Provincial Acts and Regulations

The City of Calgary must follow a variety of Provincial Acts and Regulations, including two that regulate how land is used and how cities are developed at the municipal level.

The first is the Municipal Government Act (MGA), which is a provincial statute that establishes the powers, duties, structure and procedures of municipal governments in Alberta. It also regulates how municipalities are funded, as well as how local governments should govern and plan for growth. The MGA requires every municipality in the province of Alberta to have a municipal development plan; Calgary’s current plans, the Municipal Development Plan and the Calgary Transportation Plan, will both be replaced by the Calgary Plan.

The second is the Alberta Land Stewardship Act (ALSA). The ALSA provides the legal framework for regional land-use planning in Alberta and enables governments to set their own economic, environmental and social land-use objectives.

Intermunicipal Development Plans

In addition to Provincial Acts and Regulations, The City of Calgary also has agreements with neighbouring municipalities that must be adhered to that are referred to as Intermunicipal Development Plans. These are collaborative agreements between neighbouring municipalities to manage growth, land use, and infrastructure in shared areas. They are vital for fostering cooperation, preventing conflicts, and ensuring sustainable development that benefits the entire region.

Calgary Plan

The Calgary Plan is a shared roadmap to navigate from the Calgary of today to the Calgary of tomorrow.

The Calgary Plan is set to become the municipal development plan for Calgary, guiding how the city will grow and change over the next 30 years. It will fully integrate both land use and transportation policy together for the first time in a simplified plan language document, replacing the current Municipal Development Plan (MDP) and Calgary Transportation Plan.While the Calgary Plan has been simplified and modernized, it carries forward the vision and many policies from the current MDP (last updated in 2020). 

Note: The Calgary Plan was deferred at Infrastructure and Planning Committee to Q2 2026. At that time, Administration will have the opportunity to present the Plan. As we engage with Calgarians about the Zoning Bylaw, if amendments to the Calgary Plan are necessary, we will take those proposed changes to Council in 2026.

Note: (there are four boxed underneath  Calgary Plans box)

Zoning Bylaw

A Zoning Bylaw – also known as a land use bylaw - regulates the use of land and the form of buildings on every parcel in the city. The bylaw divides the city up into land use districts, also known as zones. Each zone has rules on what uses and developments are allowed or not allowed within it.

The new Zoning Bylaw simplifies these regulations, zones and uses to enable a more efficient planning process. The new Zoning Bylaw is intended to become Calgary’s new land use bylaw, replacing  Land Use Bylaw, 1P2007) 

Local Area Plans & Other Plans and Strategies

Local Area Plans direct the development, preservation or rehabilitation of lands and buildings and future land use patterns in a specific area of the city. They adapt and apply the vision and policies set by the Calgary Plan at a local level, enabling local context to be incorporated. Examples of this type of plan include Area Structure Plan, Local Area Plans and other community area plans.

Other plans and strategies include both statutory plans and non-statutory plans and strategies. A statutory plan, such as an intermunicipal development plan or a municipal development plan, must meet requirements for public notification or engagement and is adopted by Council bylaw. Non-statutory plans and strategies are other plans, guidelines or strategies that may be adopted by Council resolution or by City Administration without public notification or engagement. To learn more about other statutory and non-statutory plans and strategies, click here.

Street Manual

The Street Manual - currently called the Complete Streets Policy & Guide - will provide updated direction for the design of Calgary’s streets to support safe multi-modal travel options for all Calgarians on well-connected networks that are sensitive to the environment. The Street Manual is one way of implementing land use and mobility policies in the Calgary Plan. Planners, developers, engineers, landscape architects and designers use this manual when designing streets in new communities or retrofitting existing streets.

Planning Applications

Planning applications are formal requests submitted to a municipality or governing body for approval to engage in specific development or land use activities.

These applications are very important for ensuring that any proposed development or land use projects comply with local zoning bylaws, building codes and community planning objectives – in Calgary, this means that all proposed development will need to follow the new Zoning Bylaw and Street Manual, as well as the overall vision for The City as set out in the Calgary Plan.