Calgary makes secondary suites a permitted use; backyard suites unchanged

As a follow-up to April’s repeal of citywide rezoning, Calgary City Council considered a set of related bylaws at a public hearing that began on July 21, 2026. The most practical decision for homeowners: council approved Bylaw 26P2026, which lists secondary suites as a permitted use in all low-density residential districts. The City’s bylaw register shows it taking effect on August 5, the day after the repeal itself.

Suite approvals in Calgary: median days to a decision

What changes for basement suites

A permitted use is allowed whenever it meets the Land Use Bylaw rules. A secondary suite that meets every rule stays exempt from a development permit and goes straight to a building permit. In its report to the hearing, administration said that in 2025 a compliant secondary suite received its building permit in a median of five days. Without the change, the suite would have become a discretionary use on most parcels, and administration expected about 2,300 additional development permit applications for secondary suites every year.

Backyard suites stay as they were

Administration had recommended the same treatment for backyard suites. According to the City’s project page, council kept backyard suites permitted in the R-G district and discretionary in all other low-density zones, with no additional rule changes. Outside R-G, a development permit is still needed before a building permit, and neighbours can still appeal.

Other follow-up decisions

• Maximum density in the R-CG district remains 75 units per hectare (Bylaw 24P2026).
• The rule that allowed a main residential building in the rear yard of mid-block lots was deleted (Bylaw 25P2026).

Our take: a legal suite can help with mortgage qualification and adds rental income. When you buy a home with a suite, check that it is registered; when you plan one, design it to meet the rules so you can use the faster permit path.

Why the City proposed the change

Once the repeal takes effect on August 4, residential parcels in Calgary will be governed by 16 different low-density districts. Administration warned that this would create “significant inconsistency” in the application process: an identical secondary suite could need a development permit on an R-C1 lot but only a building permit on the R-C2 lot next door. Its analysis found that 99% of secondary suite applications and 98% of backyard suite applications were approved over the past 10 years, and that every refused backyard suite had asked for a relaxation of the rules.

Approvals have already become faster

Secondary suites first became a permitted use citywide in August 2024, and the City’s numbers show the effect. When they were discretionary, the median time from a complete development permit application to a decision was 43 days in 2023. The median time from application to occupancy fell from 254 days in 2023 to 163 days in 2025. A discretionary review of a backyard suite, by comparison, takes about 73 days before a decision.

Secondary suites: median days from application to occupancy

Growth did not bring more problems. Between 2021 and 2025, Calgary’s stock of registered suites more than tripled, while the complaint rate held steady at six to seven complaints per 1,000 registered suites; most complaints were about illegal suites.

What a permitted use means in practice

If your suite meets every rule in the bylaw, such as size, entrances, parking where required and one suite per property, you can skip the development permit and apply for a building permit. If it does not, you still need a development permit, and the City can approve relaxations. A building permit and inspections are still required for safety: fire separation, smoke alarms, egress windows and ventilation.