Widening · second car
Widening your driveway: the added strip, the curb and the permit.
For a second car, we add a strip of asphalt built on the same stone as the existing driveway, at $6 to $10 per square foot in 2026. The City cuts the curb and sets the maximum width: here are its rules in every city we work in.
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On this page
Widening a driveway means building a new strip of driveway next to the old one: we dig, build the same compacted stone base, pave, then tie the two surfaces together with no step and no crack at the seam. Almost everywhere, you also need the City’s approval and a cut in the street curb, done by the City or its contractor, at your cost.
- 2026 price: $6–10/ft² before tax for the added part; $3–5.50/ft² if we also resurface the old part for a single finish.
- Example: going from 3 m to 6 m over a 12 m length adds 36 m², about 390 ft²: $2,300–3,900 before tax, plus the curb.
- The curb: billed by the City, from a few hundred dollars to over $1,000 depending on the city and the length.
- Timing: 2 to 8 weeks between the request and the cut in several cities, and some close requests in the fall.
What a widening costs
| What we add | Area | Before tax ($6–10/ft²) | With tax |
|---|---|---|---|
| A 1.5 m strip, 12 m long | about 195 ft² | $1,170–1,950 | $1,350–2,240 |
| A second space: 3 m by 12 m | about 390 ft² | $2,340–3,900 | $2,690–4,480 |
| A 3 m by 6 m turnaround | about 195 ft² | $1,170–1,950 | $1,350–2,240 |
Add the City’s curb cut and, in some cities, the certificate. Each city’s fees are in the table below, and 2026 prices on the price page.
Your widening: the price of the strip, the curb and the permit, after a free visit
How we widen with no crack at the seam
- We check the allowed width and tell you which request to file, with whom and with what documents: often a plan and the paving contract.
- We probe the old driveway. If its stone is thin, we don’t glue a new strip to an old driveway that will move: we suggest redoing the whole thing, or resurfacing the old part.
- We dig the added strip to the same depth as the old one, with stone 30 cm wider than the asphalt, as CAA-Québec recommends.
- We saw the old asphalt in a straight line 15–30 cm back, so the new mix bonds to a sound vertical edge rather than a crumbling one.
- MG-20 stone compacted in lifts, level with the old base, with the same slope toward the street.
- Tack coat on the joint, then hot mix rolled out to the edge.
- Joint hot-sealed, so water can’t get between the two surfaces.
Option: resurfacing the whole driveway after the widening erases the line between old and new, for $3–5.50/ft² on the existing part.
The street curb: who cuts it, and when
In almost every city, the sidewalk and curb belong to the City: you can’t cut them yourself, and neither can we. The City does it or sends its contractor, on request, against payment. Three traps:
- Dates. Brossard wants the request before September 15, Terrebonne takes sawing permits from April 1 to November 1, Lévis from April 1 to October 1.
- Lead time. Up to 4 weeks between payment and the cut in Blainville, about 8 weeks in Longueuil, 45 days in Gatineau.
- Order of work. The curb is cut before the paving; we plan the job around the City’s date.
