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 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.
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.
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:
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.
A building permit can be applied for by
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.
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.
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:
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.
Building Type | Initial Review | Additional Review (if required) | Cost | Fee Schedule | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Residential |
Single, semi-detached, duplex | 1-2 days* | 14 days | $189 per parcel | |
Multi-Residential |
Single unit townhouse or rowhouse | 1-2 days* | 14 days | $189 per parcel | |
Multi-Residential |
townhouse or rowhouse | 14 day review** | $281 per parcel | ||
Multi-Residential b (expedited) |
townhouse or rowhouse | 7 day review | $432 per parcel |
*We will notify you if your application has been approved or if it requires further review.
**For an additional fee you can request an expedited timeline of 7 days.
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.
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.
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:
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:
Visit our page on encroachments for more information.
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.
These types of real property surveys indicate the land and the building are owned by the individual resident.
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.
To apply online, you need a myID account. Create a myID account.
Drop off your application at:
3rd floor, Municipal building
800 Macleod Trail SE
See COVID-19 Service Changes - Application drop-off for payment options.
We are currently not accepting appointments.
Applications mailed or dropped off at the at the third-floor counter in the Municipal Building* will only need one copy of the RPR (starting September 21, 2020). Paper copies will not be stamped. The RPR will be scanned, and you’ll receive an e-mail with a digitally stamped copy confirming the compliance.
A Certificate of Compliance will be granted if the property meets Land Use Bylaw requirements.
Some common reasons that compliance cannot be granted included:
If your Certificate of Compliance is not approved there are some additional options, you can explore to receive an approval:
To re-submit your Real Property Report to be reviewed, Follow the instructions on your refusal letter and email. You will need to submit a new copy of your Real Property Report. It will be reviewed and if compliance can be granted, you may receive your certificate of compliance in 1-2 business days. Real property reports that require additional review will take an additional 7-14 days.
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.
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.
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
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In person:
Whitehorn Multi-Services Centre
3705 35 Street N.E.
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