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Homeowner electrical and plumbing permits

Before you apply

Do you need a permit?
How much will it cost?
What are the rules?

After you apply

What inspections do you need?
How do you book an inspection?
What to do if you need to make changes?

Before you apply

Use this page to help guide you through submitting a complete application. We will explain when you need a permit, what permits you need, what your application requirements are and go over some common rules relating to your project.

Do you need a permit?

Electrical permit

An electrical permit is required for all new wiring installations, and when extending or altering any existing electrical branch circuit wiring.
An electrical permit is not required when only replacing fixtures.

For more information about what type of electrical work a homeowner may obtain a permit for, review the eligibility and electrical wiring sections.

Plumbing permit

A plumbing permit is required when a plumbing system is constructed, extended or altered. This includes replacing water and sewer lines in or around the home. In some cases, replacing a hot water tank, may require a permit.

A plumbing permit is not required to:

Repair a leak in a water distribution or drainage system.
Replace existing faucets and fixtures.
Remove blockage in the drainage.

Gas permit

Homeowners cannot obtain a gas permit unless they have the proper qualifications. Homeowners can, however, obtain a homeowner's gas fireplace installation permit.

How much will it cost?

Permit type	Permit fee	Safety codes council fee (4%)	Total
Homeowner's Permit	$112	$4.50	$116.50

Please see the fee schedule to for a complete list of permit application fees.

What are the rules?

Homeowner permit eligibility

If you own your home and want to do plumbing, electrical, or gas fireplace installation work yourself, you can get a permit if:

You own the home – You must be the legal owner. If you recently bought the property, it takes some time for the title to transfer to you. We may request a copy of your purchase agreement as proof of ownership.
You live in the home or intend to reside in it – the home cannot be a rental property.
You are doing the work yourself – you cannot pull a permit on behalf of the individual or company doing the work. If you are hiring a contractor, they will need to apply for the permit. Visit our hiring a contractor  page to review the 5 steps to choosing a contractor.

Other requirements

Service scope:
- The electrical and/or plumbing system can only service that home, including any secondary suites contained within it.
- For semi-detached homes, you can only apply for permits in the side you live in, including any accessory buildings on the same property.
Apartment-style condo restrictions: Homeowners cannot pull homeowner permits for work in these buildings. A licensed contractor must be hired to do the work.
Row-type housing: individually owned condominium townhouses are acceptable, with authorization from the condo board to the unit owner. The permit will only apply to the unit the owner lives in. Other units in the complex are not included.
Corporation owned homes: a director can pull the permit if they live there and complete the work themselves. The City of Calgary will request a copy of the corporation documents to show proof of ownership.
Rowhouse electrification projects: If you are installing a Level 2 EV charger, electric heat pump, air conditioning (AC) unit, hot tub or battery storage system, you must hire a professional electrician or engineer to complete an electrical load calculation. This will confirm that the overall electrical service has enough capacity to accept the additional electrical load. The condo board or homeowners association must be aware of the additional electrical load because electrical services have limited capacity and are shared between all units. For more details on this process refer to the Row Housing Electrification Authorization form.

Electrical wiring

Our homeowner electrical wiring guide provides important information to help homeowners who are interested in doing their own work. Other methods of installation not identified in this guide may be acceptable; however, all installations must meet the most current requirements of the National Electrical Code of Canada.

As a homeowner, you can:

Tie into the main panel without physically changing it
Add a sub-panel to an existing main service, provided there is an existing main breaker

Homeowners are not permitted to:

Install, alter or modify the main electrical service, including the main panel, main breaker or the meter base;
Install electrical wiring in permanent, in-ground swimming pools and hot tubs;
Install or alter solar photovoltaic systems;
Install battery-based energy storage systems;
Install electrical vehicle energy management systems (EVEMS) or load management systems;
Install electrical for air conditioning units;
Install electrical wiring for electric vehicle charging.
Conduct load calculations, they must be completed by a qualified electrician.
Electrical contractors are not permitted to work under homeowner permits, they must obtain their own permit.

More information about electrification projects for row houses, learn more here.

Concealed wiring procedure

If your renovation has previously been finished without proper permits, you can still apply for the permits after the work has been completed. A contractor will need to apply for the required permit.

For an electrical permit, when the work has been concealed by drywall, you are required to follow the concealed wiring procedure.

A homeowner’s permit cannot be issued for concealed wiring completed without proper permits. To have the inspection done, the owner must hire a licensed electrical contractor. The contractor will have to obtain an electrical permit and check that the wiring complies with electrical codes. However, the homeowner is responsible for any previously concealed electrical wiring.