The rules in 52 cities
| City | Steps to widen | Curb cut | Maximum width (house) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Montréal | Borough permit; the City lowers sidewalks May to October | By borough: $79–632/m² depending on the material | By borough; asphalt banned in some |
| Laval | Certificate; only the City alters curbs and sidewalks | The City: certificate $84 (first 500 m²), plus Public Works’ bill | Curb cut 5.5 m (6 m in T5 zones); one cut if the lot is under 30 m wide |
| Pointe-Claire | Certificate of authorization; one access if the frontage is 21 m or less, two beyond | Access built within the lowered curb or sidewalk; steps to confirm with Urban Planning | 6.1 m (20 ft) at most, one access or two combined, including any paved surface at the same level; constant width over the first 3 m |
| Dollard-des-Ormeaux | Same permit to enlarge; one parking area per street if the lot is under 21.3 m wide | Not specified: confirm with the urban planning and engineering department | 2.7 m to 8.2 m for a detached house, 6 m for a semi-detached or row house; 1 m from the side lot line |
| Blainville | Request to urban planning; up to 4 weeks between payment and the cut | The City’s contractor: invoice + 15%, plus $300 per metre for a new or modified curb cut | Curb cut 3–12 m; parking at most 45% of the lot frontage and 12 m |
| Boisbriand | Free online work declaration (1–3 dwellings) | The City cuts, with a deposit equal to its estimate | One-way 2.5–7 m, two-way 6–10 m (2025 by-law); at most 2.5 m in front of the façade |
| Sainte-Thérèse | Prior urban-planning approval; one tree per added space | The City rebuilds the curb, at the owner’s cost | Curb cut 3–6.5 m |
| Rosemère | Same certificate | City subcontractor, at cost + 12% | Access at most 7.5 m; 2 m encroachment in front of the façade |
| Lorraine | Same certificate | Not stated | 8.5 m |
| Bois-des-Filion | Certificate ($50) | 2026 sawing: $408.16 up to 3.15 m | Curb cut 3–6 m; parking at most 6 m |
| Saint-Eustache | Permit for curbs and the curb cut ($30.75) | Not stated | 8 m |
| Mirabel | Curb-cut permit | Actual cost + 15% | 6 m per access (9 m combined) |
| Saint-Jérôme | Certificate of authorization to create a new curb cut; above 200 m², certificate plus a $500 deposit | Certificate request to the City; on a provincial road, the transport ministry’s authorization is also needed | Maximum width set zone by zone in the specification grid (line 101) |
| Terrebonne | Curb-sawing permit: applications April 1 to November 1 | City contractor: $43 + $235.43 + $56.63 per metre (2026) | Smaller of 7 m or 50% of the lot width; 40% green front yard |
| Mascouche | Curb-cut permit; work in about 15 working days | City contractor: $56.74 per metre, minimum $299.84, + $50 inspection | 6 m (lot frontage 18 m or less), 9 m above |
| Repentigny | Online curb-cut request | The City: $255 up to 1 m, + $53 per metre (2026) | 3–7 m (9 m if all pavers or stamped concrete) |
| L’Assomption | Same certificate; culvert: $30 | Minimum $420 or actual cost + 15% | Access 3–9 m |
| Joliette | Check with the land-use planning department | Not specified | Not specified on the City’s pages |
| Longueuil | Certificate ($136 for the curb cut); work about 8 weeks later | City contractor: sawing $226 up to 4 m, then $57 per metre | Front-yard parking: smaller of 7.5 m or 50% of the lot width |
| Brossard | Authorization (not a permit), to request before September 15 | The City: $60 + $48.95 per metre (4 m minimum), plus restoration | Curb cut 10 m and at most 50% of the lot width |
| Boucherville | No certificate for a house, but the curb cut must first be approved by the permits department (answer in at least 7 business days) | The City or its contractor, at the actual cost of the work, billed to the owner | Access 7 m at most, measured at the front lot line and at the lowered curb; one access if the frontage is under 30 m |
| Saint-Lambert | Curb-cut construction or modification request to Urban Planning, on top of the parking permit | Work done by the City: curb sawing $200/m, curb rebuild $360/m, sidewalk rebuild $600/m (free when the City rebuilds the street) | Curb cut 2.5–6 m (two combined: 9 m on a lot 24 m wide or more); 1.22 m clear between a walkway and the parking if not combined |
| Saint-Bruno-de-Montarville | Same steps; one driveway if the lot is 30 m wide or less, two beyond, 8 m apart | Curb lowered over the full driveway width; steps to confirm with the City | Driveway 3.5 to 7 m, not more than half the front lot line (7 m allowed if the garage is under 6 m from the street) |
