Table of contents
- Five steps, and the first one happens at town hall
- A few weeks at the CITQ, plus the municipality’s processing time
- The documents to gather before opening the form
- A cottage pays $156 a year, not $54
- The seller’s number doesn’t come with the cottage
- Forgetting to display your number costs at least $1,000
- Getting your CITQ permit on time is decided before the signing at the notary’s
- FAQ
Key takeaway: The CITQ permit is actually a registration valid for 12 months. For a cottage, first have the municipality sign the notice of compliance, gather proof of ownership, $2M insurance and photos, then file the application online and pay $156. Allow a few weeks, plus the municipal processing time.
The CITQ permit application has been filled out online, the $156 has been paid, and the file isn’t moving. It’s missing the planning department’s signature, without which the Corporation de l’industrie touristique du Québec (CITQ) won’t process any application.
What everyone calls a permit actually goes by another name. The CITQ issues a registration: a six-digit number and a certificate to display, renewed every year.
Process, documents, fees and fines reviewed on October 26, 2026 with the CITQ, the Government of Québec, Revenu Québec and two Laurentians municipalities. The fees cited are those in effect since January 1, 2026.
Five steps, and the first one happens at town hall
In short: The municipal notice of compliance opens the process; without it, the CITQ won’t process the application.
The CITQ’s file opening and registration page is clear: an application that is not accompanied by a compliant document from the municipal authority “cannot be processed.” The order to follow:
- Have the notice of compliance signed. You complete sections 1 to 3 of the CITQ form, then the planning department of the municipality or the RCM completes and signs section 4. If the use is not permitted, the process stops here.
- Gather the documents. Proof of ownership, insurance, photos and, in a condo, the syndicate’s authorization (details in the table below).
- File the application online. The “General Tourist Accommodation Establishment” form is the one for a cottage that is not your principal residence.
- Pay the fees when you file, online, in the same form.
- Respond to the agent, then receive the number. Once the file is deemed compliant, the CITQ agent sends you the registration number and certificate.
Filling out the CITQ form first to “hold your place” doesn’t save a single day: the file waits for the municipal signature.
A few weeks at the CITQ, plus the municipality’s processing time
In short: The CITQ talks about a few weeks, documents included; the municipal response comes on top of that and doesn’t follow the same timeline from one town to another.
In its FAQ, the CITQ doesn’t promise any number of days. It recommends filing the application a few weeks before the first rentals, notably to allow time to gather the documents.
Municipal processing times vary more, and two Laurentians municipalities show why. In Sainte-Anne-des-Lacs, tourist rentals go through a conditional use application (in French), reviewed case by case, and the municipality itself warns that its processing times get longer during the summer. In Saint-Adolphe-d’Howard, an annual municipal permit (in French) comes on top of registration: no application is accepted until all documents are provided, certificate of location included.
The rules of eight municipalities in the region, including these two, are compared in the guide to towns that allow tourist rentals. For another address, ask the planning department about the timeline on the first call.
A cottage bought on December 15 and planned for rental during the early-March spring break leaves about eleven weeks. If the notice of compliance goes to the planning department on the day of the signing at the notary’s, the margin holds. If it waits until after the holidays, and the insurance waits for a call in January, the margin shrinks fast. In Saint-Adolphe-d’Howard, the permit is valid for the calendar year, from January 1 to December 31: an application filed in December must cover the year of the spring break, not the one that’s ending.
The documents to gather before opening the form
In short: Five documents are enough for a cottage held in full ownership, six for a condo.
Each row shows who provides the document and the pitfall that slows down the file.
| Document required by the CITQ | Who provides it | Pitfall to avoid |
| Signed municipal notice of compliance | Planning department of the municipality or RCM | Sections 1 to 3 incomplete, or a number of bedrooms different from the planned listing |
| Title of ownership, or municipal or school tax bill | Notary or municipality | Newly bought cottage: the tax bill is still in the seller’s name, have the deed of sale ready |
| Civil liability insurance of at least $2,000,000 per occurrence | Insurer | Home insurance policy that may exclude short-term rentals |
| Exterior (front) and interior photos | You | Retouched listing photos that don’t show the front |
| Authorization from the syndicate of co-owners, on the standardized form | Syndicate, condos only | Must be renewed every year |
| Owner’s authorization, on the standardized form | Owner, if you are a tenant | Rare for a cottage, but required every year |
Two rows depend on a third party you don’t control: the municipal notice and the $2,000,000 per occurrence insurance. For the latter, ask the insurer for a written endorsement that mentions tourist rentals, not just a phone confirmation.