Note: There is a possibility the inspector may ask for drywall to be removed to complete their inspection.

Speak to one of our safety codes officers if you have questions about electrical requirements. To connect with us, contact our Technical Assistance Centre by emailing us, calling us at 311 or visiting 311 online services.

Planning electrical upgrades to your home?

Thinking about adding new electrical equipment to your home

Electrification is the process of upgrading your home to use more electricity. This could include adding air conditioning (AC), electric vehicle (EV) charging, electric heat pump, energy storage (battery), electric heating, hot tub, new secondary suite or new backyard (laneway) suite. These upgrades can significantly increase your home’s electrical demand.

Follow these steps ensure your electrification project is permit-ready:

Have a registered electrical contractor check your home’s electrical capacity: confirm that your home can safely handle the additional electrical load
If your home has enough electrical capacity for the added load your electrician can apply for the permit.
If your home does not have enough electrical capacity for the added load, you have two options:
1. Upgrade your electrical service (ask your electrician to contact Enmax), or
2. Install an Energy Management System (EMS) that shares the available electricity in your home among the different appliances.
  1. If installing an EMS, your electrical contractor must follow specific requirements to ensure the system is safe and permit ready

Check your home’s electrical capacity:

Your registered electrical contractor must confirm that your home’s electrical system can safely accommodate the additional load.

Select your home type to see the steps you need to follow:

Important: If you do not own your home, you need to get permission from the property owner before starting any electrification projects.

Energy Management Systems (EMS):

If your home cannot support the additional electrical load, an EMS may be an alternative to upgrading your service as it makes sure the electricity in your home is shared among the different appliances. For example, a hot tub or electric car charger may stop working when a high demand appliance (like an electric stove) is on.

Important: EMS must be installed by a qualified electrical professional.

If you decide to install an EMS, follow specific requirements to ensure the system is safe and permit ready

Choose a ULC certified or City-accepted model. These models have either achieved ULC-ORD-3141 certification or have been reviewed been reviewed by City electrical inspectors and generally found to meet safety requirements.
Use the EMS installation safety checklist. This checklist will guide you on what to ask installers. If your installer answers “Yes” to every question, the system is safe and compliant.

A properly installed EMS helps prevent electrical service overload and reduces the risk of fire.

Many townhouses, rowhouses and condominiums have electrical services that are shared between all units and have limited spare electrical capacity. If you are planning to add new electrical equipment, i.e. air conditioner, electric vehicle charger or a hot tub, you need to confirm that your building can safely handle the extra electrical demand. You must notify the condo board or homeowner association to make sure your electrification plans are appropriate for the building. If you do not own your home, you also need to get permission from the property owner before starting any electrification projects.

Identify your electrical service type to understand the possible limitations to your electrical service:

Shared service (Gang meter base)

A gang meter base service is when a single electrical service runs from the ENMAX transformer to the shared gang meter base. The service is then split, and individual cables take electricity from the gang meter base to each unit. The gang meter base can only provide a calculated amount of electricity to each home based on the load capacity determined when the building was designed. Based on the design calculation and service, future electrical capacity is often limited. If you are planning an electrification project on a rowhouse with gang meter base electrical service, you are required to submit a copy of the Adding additional electrical load to a rowhouse service signed by the condo board or homeowner association with your permit application.

The image is a 3D architectural diagram of four rowhouses labeled as “Home 1,” “Home 2,” “Home 3,” and “Home 4.” Each home is depicted in light gray with darker gray roofs and red lines indicating the electrical connections. The homes are aligned next to each other, sharing walls. In front of the homes, there is an electrical setup that includes a labeled ENMAX transformer connected to a shared gang meter base by a single red line. From this shared gang meter base, individual red lines extend to each home, illustrating how electricity is distributed from one central point to each separate unit. The background of the image is white with grid lines suggesting a surface or ground plane on which the rowhouses are situated.

This image demonstrates how electricity is distributed from a single transformer to multiple homes in a rowhouse configuration, emphasizing individual direct connections.

Individual Service (Fee simple)

A fee simple service is when the electrical service connects directly from the ENMAX transformer to each unit. This type of service has more electrical capacity for the future, compared to gang meter base service, because each home is connected directly to the ENMAX transformer. Your electrician will need to complete a load calculation when adding load to understand the electrical capacity of the home’s electrical service.

