenty-five (25) meters.

Work requiring a subdivision permit

All cadastral operations require a subdivision permit with the exception of cadastral operations seeking to cancel and/or correct a lot.

Furthermore, any property owner requesting a cadastral operation seeking to create three (3) or more lots must make a contribution toward parks, playgrounds and green spaces equivalent to 10% of the value of the land, the size of the land or a combination of these two (2) elements.  Certain exceptions apply to this stipulation.

Work requiring a certificate of authorization

The following require a certificate of authorization.

Regarding construction:

  1. Demolition, complete or partial, of a primary or ancillary building;
  2. Relocation of a primary or ancillary building;
  3. Any type of interior or exterior renovation work of a primary or ancillary building;
  4. Any type of repair or renovation of any type of structure;
  5. Construction, transformation, expansion, repair or reconstruction of an inground or above ground pool, as well as the installation of a spa or hot tub;
  6. Installation or modification of a well, including hydrofracturing
  7. Construction, transformation, expansion, repair or reconstruction of a septic system installation;
  8. Installation of a fence or a low wall;
  9. Installation of a storage container for agricultural purposes;

Regarding outdoor work and in vacant spaces:

  1. Construction, installation or alteration of any poster, sign or billboard, including temporary signs;
  2. Development of a parking lot or loading dock;
  3. Backfill or excavation work, inside or outside a riverbank, a stream or wetland riparian zone;

Regarding the primary or ancillary use:

  1. Change in the use of an establishment or the addition of a new use;
  2. Addition of a business inside a residence;
  3. Addition of a complementary use to the residential use; “tourist house”;
  4. Increasing the number of animals or replacing the type of animal in a livestock facility.

Regarding the environment:

  1. Any excavation of a ditch or a sewer on the street, pavement or sidewalk, work necessary for the installation of a street, an access road or a private road;
  2. Any work or intervention to the shoreline or the bank of a waterway, lake or natural environment;
  3. Tree cutting, in accordance with the zoning by-law;
  4. All ground reshaping work that changes the land of an area of 1,500 square meters or more, as well as the following ground reshaping:
  • Any reshaping or levelling of the ground within 100 meters of a lakefront, waterway or wetland;
  • Reshaping or levelling of the ground affecting an area of 250 square meters or more, including the excavated material;
  • Ground reshaping or levelling on an area of 100 square meters or more on a slope greater than 30% authorized by this current by-law and by the zoning by-law in effect.
  • Construction of a forest road, private road or driveway with a minimum length of 60 meters on a slope greater than 5%;
  • Work related to the construction or major repairs of a traffic lane;
  • Removal of tree stumps over an area of 250 square meters or more, including the fill.

Documents required to obtain a permit

Documents will be required for each application.  Please refer to articles 33, 34, 40, 41, 47, 48 and 49 of règlement relatif aux permis et aux certificats # 388-19.

Cost of permits

Information related to permit costs can be found in the charts on pages 44, 45 and 46 of règlement relatif aux permis et aux certificats # 388-19.

The cost of certain permits varies depending on the value of the work reported.

For example, the calculation for a construction permit for a single-family, isolated home of $300,000 would be the following:

  • $50 for the first $100,000 of work declared +
  • $200, corresponding to $1 per $1,000 exceeding the first $100,000 of the cost of the work
  • $250 (total)

Special permission required for residents in the vicinity of a pipeline

A special authorization is required if you plan to do work near a pipeline that crosses the territory of our Municipality since it could even be on your property.

Please contact Montreal Pipe Line Limited for further information: 514 645-8797

Consult the article concerning the precautions to take when carrying out work near pipelines.

Garage sales

  • Limit of two per year, per civic address;
  • They are permitted only during
    • National Patriots’ Day weekend or the following weekend
    • Labour Day weekend or the following weekend.
  • Permits are not required for garage sales, however, the municipal regulations must be respected.

Temporary car shelters (Tempo)

  • Tempos are allowed from October 15th to May 15th.
  • Permits are not required for temporary car shelters, however, certain restrictions apply.

Culvert installation

Standards apply to the installation of a culvert along a roadway:

  • The minimum width authorized for a private driveway is six (6) meters and the maximum width is nine (9) meters;
  • The culvert must have a minimum diameter of four hundred and fifty (450) millimeters [eighteen (18) inches];
  • The culvert must be made of high-density polyethylene plastic, with a smooth inner wall.

