Winter Parking & Snow Removal Rules

From November 15 to April 1 inclusive, parking or standing a vehicle on the street between midnight and 7 a.m. is banned everywhere in the city (Règlement no 1806, Art. 7). The ban applies by default every night.

The ban is lifted only when the Director of Public Works announces that no snow-clearing operation will happen that night - a message broadcast at 450-455-3372 and updated daily from 5 p.m., valid for that night only. It's the vehicle owner's responsibility to check the message before parking. You can also sign up for email or text alerts through Espace citoyen.

Where posted signage prohibits parking, the signage overrides the phone message.

A vehicle obstructing a snow-clearing operation can be towed at the owner's expense, to another street, the Centre multisports André-Chagnon parking lot, or the snow depot (rue du Voiturier). Call 311 to locate it. A vehicle also can't sit in the same spot on a public road for more than 48 hours between November 15 and April 1 (72 hours the rest of the year).

Alternate parking is available during winter at:

The City clears roughly 220 km of roads and 47 km of sidewalks using contracted snow-removal crews.

Per the City's own page, the 47 km of public sidewalks are cleared by City-hired contractors. No clause found in Règlement no 1806, Règlement no 1692, or the déneigement page places any sidewalk-clearing duty on abutting property owners.

Any vehicle parked on private property must be at least 60 cm from the public road.

It is strictly prohibited to push snow from your driveway into the street, onto the sidewalk, into public squares, into municipal watercourses, culvert ends, or around fire hydrants. The fine is $200 for a first offense (higher for repeat offenses), under Règlement no 1781 on nuisances.

On private property, the bare structure of a temporary carport is allowed from October 15 to April 15; the canvas or polyethylene covering is only allowed from November 1 to April 15. One carport per lot, maximum 65 m² footprint, minimum distances of 0.6 m from the sidewalk, 1.5 m from the street pavement, and 1 m from a fire hydrant.

Snow-clearing indicator poles and snow fences on private land are allowed from November 1 to April 15, with the same minimum distances.

The City's own site states the maximum carport height differently depending on the page (3.10 m in the zoning bylaw, 2.3 m on an FAQ page) - confirm the exact height with the Urban Planning Service before installing one.

Contractors clearing private lots (driveways, parking lots) must hold a City permit under Règlement no 1692, which requires a $500 security deposit, $1M liability insurance, and a client list submitted by January 15.

The permit's valid period differs by source: the codified bylaw text says July 1 to April 30, while the permit application form says September 1 to August 30. Confirm the exact period with the Urban Planning Service before applying.

The City states it is not liable for accidents linked to snow or ice on its network unless its own fault is proven - this includes situations involving contractor negligence.