A physical person building his or her own residence, not for profit (e.g. auto-construction)

Work permitted varies depending if the volunteer doing the work holds a competency certificate issued by the Commission de la construction du Québec.

VOLUNTEER HOLDS A COMPETENCY CERTIFICATE

VOLUNTEER DOES NOT HOLD A COMPETENCY CERTIFICATE

A person who holds a competency certificate issued by the Commission de la construction du Québec may voluntarily perform any work corresponding to his or her trade for the construction of a residence, for personal and non-profit purposes, on behalf of a physical person. This is called auto-construction – construction of a residence by a person who wishes to live in that residence permanently.

A holder of an apprentice competency certificate must still work under the supervision of the older of a journeyman competency certificate, even if he or she is working as a volunteer.

Certain kinds of work, such as electricity, require a licence. Visit the website of the Corporation des maîtres électriciens for further information.

For the construction of a residence, here are the types of work that may be performed by volunteers who do not hold a competency certificate issued by the CCQ:

Interior and exterior painting
Work concerning interior surfaces, such as covering and finishing of floors, walls, and ceilings, as well as similar or related work
Non-structural work in wood or plastic, such as finish carpentry, as well as similar or related work
Work concerning interior doors and windows, as well as similar or related work
Work concerning marble, granite, ceramics, terrazzo, and similar materials, as well as similar or related work
Work concerning cupboards and counters, as well as similar or related work

EXAMPLES OF PERMITTED WORK:

Painting walls
Installing drywall
Installing ceramic tiles
Installing a wood floor
Sanding and varnishing a wood floor

Outside of these types of work, it is not permitted to employ unqualified volunteers.

Attention

We are publishing this information to help you find out if the regulatory standards governing volunteer work apply to your construction project. If you cannot find an answer to your question here, you may contact the CCQ. Note that this information is only a summary and it is possible that your project will require a more detailed analysis for a decision to be made.

The articles pertaining to volunteer work in Act R-20 do not modify any other laws used to regulate construction sites (licences, insurance, health and safety, etc.). To learn more about these, visit RBQ and CNESST.

We would also like to inform you that under Act R-20 the CCQ has the power to inspect construction sites to ensure that they comply with the law. In addition, the CCQ may require any person concerned to provide information or documents related to the construction work.

Finally, for people to be considered volunteers, the work must be performed without constraint or obligation, and not for pay or other compensation.