By-laws

Resident’s guide to the City by-laws

The purpose of the Resident’s Guide to the City of Côte Saint-Luc By-Laws is to provide a summary or extracts of common by-laws.

Please note that this Resident’s Guide is provided for information purposes only and does not constitute an interpretation of city by-laws. Only the actual text of the bylaw is authoritative and these by-laws are available at the City Hall Archives.

By-laws are codes and regulations adopted by and governing matters within the purview of municipalities, such as parking, noise, zoning, and construction.

Watering your lawn

  1. Homes with even numbers can water of lawns, hedges, trees, or other vegetation on the following days of the week: Sunday, Monday, Wednesday, Friday.
  1. Homes with odd numbers can water of lawns, hedges, trees, or other vegetation on the following days of the week: Sunday, Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday.
  1. Watering by automatic or programmable sprinkler systems is only permitted from 1:00 am to 6:00 am, and for a maximum duration of 15 minutes per zone.
  1. Watering by all other methods, such as portable sprinklers, porous hoses, or manually activated sprinkler systems is only permitted from 6:00 pm to 11:30 pm, and for a maximum duration of 45 minutes.
  1. Driveways can be watered down once a week for a maximum of 30 minutes.
  2. The requirement for a mandatory rain sensor only takes effect on June 1, 2025.

View by-law 2397 (Unofficial consolidation) (PDF)


Noise

You cannot make loud noises such as excessively honking your horn, blaring loud music or using any other sound reproduction device to do so.

Leaf blowers

Leaf blowers cannot be used in Côte Saint-Luc from June 1 to August 31. Leaf blowers can be used from September 1 to May 31, but only between the hours of 8am and 4pm. These rules apply to gas-powered and electric-power leaf blowers.
Source: By-law 2470-2 (PDF)


Bicycle and skating helmets

When riding a bicycle, or skating using in-line skates or roller blades, on any street, sidewalk, lane or any public place in Côte Saint-Luc, people of all ages must wear an approved helmet.


Cats

Please see the Cat >owner’s responsibilities page for all information related to licenses, sterilization, cat identification tags and abandonned cats.


Dogs

Please see the Dog >owner’s responsibilities page for all information related to licenses, vaccination, micropchips, dogs in public places, dog runs, etc.


Distribution of flyers

You cannot distribute circulars, advertisements, leaflets or other printed matters on the sidewalks, streets, lanes, or elsewhere than in a mail box of a private home or of a multiple dwellings building, nor can this activity take place between 9 pm and 7 am.


Garbage collection

Please visit the Waste collection page for collection rules and information.


Time of day restrictions

Unless permission was granted under special circumstances, it is prohibited:

  • To carry out exterior construction work (including excavation):
    • between 7 pm and 7 am on week days (Mon-Fri);
    • on weekends and statutory holidays;
  • To carry out all other construction work:
    • between 7 pm and 7 am on week days (Mon-Fri);
    • between 7 pm and 9 am on weekends and statutory holidays.

Permits

You must obtain a permit for the following (non-exhaustive):

  • Fences
  • Pools
  • Construction of a new balcony
  • Construction/re-doing of a driveway
  • Renovations/general modifications
  • New windows
  • New façade
  • Roof

The application for these permits should be submitted approximately one week before the work is to start. Once the work is started, it must be completed within three months—however, if it is not completed within three months, you can apply for a new permit.

If are unsure whether you need a permit call City Hall at 514-485-6800.


Smoking

The Quebec Tobacco Control Act prohibits you from smoking within a within a 9-metre radius of every door and window that opens, of air intakes connected to an enclosed place where smoking is prohibited, and other places. Côte Saint-Luc By-law 2374 prohibits smoking tobacco, e-cigarettes, and consuming cannabis in all areas of parks, greenspaces, municipal dog runs, community gardens, and outdoor pools.


Messy property

The owner of land, whether built or not, may not allow branches, bushes and long weeds to grow thereon, or to leave scrap iron, rubbish, refuse, paper or empty bottles or materials or any objects that might be a hazard to health and safety.


Raising and feeding animals

  • You cannot keep live farm animals or fowl on your land.
  • You cannot feed pigeons, squirrels and other wild animals or poultry.

Items on street or sidewalk

You cannot place objects on the street or on the public sidewalk without the permission of Côte Saint-Luc. This includes objects such as basketball nets and hockey nets.


Parks

You are not allowed to be in a city park past 11 pm where signs prohibit you to you from being there.


Private swimming pools

Operation

Swimming pools must have a rope of an easily visible color to separate the deep end from the shallow end.

Fence

Swimming pools must be surrounded by a fence, or other solid structure, not less than six feet high and the elements of the fence must not be separated by a space wider than four inches. The door to the fenced off area around a swimming pool must have a self-closing and self-locking device that is capable of keeping the door securely closed. This locking device should be located out of the reach of children.


