Apply for a Certificate of Compliance

Step 1: Review

Are you selling your home?

Do I need a Certificate of Compliance?

A Certificate of Compliance is a confirmation from The City of Calgary that the locations of structures on a property comply with the Land Use Bylaw. This is confirmed on a Real Property Report prepared by an Alberta land surveyor. It does not regulate or enforce any building code requirements or serve as a confirmation of permit history on a property.

A Certificate of Compliance is usually required by lending agencies or lawyers in the sale of a property and/or mortgage approval to protect their clients' investments. Standard real estate purchase contracts often require the vendor to obtain a compliance certificate. A Certificate of Compliance is not a legislative requirement, but rather a service provided by The City of Calgary. The City does not require you to get a compliance certificate and will not intervene in private transactions.

Sales, leases, and other agreements often require a Certificate of Compliance for the protection of interested parties. This is a private condition between the parties and may not always be required.

Permits for previous work

Permits are not reviewed as part of the Certificate of Compliance, however,to avoid any delays or hang ups, you may want to verify that all permits and inspections for previous work on the property have been completed. To see the permit activity on your property please visit myProperty. For single family residential properties, you will be able to see the last 10 years of permit activity on your property, and for commercial or multi-residential properties, the last 3 years. To view permit history prior to these dates, please make a property research request.

Are you buying a home?

Do I need a Certificate of Compliance?

It is recommended that you ask for a current Real Property Report with a Certificate of Compliance when buying a property. This ensures that you are not taking responsibility for previous structures that do not adhere to the land use bylaw.

A Certificate of Compliance does not check that permits for new structures or improvements to the property were properly obtained and inspected. Please see the section on previous permits for more information.

Home inspections

A third-party home inspection is conducted by a private company that is not affiliated with the City of Calgary and is typically requested by a prospective home buyer. This inspection is non-invasive and will help determine the overall condition of the house.

While a third-party home inspection may reveal information that is valuable in making your decision to purchase a property, it does not ensure there are no hidden issues with concealed work. Some of the questions to ask a third party home inspector are:

  • Grading: Is the grade around my entire home sloped away from my foundation walls and window wells?

  • Smoke alarms: How do I test the smoke detector?

  • Ventilation: What is a ventilation switch? Should it be on or off? How does it work with the heating system?

  • Furnace: Where is the disconnect breaker or switch located for the furnace?

  • Water: Where is the main water shut off?

  • Electrical: Where is the electrical panel? How do I turn breakers on and off and how do I reset them?

  • Detectors: Where are the smoke detectors, carbon monoxide detectors, arc fault circuit interrupters and ground fault circuit interrupters? Where are the instruction manuals that are provided with these devices?

  • Eavestroughs: Are the eavestrough down spouts connected and directed away from my home and not towards my neighbour?

Previous permits

If you are looking for information on work that has been done to a property you can visit myProperty to see the permit history for the last 10 years for residential properties.  If you would like information older than 10 years you can make a property research request. If you have any further questions please contact the planning services centre

Work previously completed without permits can be inspected by The City, but the proper permits must be obtained first.

Building Permit

A building permit can be applied for by

  • The homeowner,

  • A representative of the homeowner, or

  • A contractor or professional

The application must provide the same requirements as an application for new construction. During the framing inspection, portions of the drywall may need to be removed to expose the work that was done.

Additional Permits

An electrical, plumbing, gas, and heating, ventilation, air conditioning (HVAC) permit must be obtained by a registered and licensed contractor.

Once a contractor is hired they will assess the work and obtain the correct permit. Additional work may be required by the contractor to bring it up to code and then a city inspection should be requested though 311.

Ultimately the homeowner is responsible for any previous concealed work.

Please visit calgary.ca/homeimprovement to view information on each individual project type and its requirements.

Risks of not getting a permit

If work has been started or completed without a permit, and no action has been done to correct the situation, there could be consequences such as:

  • Enforcement action issued by a City inspector.

  • A fine for building without a permit.

  • Having to undo work that has been completed.

  • Future legal and financial issues when selling your property or making an insurance claim.

  • Having to do more work than was originally planned and budgeted.

As a homeowner, you are responsible for paying any penalties, even if you hired a contractor who assured you permits were not needed. If you are unsure if you need a permit, contact the Planning Services Centre. Find out if your contractor has a City of Calgary business license with our Licensed Trade Contractor List.

Fees & Timelines

Building Type Initial Review Additional Review (if required) Cost Fee Schedule

Residential

Single, semi-detached, duplex 1-2 days* 14 days $189 per parcel

Planning Applications Fee Schedule

Multi-Residential

Single unit townhouse or rowhouse 1-2 days* 14 days $189 per parcel

Planning Applications Fee Schedule

Multi-Residential

townhouse or rowhouse 14 day review** $281 per parcel

Planning Applications Fee Schedule

Multi-Residential b (expedited)

townhouse or rowhouse 7 day review $432 per parcel

Planning Applications Fee Schedule

*We will notify you if your application has been approved or if it requires further review.

  • If additional review is required, we will require an additional 14 days to process as storage may need to be ordered to determine if your parcel can be approved.