| Sainte-Julie | No certificate for the house; the curb cut is paid to the City, in advance | Curb or sidewalk work billed by the City per its fee schedule, payable in advance | Curb cut 3–7.50 m, matching the driveway width; 7 m between two; 6 m from an intersection |
| Varennes | No permit for the house; widening the lowered curb is requested from Engineering, by appointment April 1 to October 15 | Done by specialized contractors at the owner’s cost: curb sawn or sidewalk rebuilt, April 15 to November 1, 15–20 business days after payment | Not specified on the City’s pages: the technologist tells you the applicable rule |
| La Prairie | Certificate of authorization required before widening the parking area | Not specified on the City’s page: confirm with the urban planning department | One access per street (two if the lot is over 20 m wide or on a corner); at most 3 m in front of the façade |
| Candiac | Certificate of authorization to lay out parking or a curb cut (by-law 5005) | The certificate requires a plan locating the curbs and the curb cut | Not specified on the City’s pages |
| Saint-Constant | At most 3 m of driveway or parking in front of the house (outside the garage), unless approved under the PIIA; one access if the frontage is under 15 m | Not specified | Driveway 3–7 m one-way, 5–8 m two-way |
| Chambly | $20 permit « curb cut, laying out parking (enlargement or change) » | Curb lowered over the full width of the parking; any new access on Route 112 also needs the ministry’s approval | By frontage: 3 m (under 8 m), 5 m (8–12 m), 6 m (12–15 m), 7.5 m (15 m and more); the attached garage’s width if larger |
| Châteauguay | Permit required to build or enlarge parking (online request depending on whether there is a curb, a ditch or neither) | Curb-cut request to the inspection and permits division; no ditch closing where the ditch is under 1 m deep | Access at least 3 m; at most 50% of the frontage if the lot is 18.28 m or less, 9.14 m beyond |
| Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu | No permit for a house; a curb or sidewalk cut is first arranged with the urban planning department | Work in the street right-of-way governed by by-law 1799: request it from the City before paving; fee not published on the info sheet | Curb cut 2.5–10 m (to confirm with urban planning); one per street if the lot is under 20 m wide; 5.5 m between two |
| Granby | No permit for the house; the number and width of curb cuts apply | Not specified on the City’s sheet: ask Public Works before paving | At most two curb cuts per street, 9 m in total, 5 m apart (12 m on an unserviced lot 36 m wide or more) |
| Saint-Hyacinthe | To confirm with the urban planning department under the by-law in force | Not specified | Not specified for a house |
| Beloeil | Curb-cut request with the annotated certificate of location (existing and desired dimensions) | After urban planning approves, Engineering measures and prices it; work by a City contractor, at the resident’s cost | Curb cut 3–7 m (1–3 dwellings); one driveway if the frontage is under 40 m; 0.6 m landscaped along the side lot line |
| Mont-Saint-Hilaire | Curb-cut permit from the City; one entrance if the total frontage is under 25 m | Not specified | Curb cut 7 m at most (one-way driveway), 8 m (two-way); 6 m between two, 3 m from an intersection |
| Sorel-Tracy | Check with the urban planning department | Not specified | Access and driveway 3–6 m for a 1–3 dwelling home |
| Vaudreuil-Dorion | Same certificate to enlarge the parking | Not specified: ask the City along with the certificate | Not specified on the City’s pages |
| Salaberry-de-Valleyfield | Check with the urban planning and permits department (certificate depending on the work) | Not specified | Not specified on the City’s pages |
| Québec | No certificate either (same exceptions; otherwise $2.70/m², min. $180); curb cut requested via 311, mid-April to October 1 | The City only, on a technician’s estimate; deposit at the 2026 rate (poured concrete curb $257/m, sawing $45/m); work May to early October, at least 10 days after payment; drilling banned | Front-yard parking 7 m (11 m within 4 m of the façade); street access 7 m, at most 2 accesses, 14 m total; at most 3 m in front of the façade |
| Lévis | No permit to enlarge either; the curb cut is requested from the City from April 1 to October 1 | The City only, at your cost: sawing $55 per metre (2026); paving contract attached, work from May | Single access 3–6.5 m, double 6.5–8 m (7 m on a provincial road); in front of the façade, at most 30% of its width |
