Skip to main content
Quick links

Permitting

Permits granted by MRC Brome-Missisquoi

The MRC is responsible for granting permits for projects that require work on a watercourse and for granting certificates of approval for commercial tree cutting only.

Please select your permit request

If your request concerns:

  • A request for building/installing/improving a bridge or culvert
  • A project that could increase peak flow

Please login to the Client space to complete your request.

Otherwise, please select one of the permits below.

Select a permit

Statement of watercourse clean-up or clearing efforts Request for watercourse improvement work Request for regulated watercourse maintenance works Request a certificate of approval for tree cutting

Statement of watercourse clean-up or clearing efforts

Process

Contact your local municipality about any obstructions in a watercourse on public land and they will handle removing obstructions to re-establish the free flow of water. In this case, the local municipal employee charged with handling the obstruction will fill out this declaration.

For reference, clean-up work permitted by this declaration includes removing:

  • Tree branches and trunks
  • Rocks
  • One-time sediment buildup (one-time collapse of bank)
  • Beaver dams
  • Harmful vegetation (special cases)
  • Ice jams
  • Nuisances (waste, filth and other nuisances)
  • Bridges or culverts that are too small
  • Snow placed in a watercourse deliberately
  • Collapsed bank due to animal crossings outside of a ford

Objects must be immediately removed as soon as they block the free flow of water and put the safety of people or property at risk.

Step 1: Visual inspection by the locally appointed representative

After an obstruction has been observed in a watercourse, an inspection by the local municipal government is required. If the obstruction is not a threat to the safety of people or property, the process ends there, and the obstruction report is deemed not to be founded.

Step 2: Identification of the cause and contact with the relevant stakeholder

The locally appointed representative must send written notice to the relevant property owner(s) and receive proof of receipt from the recipient(s) so that they may undertake corrective work as soon as possible. If the locally appointed representative cannot identify the appropriate property owner(s), the local municipal government must undertake the work at its own expense.

Step 3: Expiration of intervention period

The locally appointed representative must confirm in person that the work has been completed correctly. Under no circumstances should the bed of the watercourse be dug, nor should excess water remain in the bed. If the property owner(s) in question did not complete the corrective work, the locally appointed representative can remove or have removed any obstructions or nuisances. The property owner will then reimburse the local municipality using the payment method of the municipality’s choice.

Step 4: Approval of clean-up work

A written report confirming the compliance of the work must be sent to the MRC, along with a copy of all communications regarding the work.

1. Information of the legal and/or natural person who observes an obstruction
Name
Address

Where the obstruction was observed by the legal and/or natural person

2. Observation, obstruction status and notice

7-digit number, available on your certificate of location

By the local municipality

Notice sent to the relevant property owner(s) 
Notice to civil protection authority 
3. Nature of obstruction
Nature of obstruction 
3.1 Trapper information

If you must remove a beaver dam that poses a risk to the safety of people and property, be sure to obtain the appropriate authorizations, i.e., a beaver-specific SEM licence (for scientific, educational or wildlife management purposes) from MELCCFP.

Trapper name
Did you monitor the dam’s removal? 
Did the natural flow of water resume after removal of the dam? 
4. Description of required work and other
The work is 
5. Inspection of work performed
Was the clean-up work in compliance? 
Was preventative work performed? 
6. Supporting photos required

Please submit photos of the obstruction before and after the clean-up work.

7. Signature of the locally appointed representative (or their proxy)

FAQ

Bylaws on watercourses

Before filling out a permit request for a project requiring work on a watercourse, please review Règlement 04-0416 relatif à l’écoulement des eaux des cours d’eau situés sur le territoire de la MRC Brome-Missisquoi [Bylaw 04-0416 on watercourse drainage in the MRC Brome-Missisquoi region] (BYLAW 04-0416 – Appendices E and F).

View

Bylaws on tree cutting

Before filling out a permit request for tree cutting, please review your municipality’s bylaws on zoning, permits and certificates. View your municipality’s profile to find their contact information.

View