Haven’t bought the cottage you have in mind yet? Before comparing properties for sale, note which ones are condos: they add an authorization to obtain every year.
A cottage pays $156 a year, not $54
In short: A weekend cottage falls under general tourist accommodation, the most expensive of the three categories.
According to the registration fees page, the fees are $54 for a principal residence establishment, $131 for a youth establishment and $156 for a general tourist accommodation establishment.
The $54 rate requires the place where you usually live, proven by two documents at each renewal. A weekend cottage is a secondary residence, classified as a “tourist residence” by the CITQ.
Over three years, the fees total $468 if the rate doesn’t change. The premium for $2M liability insurance, on the other hand, varies by insurer and by cottage: get a quote before building your budget, as the analysis of a rental chalet in Saint-Sauveur points out.
The seller’s number doesn’t come with the cottage
In short: Registration is personal; the buyer of a cottage that is already rented out starts the whole process over, municipal notice included.
A listing that touts a cottage “with CITQ” is selling a fragile promise. The rights conferred by a registration cannot be transferred, the CITQ specifies, and a buyer who wants to continue the rentals files a new application. The notice of compliance form also calls for a new notice when the operator changes.
The seller’s number is still useful for checking the history. The Government of Québec’s directory of registered establishments (in French) shows, for each number, its status (in effect, expired, suspended or cancelled) and its issue and expiry dates. If the status is suspended or cancelled, get a written explanation from the seller before making an offer.
If rental income counts toward your financing, the municipality’s answer must arrive before the conditions are waived. This condition is negotiated in the offer to purchase, and the other checks, from the well to the road, are gathered in the guide to shopping for a cottage the right way.
Forgetting to display your number costs at least $1,000
In short: The number goes in every listing, the certificate at the entrance, and renewal happens within the 60 days before expiry.
The number must appear in every listing, in the form “Registration number 123456,” “Registration No.” or “Reg.,” on Airbnb, Marketplace, the cottage’s website and social media.
The certificate is displayed at the main entrance of the cottage. According to the Government of Québec’s offences and fines page (in French), each of these two omissions exposes an individual to a fine of $1,000 to $10,000. Renting without registration, or transferring your number, costs $2,500 to $25,000. The amounts double when the operator is not an individual, a corporation for example.
The renewal notice arrives by email about 60 days before expiry. For a cottage, an update declaration is mandatory every year, even with no changes.
The number is also used for tax purposes: Revenu Québec requires it on line 59 of form TP-128, the rental income form, and a non-compliant rental loses its deductible expenses. On top of that come the 3.5% tax on lodging on each night and then, once taxable supplies exceed $30,000, the GST and QST. The calculation is detailed in the article on taxes for a tourist rental.
Getting your CITQ permit on time is decided before the signing at the notary’s
Of the five steps, only one is beyond your control: the municipality’s answer. It should therefore be requested before the purchase, not after, or the cottage may remain a weekend cottage for the entire season you were counting on.
Have an address in mind in the Laurentians? Talk to us about your project before making an offer, so the municipal notice can be built into your conditions with a realistic deadline.
FAQ
How much does a CITQ permit cost for a cottage?
$156 a year in 2026. For a cottage that is not your principal residence, the CITQ permit falls under general tourist accommodation, and these fees are paid at registration and then at each renewal. The $54 rate applies only to renting out your own principal residence. On top of that is civil liability insurance of at least $2M per occurrence, with a premium that varies by insurer and by cottage.
Can you rent out your cottage while the application is being processed?
No. The CITQ requires a valid registration number and certificate before any accommodation is offered, regardless of the medium used. The reference number received when filing, which begins with REF or RP, is temporary and does not replace the final number. Operating an unregistered establishment, or giving the impression that you operate one, exposes an individual to a fine of $2,500 to $25,000.
Do you need a registration to rent out a few weekends a year?
Yes. According to the CITQ, any paid rental of 31 consecutive days or less requires registration, regardless of the number of rentals: the law makes no exception for occasional rentals. Only rentals of 32 consecutive days or more are exempt, a seasonal rental for example. Municipal rules may be stricter. Have the planning department confirm the use before the first weekend you rent out.