| Saint-Georges | Same certificate (building or re-laying out the area), issued within 30 days of a complete application | The City, on request to Technical Services: cost + 6%, payable within 30 days of the invoice. In front of a ditch: piping by the City, with a Public Works permit | Accesses 3–9 m wide, at most 2 per street, 8 m apart, 6 m from an intersection |
| Thetford Mines | “Access to the public road” certificate of authorization, $25 (same fee to fill a ditch) | City Public Works: $59 per metre to cut a curb, $134 per metre to modify a sidewalk (2023 rates; 2026 schedule not published) | Single access lane 3–7.5 m, double lane 5–7.5 m; at most 2 accesses per street, 8 m from an intersection |
| Sherbrooke | Certificate of authorization: $102 plus $0.25 per m², minimum $127; form no. 11 for the curb | Work on the City’s curb or sidewalk, paid in advance per linear metre; no charge if the City is already rebuilding them and it adds no cost | Curb cut and access 3–7 m (detached house), 5.5 m per semi-detached unit, 10 m in rural zones; at most 2 spaces in front of the façade |
| Magog | No certificate under 6 spaces; the area stays 1 m from the lot lines (0 m on a shared-wall side) | Written request to the City before any work; the owner has a competent contractor make the cut, at their cost (2026 Public Works rates: $37/m of curb, $111/m of sidewalk) | Access at most 6 m wide at the right-of-way line; one access per street, a U-shaped driveway counts as two |
| Trois-Rivières | Certificate of authorization: $50 for the first 150 m², + $36 per 100 m² (also to go from gravel to asphalt); Bettez-Lacerte-Milette sector: engineer’s report above 25 m² | Only the City cuts: sawing $39 per metre (2026) + $50 non-refundable review fee; technician visit within 5–10 working days | Access 3.5–12 m, at most 50% of the lot width (70% under 12 m of frontage); in front of the house, on at most 50% of the façade |
| Shawinigan | “Parking, curb cut – layout or modification” certificate: $25; up to 30 working days | The City modifies the curb cut, at the owner’s cost; curb sawing $40 per metre (concrete), $50 (granite) | Curb cut 3–8 m (6 m beyond the first 20 m of driveway); two entrances on one street only if the lot is 20 m wide or more |
| Drummondville | No certificate on the lot; the curb cut is requested from Urban Planning (PIIA review downtown, Celanese and Biron sectors) | City Public Works, paid before the work: first curb cut free, otherwise $500/m of curb, $550/m of sidewalk, $50/m of sawing | Curb cut 3–7 m (1–3 dwellings), at most 2 per lot; parking at most 3 m in front of the façade |
| Victoriaville | Land-development certificate ($54 in 2026), issued before work starts, with a site plan; if there is a ditch, roads-department authorization | Who cuts is not stated; 2026 municipal rate: curb sawing $86 per metre ($500 minimum) | Access 3–7.5 m (9.5 m if the lot is 25 m wide or more); at most 2 m in front of the façade (detached), 3 m (semi-detached) |
| Gatineau | No permit (5 spaces or fewer), but the driveway must meet zoning; curb cut requested through 311, mid-May to end of September | The City only, at the applicant’s cost (rate through 311); about 45 days after approval and payment | Driveway at least 2.5 m; at most 5.5 m (lot 11 m or less), 6 m (11–20 m), 7.5 m (over 20 m); 2 accesses at most, 6 m apart |
| Saguenay | No permit either (1–4 dwellings); to lower the curb or sidewalk, request it from the City’s Public Works | Only the City modifies the curb or sidewalk: net contract cost per metre + $10 administration fee | Access 3–9 m (5–9 m two-way); at most 3 m in front of the façade of a detached or semi-detached house; 2 accesses per street, 6 m apart |
| Alma | No permit either; the curb or sidewalk cut is requested from urban planning (418 669-5030); certificate for a culvert | The City: “driveway-entrance adjustment” at actual cost, paving included; no deadline set | At most 6.7 m (7.9 m to a garage with 4.2 m or more of doors); at most 2.7 m in front of the façade; 2 driveways, 6.7 m apart |
| Rimouski | $45 certificate to add or modify the curb access (curb cut); the enlarged area must meet the zoning by-law | The City only, at the owner’s cost: sawing $100/m, entrance $195/m ($243.75/m, and sawing at actual cost, from November 1 to May 1) | Access 3–7.5 m (single-family); 1 access per 15 m of frontage, at most 2 on lots under 3,000 m² |
Rules read in each city’s by-laws and fee schedules in October 2026; each city page lists its sources. The full table, including same-size repaving, is in our permit guide by city.
