The Green Buildings Priority Stream is a voluntary program offered by the City of Calgary that assists with the development of new energy-efficient buildings. It provides enhanced coordination and faster reviews for development and building permit applications.

This program aims to support project teams by:

1. Providing a streamlined, full‑service review process for eligible development and building permits.
2. Supporting and promoting leadership in high‑performance and energy‑efficient building design.
3. Recognizing projects and builders committed to above‑code building performance.

This program is currently available to new construction projects regulated under Part 3 and Part 9 of the National Building Code of Canada, including:

• multi-residential, commercial and mixed-use buildings
  
• industrial buildings
  
• institutional buildings
  
• multi-unit residential buildings (MURBs) as defined in Part  9 of the National Building Code for Buildings of Canada

Deep energy retrofits and high-performance infill homes may be added to this program in the future. In the meantime, individual retrofit or infill projects may be accepted into the program at The City’s discretion. 

Eligible projects may recieve:

• Dedicated City staff support throughout the development review and approval process.
• Accelerated permit review, where feasible and subject to complete and compliant submissions, including:  
  • Development permits (and associated land use amendments where applicable).            
  • Development site servicing plans.
    
  • Erosion and sediment control approvals.
  • Building permits.
• Preliminary building code compliance review at the development permit stage.  
• Project recognition and promotion on www.calgary.ca.
  
• Senior leadership support to assist with coordination and issue resolution across City business units.
  

The Green Buildings Priority Stream offers multiple pathways to recognize and support high-performance building projects while providing flexibility for different project types, delivery models, and levels of ambition.

Project teams select the pathway that best aligns with their project goals and demonstrate eligibility through the required documentation at intake.

Select a pathway below to view detailed eligibility requirements and submission expectations.

Pathway #1: NECB 2020
Pathway #2: NBC 2023 (Alberta Edition)
Pathway #3: CHBA Net Zero and Net Ready Homes 
Pathway #4: Passive House Certification
Pathway #5: CaGBC Zero Carbon Building Design Standard
Pathway #6: BUILT Green Single Family or High Density Program

All pathways provide access to the same priority stream service benefits, subject to program requirements.

The Green Buildings Priority Stream has a straightforward process. Application details and submission guidelines are outlined in the pathway documents above.

Participation in the Green Buildings Priority Stream is subject to the program’s Terms and Conditions, which should be reviewed before submitting an expression of interest.

The Green Buildings Priority Stream reports on building performance metrics for projects that have completed construction. Results are published through Open Calgary and presented in the dashboard below.

The reported metrics are based on energy and emissions performance modelling, using standardized assumptions and inputs submitted by participants as part of program participation. The dataset does not include measured or real-world utility consumption data.