The City is responsible for ensuring the safety and health of all Calgarians, as well as determining and implementing the rules and regulations that help to create meaningful and highly valued spaces in our city. The City’s Planning and Development department focuses on making certain that new developments align with the rules and regulations set out in both the Land Use Bylaw (LUB) and the Alberta Building Code.
All land in Calgary is divided into districts, or zones. Each district has its own set of development rules. The Land Use Bylaw lists these rules, which were established in part to ensure that everyone has an opportunity to seek approval for a development project as well as express concerns about a project. A development permit confirms that all the rules and planning policies have been considered. It provides a means through which neighbours, community associations and other affected individuals and organizations can provide feedback.
Not all projects require a development permit and are listed in section 25 of the Land Use Bylaw. Projects not included in the list of exemptions require a development permit because they pose a change to the property or are outside the standard rules established for that district.
To find out what rules and regulations apply, enter the property address in the information tool to determine the land use district. Once you have this information, refer to the Land Use Bylaw for specific information.
The role of Planning and Development is to plan and facilitate building a great Calgary – for now and into the future. Guided by our corporate vision (municipal development plan), which is based upon Council approved policies and bylaws, we strive to meet the aspirations of communities in a business-friendly, customer-focused and empathetic way. This requires balancing the needs of today with the vision for tomorrow.
Administration must take into consideration the application's planning merits, applied against the Land Use Bylaw and applicable policies, while balancing the needs of the community. Based on these considerations, administration:
Utility information is available at Calgary.ca/development. This will save you time in the project design and scope phase and will likely eliminate the need for a pre-application meeting. It will also help you submit a more complete application when you’re ready. The utility layer on the map includes sanitary, storm, water line assignments, hydrant locations, rim elevations, pipe sizes, pipe lengths and pipe slopes. Be a good neighbour and consider talking to neighbours and other community members about your development ideas before you submit an application. There are many reasons why you may want to involve the community or reach out to let them know about a new development project you are contemplating. For more information visit the application outreach toolkit (Calgary.ca/planningoutreach).
Your plans may be directed to a specialized bylaw review group which will cross-reference the proposed development against the Land Use Bylaw rules. This group may need to make mathematical calculations based on your plans. For businesses going into commercial or industrial bays, the bylaw review group may need to order historical files to check the parking history before they can calculate site parking.
A temporary sign may be placed on your property to let neighbours and/or nearby businesses know about your application. Neighbours are invited to send comments directly to your file manager.
Comments from your community association, Councillor or other third parties such as Enmax may be required. These groups are given 21 days to submit comments to your file manager.