Without exception, a representative of the Town of Dunham must confirm the diameter of the culvert to be installed.

Filling of a drainage ditch

Standards apply to the filling of a roadside drainage ditch:

  • The pipe must be perforated and have a diameter specified by the representative of the Town of Dunham, not less than four hundred and fifty (450) millimeters [eighteen (18) inches] minimum, interior diameter;
  • The pipe must be of high-density polyethylene plastic, with a smooth inner wall;
  • The perforated pipe must be installed at the bottom of the existing ditch and be covered with clean stone of a minimum gauge of twenty (20) millimeters.  The sections on either side of the perforated pipe and the section composed of clean stone may be filled with fill soil;
  • On either side of the drainage trench, a minimum slope of 1% will allow the surface water to flow towards the center of the trench, into the section of clean stone;
  • The clean stone must be surrounded by a geotextile membrane to prevent clogging the drain.  The membrane around the stone must have a minimum overlap of three hundred (300) millimeters;
  • Fill soil sections must be sodded or seeded immediately after completion of the work;
  • The location and number of catch basins are determined by the Town of Dunham’s representative.  The maximum distance between two (2) catch must not exceed twenty-five (25) meters;
  • It is required that a sufficient depression be left over a closed drainage pipe to allow drainage from the roadway and adjacent lands and to direct surface water to catch basins.

The conversion of a drainage ditch into a drainage trench must be approved by a representative of the Town of Dunham.  If the representative has reasonable doubts that the conversion of the drainage ditch would have an impact on the natural drainage of the roadway or on a water flow that may have been poorly estimated by the applicant, he may request that an opinion from a recognized professional in the field be provided to confirm that such a development would not have an impact.

Stray dogs

The Town of Dunham wishes to minimize the risks caused by a stray domestic animal.  We would like to remind you that articles 2.1 and 2.2 of by-law no. 412-21/RM-410 relative to animal control, stipulate that:

“Any animal that is outside the boundaries of its Guardian’s property must be restrained or held (tether, leash, pen, etc.) by a reasonable person with the physical ability to restrain it, preventing it from wandering alone or straying”.

In a bill passed by the Quebec National Assembly, the Quebec government is giving municipalities more power to manage dangerous dogs.

An animal is considered dangerous if it:

  • is designated as such under the current Québec law;
  • is the result of a crossbreeding with a wild or exotic animal;
  • bites, attempts to bite or attacks a person or other animal causing injury, lesion or harm;
  • shows aggression towards a person by growling, showing its teeth, barking fiercely or by acting in any other way that would objectively indicates that the animal might bite or attack;
  • fails to comply with repeated orders from its Guardian and behaves in an aggressive manner or is in an offensive or defensive mode such that it is prepared to attack any person or animal;
  • by its conduct or nature, endangers the life of a person.

Duty of the Guardian of a dangerous animal:

The Guardian of a dangerous animal cannot, under any circumstances, be in a public place with said animal unless:

  • the animal is restrained by a person over 16 years of age by means of a leash not exceeding one (1) metre in length;

AND

  • the animal wears a basket-type muzzle at all times.

We invite you to contact the Municipality if you see a stray dog, especially if it seems dangerous.  At any time, you can contact the SPA des Cantons, who are responsible for the application of animal-related by-laws, at 450 263-1117  or the Sûreté du Québec at 340-4141.

In order to limit possible incidents, do not approach a stray dog that seems dangerous to you. It is preferable to change your route to avoid contact with the animal.

Urban planning committee (CCU)

This committee is mandated by the town council to provide recommendations on all matters relating to urban planning and urban by-laws.  The committee must be consulted for all requests for minor derogations on the Municipality’s territory.

This approach has the advantage of involving citizens in the decision-making process.  They can bring their experience of life in the community, as well as their concerns regarding urban planning.

Currently, the members of the CCU are: 

Jules Brunelle-Marineau, municipal councillor and president
Kevin Mitchell, municipal councillor
Josée Brunet, citizen
Daniel Bérard, citizen
Virginie Hébert, citizen

 

Alice Boulet, citizen – substitute
Mario Patenaude, citizen – substitute
Julie Langlois, citizen – substitute

Andréanne Godbout, municipal inspector, serves as a resource person.

For further information, contact the Urbanism and Development Planning department at 450 295-2418, extension 27

permis@ville.dunham.qc.ca (for all permit requests)

a.godbout@ville.qc.ca