Semi-private and public swimming pools

The Quebec Public Buildings Safety Act requires public swimming pools and semi-private ones—such as the ones in multi-family dwellings—to be equipped with the following:

  • An electrically insulated or non-conducting reaching pole at least 3.6 meters (about 12 feet) long
  • Two safety buoys that can be either a ring type or a torpedo type
  • A spine board designed for a person who has suffered spinal injury
  • A first aid kit
  • A blanket

In addition, semi-private and public swimming pools must have the following:

  • Safety rules posted in English and French
  • A rope of an easily visible color to separate the deep end from the shallow end (public pools only)
  • A portable oxygen tank with a pocket mask within accessibility of the pool area, which must be verified to be in good working order by a qualified technician at periodic intervals
  • A phone within the swimming pool area for use only to call for help in case of emergencies, and instructions on how to call for help
  • A breakable glass container (with an attachable device to break open the glass) containing a key to an interior door giving access to the pool area

Dangerous items

You cannot tolerate on your land, shallow areas gathering stagnant water, open ditches, large boulders, mounds of earth or any conditions that may cause directly or indirectly bodily harm to any person or persons.


Parking permits

Parking rules are set by Côte Saint-Luc bylaws and the Quebec Highway Safety Code. To avoid a fine, please read parking signs carefully before parking your vehicle.

Here are some examples where you cannot park a vehicle:

  • Within 5 meters of the corner or a fire hydrant
  • On any street overnight between 3 am and 6 am
  • Where signs prohibit you from parking at all times
  • Where temporary signs prohibit you to do so for operations such as street cleaning or snow removal
  • In an emergency lane
  • In a handicap zone when unauthorized to do so

You cannot park a trailer or truck anywhere in Côte Saint-Luc except for loading or unloading purposes.

In addition to the Côte Saint-Luc bylaws, the Quebec Highway Safety Code states you may not:

  • Park on your driveway while leaving a portion of your vehicle encroaching on city property such as the sidewalk
  • Block access to a public or private driveway
  • Leave you vehicle unattended with its doors unlocked
  • Park less than five meters from a fire hydrant
  • Park more than 30 cm (about one foot) from the curb of a sidewalk
  • Leave a child under age seven unattended in a vehicle

Use of barbecues in Côte Saint-Luc

In order to protect the safety of residents, the City of Côte Saint-Luc has placed limits on the use of open-flame barbecues, such as propane barbecues, charcoal barbecues, etc.

The following will help you determine if you can use an open-flame barbecue at your residence.

Apartment and condominium rules

Before even reviewing the city rules about the use of open-flame barbecues, you should first learn if your condominium association or landlord allows the use of barbecues on balconies or ground floor area. If it is prohibited by the association or owner, then you cannot use an open-flame barbecue, irrespective of the by-laws of Côte Saint-Luc.

Type of balcony

Assuming that there are no prohibitions by your condominium association or apartment building owner, then you should familiarize yourself with Côte Saint-Luc by-laws. By-law 852 amending By-law 626 concerning fire prevention states that the use of a portable open-flame device, such as a barbecue apparatus—which includes a hibachi-type table-top grill fired by charcoal—must be used on a balcony that has a support, floor, wall or any part thereof that is fully fireproof. In general, this means that the balcony must be made of concrete as opposed to wood. However, the only way to determine whether your balcony is fully fireproof is to ask the Montreal fire department to inspect it. You can contact the fire department at 514 872-3800.

Distance between gas cylinder and building opening

Assuming that the fire department says that your balcony is fully fireproof, you must also have a balcony large enough to satisfy the rules governing the storage of gas cylinders, such as propane tanks.

The distance between the building opening and the cylinder containing gas is governed by the Canadian Standards Association (CSA), which enacted the Natural Gas and Propane Installation Code and the Propane Storage and Handling Code. These distances, which are incorporated by reference in Côte Saint-Luc By-law 2279, vary and are based upon various factors. These distances only apply to barbecues fuelled by gas.

For example, the Propane Storage and Handling Code states: a cylinder shall be installed outside a building, with the discharge from the cylinder relief valve not less than:

  1. 3 feet (1 metre) on a horizontal plane from any building opening when the opening is below the level of the relief valve discharge;
  2. 10 feet (3 metres) on a horizontal plane from the air intake of any appliance or air-moving equipment; and
  3. 10 feet (3 metres) on a horizontal plane from any source of ignition.

Note: Although these codes regulate gas barbecues and not barbecues fueled by charcoal, Montreal fire inspector Jean-François Duclos recommends that residents read carefully and rigorously apply the recommended distances listed in their charcoal barbecue user manual.

Smoke

Assuming that your building allows barbecues, that you have a fully fireproof balcony, and one that is large enough to permit the distances required between the gas cylinder and the building opening, then you can to use your open-flame barbecue—assuming you are not causing a nuisance to your neighbour.

By-law 107 concerning nuisance (i.e., smoke) applies to all barbecues. Just like loud music, smoke from a barbecue could be a nuisance to your neighbours.


Street vendors

All street vendors require a license from the municipality prior to carrying out their tasks.


Fireworks

It is prohibited to use pyrotechnics, generally known as fireworks, in Côte Saint-Luc without obtaining authorization in advance from the City and the Service de sécurité incendie de Montréal (Montreal fire department).