What Calgary's rezoning repeal means for your renovation or addition

What happened

In 2024 Calgary rezoned most low-density residential land to R-CG. On April 8, 2026, City Council voted to repeal that citywide rezoning, and the change took effect on August 4, 2026.

The City brought back eight residential districts that had been folded into R-CG, namely R-C1, R-C1L, R-C1N, R-C2, R-1, R-1N, R-2 and R-CGex. Properties that were rezoned in 2024, and have not applied for or received approval for an R-CG, R-G or H-GO development, revert to their previous land use district.

In October 2026, the province steps in

On October 8, 2026, the Alberta government directed Calgary to keep these restored low-density rules in place until the City finishes its review of the Land Use Bylaw, expected in 2027. As reported by CTV News, Calgary must also create a zoning overlay that identifies the properties returned to their previous districts, and rules on housing types, heights and parking stay as they are during the review.

Calgary's mayor and Alberta Municipalities have objected to the order, so the debate is not over. For planning purposes, assume the rules your lot has today will hold through 2027. If you were weighing a rebuild against an addition, our guide on renovating or rebuilding after the zoning order walks through the choice.

One suite or the other

• A property can now have either a secondary suite or a backyard suite, not both.
• Backyard suites can no longer be built on properties with semi-detached homes.
• Backyard suites have a parking requirement again.

If your property stays R-CG

• Maximum building height drops from 11 m to 10 m.
• Maximum lot coverage drops from 60% to 55%.
• Zero-lot-line developments are no longer allowed.
• Rowhouses return as a permitted use.

What it means for additions

Most homeowners planning a main-floor extension or a second storey will see little day-to-day difference, but the rules that limit an addition, such as height, lot coverage and setbacks, come from your land use district. If your lot reverted from R-CG to R-C1 or R-C2, the limits your designer works to may have changed.

Before you commit to a design, confirm your current district on the City's address lookup and have your designer check height, coverage and setbacks against it. It is much cheaper to adjust a sketch than a permit application.

Applications already in progress

The City says applications in progress before the effective date continue under the rules in place when they were made. If you started a permit before August 4, 2026, confirm with the City which rules apply to your file.

How Kay2 helps

Kay2 is a design-build firm, so zoning checks, drawings and permits are part of the same process as construction. Book a consultation and we will review what your lot allows before any design work starts.