The image is a 3D illustration of a rowhouse with four homes labeled “Home 1,” “Home 2,” “Home 3,” and “Home 4.” Each home is depicted as a gray block with a darker gray roof and has two visible windows on the upper level. Below each home, there are red lines representing electrical service connections that extend from the base of each house to a single point labeled “ENMAX transformer,” which is situated at the lower left corner of the image. The ENMAX transformer is shown as a small gray box with red lines connecting it to each home’s electrical service. Above the illustration, there is text that reads “Rowhouse with fee simple electrical service.” At the bottom of the image, there is an additional note stating “The electrical service connects directly from the ENMAX transformer to each home.”

This image demonstrates how electricity is distributed from a single transformer to multiple homes in a rowhouse configuration, emphasizing individual direct connections.

Plumbing permit

A plumbing permit is required when:

A plumbing system is constructed, extended or altered.
Water and sewer lines in or around the home are replaced.

Installing or replacing a hot water tank requires a permit in some situations. A permit is required if there are changes to:

The gas lines located upstream from the water heater shut off valve
The venting system (e.g. size and design)
The type of water heater (e.g. changing from a natural draft water heater to a direct vent water heater)

A plumbing permit is not required to:

Repair a leak in a water distribution or drainage system.
Replace existing faucets and fixtures.
Remove blockage in the drainage.

Our homeowner plumbing guide provides important information to help homeowners who are interested in doing their own work. Other methods of installation not identified in this guide may be acceptable; however, all installations must meet the most current requirements of the National Plumbing Code of Canada.

Concealed plumbing procedure

If your renovation has previously been finished without proper permits, you can still apply for the permits after the work has been completed. A contractor will need to apply for the required permit.

For a plumbing permit, when the work has been concealed by drywall, you are required to follow the concealed plumbing procedure.

A homeowner’s permit cannot be issued for concealed plumbing completed without proper permits. To have the inspection done, the owner must hire a licensed plumbing contractor. The contractor will have to obtain a plumbing permit and check that the plumbing complies with plumbing codes. However, the homeowner is still responsible for any previously concealed plumbing.

Note: There is a possibility the inspector may ask for drywall to be removed to complete their inspection.

For further inquiries, please contact our 311 online services.

For additional questions about plumbing requirements, please contact our 311 online services, or email plumbing&gas.tac@calgary.ca.

Visit residential inspections for information about inspection bookings, inspection outcomes, inspection types and more.

Gas fireplace installation permit

A homeowner’s gas fireplace installation permit is required when a homeowner is installing a fireplace insert themselves. The gas fireplace installation permit ensures the proper vent and mantel clearances are met; however, it does not include the gas line connection that services the appliance. The gas connection must be done by a qualified, licensed gas fitter who will require a separate contractor’s gas permit.

If the gas fitter is doing the entire installation, including the fireplace insert, only a contractor’s gas permit is required.

For additional questions about gas fireplace requirements, please contact our 311 online services.

Gas permit

Homeowners cannot take out a gas permit on their house. Homeowners cannot take out a gas permit on their house, unless the homeowner is a first-class or second-class gasfitter (i.e. journeyman). In all other cases, this permit must be pulled by a qualified, licensed contractor.

Mechanical permit

A homeowner is not permitted to take out a mechanical (HVAC) permit on his or her house. This type of permit and work can only be done by a qualified, licensed contractor.

If a permit is not obtained

If you, as a homeowner do not have permits for work that has been started or completed, there could be consequences if you do not correct the situation. Possible penalties include:

A City-issued stop-work order

A fine
Undoing work
Legal and financial issues when selling your property or making an insurance claim
Doing more work than originally planned and budgeted

Homeowners are responsible for paying any penalties, even if you hired a contractor who assured you permits were unnecessary. If you’re unsure if you need a permit, call the Planning Services Centre at 403-268-5311. Find out if your contractor has a City of Calgary business licence at calgary.ca/contractors.

Applicants must ensure that work does not break restrictive covenants, caveats or any other restrictions registered against the property.

Apply

What is a complete application?

A complete application means that you have provided all the necessary requirements for our teams to complete their reviews. You should provide everything listed on the Complete Application Requirement List, including plans, supporting documents and payment.

An application for a permit may be refused if, within ninety (90) days from the date of receipt, if adequate information and documentation is not supplied as requested by the Safety Codes Officer. Should a permit be considered for refusal, the applicant will be given notification in writing and 30 days to resubmit the missing information. For more information, please review Building Advisory A19-002 Building Permit Complete Application.

Apply online

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

Apply online

apply.calgary.ca

Apply in-person

Drop off your application at
3rd floor, Municipal building
800 Macleod Trail SE

We are currently not accepting appointments.

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

Video tutorial - How to apply for permits

Learn step by step how to apply for permits.

After you apply