**For an additional fee you can request an expedited timeline of 7 days.

Step 2: Prepare

Prepare your property for a survey

The survey should reflect the current state of the property and include all structures. You should remove or take down any structures that will not be part of the sale, including any temporary structures or coverings.

Obtain a current Real Property Report

Employ a registered Alberta land surveyor to create a new or updated Real Property Report. Visit Alberta Land Surveyors' Association for more information. Rates for this service will vary so it is advised you shop around to find a surveyor that meets your needs.

Review the information shown on the Real Property Report

The Real Property Report should be an accurate reflection of the current state of the site, showing all structures (i.e. houses, decks, sheds, fences, retaining walls, window wells, A/C units, etc.) located on the property. Consider the following points before submitting your application for compliance:

  • Altered Real Property Reports, unclear plans and plot plans will not be accepted. A Real Property Report can only be updated by an Alberta land surveyor and must be signed and dated.

  • The City cannot provide copies of previous surveys due to copyright laws.

  • A Real Property Report stating "under construction" or "foundation only" can only be accepted if it is submitted within 12 months of the date of the survey.

  • The municipal address and legal description are correct

Encroachments

When a Certificate of Compliance is granted, there is a possibility it may indicate there is an encroachment into City owned land or a City right-of-way. Private encroachments are not reviewed.

Common encroachments include:

  • Sheds into Overland Drainage Right of Way
  • Fences into city property
  • Retaining walls and planters into city property

Visit our page on encroachments for more information.

Items not reviewed for bylaw on a compliance:

Certain items are not reviewed for bylaw on Certificate of Compliances only. The Certificate of Compliance only relates to the building(s) location. We will still review these items for encroachments into city land of interest. Some items, like fences and retaining walls, cannot be determined to meet the bylaw by a site plan alone and are not reviewed for those reasons.

  • Fences 

  • Retaining walls

  • Driveway width

  • Patios (for compliance that is a deck less than 0.64m high)

  • Parcel coverage

  • Building Height

  • Accessory Residential Buildings (sheds, pergolas etc.) less than 10m2

Sample Residential Real Property Reports

These types of real property surveys indicate the land and the building are owned by the individual resident.

Sample Commercial and Multifamily Real Property Reports

These types of real property surveys indicate the building may have owners for individual units, but the land is collectively owned by the unit owners and is known as common property. The common property typically includes: hallways, elevators, recreation amenities and building exteriors, such as the roof and the land.

Step 3: Apply

Apply online

To apply online, you need a myID account. Create a myID account.

We’re currently experiencing higher than seasonal application volumes, we apologize for delays. To check the status of your permit, go to vista.calgary.ca and enter in your Job Access Code (JAC) number

Apply in person

Once you have gathered all required documents, you can apply for your permit in person by visiting the Planning Services Centre.

Step 4: Re-Submission

Application outcomes

A Certificate of Compliance will be granted if the property meets Land Use Bylaw requirements.

Some common reasons that compliance cannot be granted included:

  • Projections, such as eaves and cantilevers, too close to the side property line
  • Decks too close to the side or rear property lines
  • Privacy walls not meeting height requirement
  • Porches too close to the side property line
  • Accessory Residential Buildings (such as Gazebos, sheds, garages) too close to the house

If your Certificate of Compliance is not approved there are some additional options, you can explore to receive an approval:

How to resubmit your Real Property Report

To re-submit your Real Property Report to be reviewed, please visit https://apply.calgary.ca.

  1. Select Certificate of Compliance option,
  2. Fill out the applicant details on the first page,
  3. Select the Resubmission option on the second page.  
  4. You will be required to enter the previous CCXXXX-XXXXX file that the resubmission is a part of, as well as a quick description for the reason of resubmission. 
  5. You will also need to upload a new copy of the real property report that shows the reasons for resubmission

The re-submitted real property report will be reviewed and if compliance can be granted, you may receive you certificate of compliance in 1-2 business days. Real Property reports that require additional review will take an additional 7-14 days.

Remove the structure

If it is a minor issue, it may be easiest to remove or modify the structure creating the problem. This option depends on the feasibility and cost of removing the structure as well as the importance of the structure to the sale.

If the structure is removed or modified and the survey is updated to reflect the change you can resubmit your Real Property Report within one year at no cost.

Apply for a Relaxation to the Rule

You can apply for planning approval to relax one or more land use bylaw rules by submitting a development permit. If the Certificate of Compliance is not approved, we will contact you with the option of providing colour photos of the structure and payment (when required) for the development permit. Once both items are received, we will continue the approval process for you.

Review requirements list for relaxation of an existing structure for full application requirements.

Relaxations are not guaranteed and are evaluated on a case-by-case basis. Every relaxation is unique and can impact neighbours and the surrounding community. Because of the potential impact, all affected parties will have the opportunity to provide input.

For more information on the development permit process, visit Development Permit Process.

Planning Services Centre

Hours:
Monday - Friday
8 a.m. - 4:15 p.m. (MT)

Live chat:
calgary.ca/livechat

Call:
403-268-5311

In person: 
Planning Services Centre,
3rd floor, Municipal building 
800 Macleod Trail SE

Book an eAppointment for in person services at appointment.calgary.ca

Click before you dig

Always contact Utility Safety Partners before you dig. Submit a locate request online or call 1-800-242-3447 for more information.

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