Do I need a permit to place a dumpster in Saint-Basile-le-Grand?
Not for the dumpster itself, set in your driveway: the table of works in permit by-law U-210 (s. 34) lists “conteneur à déchets” in the “NONE” column — that is not a deduction, it is written down. The job site, however, needs a building permit as soon as there is “construction, transformation, enlargement or addition work on a building” (s. 29), with no dollar threshold; only minor upkeep is exempt. And once that permit is issued, the dumpster becomes outright mandatory on the site (s. 16). In doubt about your case? Planning and environment department, 450 461-8000, extension 8400.
Can I have the dumpster placed on the street in front of my house?
Yes, but not for free: “occupying the public domain is prohibited without a conforming authorization” (by-law 1151, s. 2), and the temporary occupancy permit expressly covers “the placing of […] containers” (s. 7.2). Count on a $100 base plus $50 or $80 per day depending on duration — seven days = $660 — proof of liability insurance, a permit revocable at any time and restoration at your expense. Careful: the grassed strip between the roadway and your lot is part of the public domain (s. 1). Without a permit, the fine runs from $200 to $600 — and the occupancy price is still payable (s. 9.3). The private driveway costs nothing: that is where we deliver.
Is it true that a dumpster is mandatory on a job site in Saint-Basile-le-Grand?
Yes, word for word. Section 16 of by-law U-210 requires the holder of any building permit — “residential, commercial, public or industrial construction”, enlargement projects included — to “install on the site […] a waste container with sufficient capacity to hold all the waste generated by the work”, on the same footing as the duty to post the permit. And even without a job site, by-law 552 (s. 2.1) declares piles and scatterings of wood, soil, stone, brick, concrete and construction or demolition materials on a property a nuisance. Booking the box is part of a Grandbasilois job site's duties.
Can the municipal depot at the Léon-Taillon garage replace a dumpster?
For a car trunk, it is a good address — a rare thing, it even accepts concrete, asphalt, stone and construction residue. For a job site, run the town's own numbers: four free drops per year per dwelling, 2 m³ each, every drop logged even if it is smaller; 21 opening days in 2026 (Fridays noon to 6 p.m., Saturdays 7 a.m. to 4 p.m.); and “citizens must place the materials themselves” at the designated spots, “without help from staff”. A 10 yard box holds 7.6 m³ — nearly the household's yearly quota in a single box; a 20 yard, 15.3 m³; a 40 yard, 30.6 m³. One redone bathroom saturates the quota.
Can I use the regional MRC drop-off centre in Mont-Saint-Hilaire?
No. The regional écocentre of the MRC de La Vallée-du-Richelieu (60 rue Fisher, Mont-Saint-Hilaire) is reserved for residents of its ten participating municipalities — Belœil, Carignan, McMasterville, Mont-Saint-Hilaire, Otterburn Park and five others — and Saint-Basile-le-Grand is not on the list. Proof of residence is required at the gate, and “industries, businesses and institutions” are not admitted anyway. The local fallback is the Léon-Taillon depot, 21 days a year and under quota — or the dumpster delivered to your driveway, no lineup and no quota.
Why not simply wait for the curbside collection?
Because in Saint-Basile-le-Grand, the collection will not take it. Since January 1, 2026, the MRC de La Vallée-du-Richelieu is responsible for every collection: garbage passes on Wednesdays every three weeks, in a wheeled bin of at most 360 litres that refuses construction, renovation and demolition debris by name — “gypsum, ceramic, concrete, asphalt, asphalt shingle, mortar, brick” — along with soil, sand, gravel and rock. Bulky items? One Thursday a month, by reservation only, and the refusal list runs from wood to lumber to doors, windows, ceramic and mineral wool. What the collection refuses, the dumpster takes.
Will the dumpster damage my asphalt driveway?
The question comes up everywhere, and especially here: inside the urban perimeter, zoning requires that “any parking area and any access lane” be “paved, concreted or asphalted” (U-220, s. 316). Grandbasilois driveways are therefore finished surfaces, worth protecting. Every one of our dumpsters is delivered with the PROTEC-O-SOL system, built-in planks that spread the load and protect the surface — nothing to supply, nothing extra to pay. Our drivers' tip for full protection: four flattened cardboard boxes, or a thin sheet of plywood, on the chosen spot before the truck arrives.