Do I need a permit to place a dumpster in Saint-Amable?
Not for the dumpster itself, if it sits entirely on your land. We word it carefully because the conclusion comes from an absence of provision: the list of permits and certificates in by-law 699-00-2012 is closed and provides none for a temporary container, and fee by-law 801-00-2023 charges for none. The job site often does need a permit — but the local threshold is high: « a building permit is not required for minor work costing less than 10,000 $ » that is part of normal upkeep, with no change to the foundations, framing or partitions (by-law 699, s. 21). Regardless of cost, however: foundations, an accessory building, a pool or spa, a car shelter, a balcony, a deck, a staircase, an eave, an awning and a septic installation. In doubt? Planning department, 450 649-3555, urbanisme@st-amable.qc.ca.
Can I have the dumpster placed on the street in front of my house?
This is where Saint-Amable differs, and it works in your favour: the street is not closed here, it is asked for. Section 44 of traffic by-law 730-00-2015 prohibits placing « on a sidewalk, a street, a public passage or a public place » soil, gravel, sand, snow, construction material, sod or a container « unless prior authorization from the town has been obtained ». Without it, the fine is 150 $ plus costs (s. 76). The by-law states neither the form, nor the delay, nor the cost of that authorization, and the construction by-law separately provides a certificate of occupancy of the public road reserved for the builder of a building « in special and exceptional cases » (650-10, s. 3.6.1). We invent nothing: we call the town together at 450 649-3555 before booking. And whatever stays on the pavement is picked up by the town and billed « actual costs + disposal fees + 10% administration fee ».
My driveway is paved and the ground is sand: will the dumpster damage it?
That is the right question in Saint-Amable, because both halves of the problem are written down. Zoning requires that « the off-street parking area and the access lanes must be paved » (s. 64.1) — the town's « Aménagement des terrains » page speaks of parking areas and lanes « paved or asphalted » — and the urban plan describes, under that surface, « dark brown sands, loose at depth and friable in consistency ». Off the pavement, at least 20% of the lot stays lawn, so sand. Our drivers stay on the asphalt, and every one of our dumpsters arrives fitted with the PROTEC-O-SOL system, built-in planks that spread the load. Nothing to supply, nothing extra to pay. Our drivers' tip, for full protection: lay four flattened cardboard boxes, or a thin sheet of plywood, on the chosen spot before the truck arrives.
Where should the dumpster go in relation to the trees?
More than three metres from every trunk. Zoning 712, s. 101, prohibits « storing materials (stones, bricks, excavation material, etc.) as well as the movement of machinery » within 3 m of the trunk of a tree 5 cm or more in diameter at breast height whose felling has not been authorized, and adds that « a tree may not be used as a support » during work. Section 102.1 further prohibits « the loss of more than 25% of the root system », removing sod under the crown projection, and backfill of 5 to 20 cm over more than 40% of that projection. Felling a deciduous tree more than 5 cm in diameter, or a conifer 1.5 m or taller, requires a certificate of authorization costing 20 $; without it the fine starts at 500 $ and climbs by 100 $ to 200 $ per tree. Our drivers put that radius on the plan when you book.
Saint-Amable has no drop-off centre: where does the debris go?
To the Écocentre Marguerite-D'Youville, which serves the six municipalities of the county from two sites outside Saint-Amable: Varennes (1975 Chemin de l'Énergie) and Contrecœur (4111 Route Marie-Victorin). Everything there is charged by volume: 5 $ for a trip of 0 to 25 cu ft (one per day per address), then 15 $, 45 $ and 110 $ for 200 to 300 cu ft — the residential ceiling — with a soil surcharge that climbs to 100 $. You unload yourself (« employees are not authorized to unload vehicles »), proof of residence in hand, materials sorted by category, and the gate must be passed at least 15 minutes before closing. Varennes is closed Mondays, Contrecœur opens Wednesday to Saturday only, and the schedule shrinks further in winter: check Tri-Facile. A single 10 yard dumpster holds 270 cu ft — already the 110 $ bracket, to be hauled and emptied by hand. A 20 yard (540 cu ft) falls off the grid.
Can I put rubble in the garbage bin or out for bulky waste collection?
No, and county by-law 214 says so by name. Construction, renovation and demolition debris is excluded from the very definition of residual waste: the garbage bin cannot take « demolition and excavation debris such as rubble and plaster, pieces of concrete and masonry, chunks of paving, soil and dust ». The bulky waste collection likewise excludes construction materials — and « furniture, once dismantled, is considered CRD ». Since January 2026 the garbage bin is collected only every three weeks year-round, « no exception will be made on collection frequency », and bulky items require prior registration on Tri-Facile, once a month and only in February, April through August, October and December. A non-compliant drop-off costs an individual 200 $ to 500 $. For a job site in Saint-Amable, what remains is the drop-off centre charged by volume — or a dumpster.
Can I keep the dumpster in my driveway all winter?
In winter the Saint-Amable driveway is shared — so the room gets planned rather than endured. A temporary car shelter is allowed from the Saturday marking the last full weekend in October through April 15, one per property, only on a parking space or its access lane, 2.0 m from the street curb, 1.5 m from a fire hydrant and no taller than 2.5 m (zoning, s. 44). Add the snow — clearing from 2.5 cm, sidewalk snow « blown onto public as well as private land », and a ban on sending snow from a private building into public places — and the bins, to be set 1 m from any obstacle. The street, for its part, is closed to parking from December 1 to March 31 between 11 p.m. and 7 a.m., taking precedence over any sign to the contrary, with lifts announced no later than 3 p.m. by a green or red banner on the town's website. A dumpster is therefore a short-stay affair: we agree on the pick-up date when you book.