What the maximum width means at your place
Most cities limit two things: the width of the curb cut and the share of the front yard that can be paved. Repentigny allows 9 m instead of 7 if the whole driveway is pavers or stamped concrete; Lorraine grants 10% more paved area for a permeable surface; Sainte-Thérèse requires a tree for each added space. Before drawing a double driveway, we measure your frontage and check your lot’s zone.
Frequently asked questions
How much does it cost to widen a driveway?
$6 to $10 per square foot before tax for the added part in 2026: about $2,300–3,900 for a second 3 m by 12 m space. The City’s curb cut and the certificate are extra, depending on the city.
Do I need a permit to widen my driveway?
In most cities, yes: a certificate of authorization or a curb-cut request. A few, such as Lévis, require no permit for a house’s parking, but the curb is still cut by the City, on request.
Who cuts the street curb?
The City or the contractor it hires, at your cost, after your request. Neither the owner nor the paver can cut it themselves.
How wide can a double driveway be?
It depends on the city: a 5.5 m curb cut in Laval, the smaller of 7 m or 50% of the lot in Terrebonne, 8 m in Saint-Eustache. The table above gives the rule in 52 cities.
Will the added part crack at the seam?
Not if it sits on the same depth of stone as the old part, the old asphalt is sawn straight back to a sound edge and the joint is sealed. Resurfacing the whole driveway also erases the line.
Can a driveway be widened in late fall?
Yes for the paving, as long as the plants are producing and the ground isn’t frozen. The curb depends on the City’s calendar: several close requests in the fall.
Sources
- Zoning, permit and fee by-laws of the cities in the table, read in October 2026 (links on each city page), for example: Boucherville, access widening; Varennes, curb cuts; Saint-Lambert, curb-cut form.
- CAA-Québec and Bitume Québec, technical sheet on the residential asphalt driveway (2011).
- Prices: Casabella Pavage (December 2025) and Les Pavages Guilmain (January 2026), compiled on our price page.
Driveway widening: in your city.
Montréal and Laval
North Shore
Les Moulins and Lanaudière
South Shore
Montérégie
Québec City region
Eastern Townships
Mauricie and Centre-du-Québec
Outaouais
Saguenay–Lac-Saint-Jean
Eastern Québec
Go further.
Driveway permits: what 16 cities require (rules checked in 2026)
Repaving as is, gravel to asphalt, widening: what Laval, Terrebonne, Longueuil, Brossard and 12 other cities require. Widths, curb cuts, fees and deadlines.
ReadAsphalt driveway paving: a driveway rebuilt from the stone to the surface, in two days
A driveway rebuilt from the stone up: $6–10/ft² in 2026, $2,400–4,000 for 400 ft² before tax. Excavation, compacted MG-20 stone, 2.5 in of hot-mix asphalt.
Read
How much does an asphalt driveway cost in 2026?
Québec asphalt prices: rebuilding $6–10/ft², resurfacing $3–5.50, plus sealcoating and crack repair. Sources and a project budget calculator.
ReadBefore the freeze, not next spring.
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