Borough of Saint-Laurent
Saint-Laurent borough, where same-size windows generally need no permit
Saint-Laurent is one of the few Montréal boroughs that says you generally don't need a permit to replace windows and doors with models of the same size. Two exceptions apply everywhere in Montréal, this borough included: sliding patio doors and bay windows always need a permit, and so does any change to an opening's size. This page is about the borough, not the boulevard. We're a free referral service: tell us what needs doing, and we pass it to an independent local glass professional who quotes and does the work.
At a glance
- Same-size windows
- Generally no permit in this borough
- Always a permit
- Sliding patio doors, bay windows, new or resized openings
- Not to confuse with
- Boulevard Saint-Laurent, the Main
- Roots
- A parish founded in 1720
A former parish that became a borough
Saint-Laurent was founded as a parish on 20 September 1720. Its church, damaged by lightning in 1806, was rebuilt in 1837, and the Bois-Franc aerodrome was built on its land in 1911. Today it is a borough of Montréal with its own permit counter and its own reading of the city's window rules.
The name causes a small confusion worth clearing up. A search for a glass shop 'on Saint-Laurent' often means the boulevard, the commercial artery known as the Main. Its storefronts belong on our commercial glass page. This page covers the borough of Saint-Laurent and the homes in it.
Same size: generally no permit
The borough's page on same-size replacement says you generally don't need a permit to replace windows or doors with models of the same dimensions. The word generally is doing real work. It isn't a promise that no permit is ever needed, and the borough may read a particular case differently from how you do.
So check with the borough first, even here. A short call or visit to the permit counter, with photos and the product you have in mind, is the surest way to know. Keep the same dimensions and the same openings, and you're in the case the borough describes. Change either, and you're outside it.
Patio doors and bay windows: a permit everywhere
Whatever the borough, Montréal always requires a permit to install or replace a sliding patio door or a bay window, and to add an opening or change its size. The city's page on doors and windows gives the reasons: these openings raise questions about the distance to the property line, the share of the façade that is glass, fire spread and exits.
In practice, a Saint-Laurent owner replacing a same-size casement generally won't need a permit, while a neighbour replacing a patio door of exactly the same size will. If your project includes a patio door replacement, say so on the request, because that detail decides the permit. The rule is about installing or replacing the door. New rollers, a lock or a screen for the door you have are repairs; if in doubt, ask the borough.
Replacing the thermos or the window
- A new thermos: when fog sits between the panes and the frame is sound, the thermos (the sealed glass unit) can be replaced on its own.
- A new window: when the frame is rotten, warped or leaking, a same-size replacement is the case the borough describes as generally permit-free.
- Sliding patio door repair: rollers, track and lock repairs keep the door you have and leave the permit question aside.
- Defogging: the haze is cleared and the unit stays; ask the pro plainly what it fixes and what it leaves as it was.
Businesses and offices
If you run a business or manage an office in the borough, the work is usually different: storefront and entrance glass, commercial door closers, interior glass partitions. The same starting point applies, which is to check with the borough, but commercial files follow their own requirements and the pro you need is one who does commercial glass. Say on the request that the property is commercial so it goes to the right person.
Saint-Laurent questions
Do I need a permit to change windows in Saint-Laurent?
Generally not, for same-size replacement. The borough says a permit is generally not needed to replace windows or doors with models of the same dimensions. That changes if you add an opening, change its size, or replace a sliding patio door or a bay window, which always need one. Confirm with the borough before ordering; our permit guide compares Saint-Laurent with other boroughs.
What about replacing a patio door in Saint-Laurent?
That needs a permit, even at the same size. Montréal requires one everywhere for sliding patio doors and bay windows because of rules on the distance to the property line, the glazed share of the façade, fire spread and exits. Tell the pro the job is a patio door so the quote and the permit are planned together. Our patio door page explains the rest.
Can I change just the thermos without a permit in Saint-Laurent?
The borough's page doesn't say either way. It addresses replacing windows and doors of the same size, and a thermos swap changes even less, since the frame stays in place. That still isn't a formal exemption, so ask the permit counter if you want certainty. Our thermos page explains how the swap works and when defogging or a new window fits better.
'Vitrerie Saint-Laurent': the borough or the boulevard?
It can mean either, and the difference matters. Boulevard Saint-Laurent, the Main, is a commercial street that runs through other boroughs, and a glass shop 'on Saint-Laurent' is often there. The borough of Saint-Laurent is a separate part of the city with its own permit rules. Tell us your address and we route the request to a pro who covers it.
Thermos or window: which do you recommend?
Neither by default. A new thermos suits a sound frame with a failed seal; a new window suits a frame that is rotten, warped or leaking; defogging suits someone who mainly wants clear glass back. We have no product to sell, so we explain and the pro confirms on site. Our guide to repairing or replacing windows walks through the choice.