Homeowner electrical and plumbing permits in Calgary

Can a homeowner get an electrical permit in Calgary

Yes. The City issues homeowner permits for electrical and plumbing work, and for installing a gas fireplace, when all of these are true:

• You are the legal owner of the home. If you just bought it, the City may ask for your purchase agreement while the title transfers.
• You live in the home or are going to, and it is not a rental property.
• You are doing the work yourself. You cannot pull a homeowner permit for someone you have hired.
• The wiring or plumbing only serves your home, including a secondary suite inside it.

Homeowner permits are not available in apartment style condos, where a licensed contractor has to do the work. In a townhouse condo you can get one for your own unit with written permission from the condo board.

What a homeowner can and cannot do

Electricians cannot work under a homeowner's permit. When an electrical contractor does the work, only a master electrician can obtain the permit.

Plumbing permits

You need a plumbing permit whenever a plumbing system is built, extended or altered, including replacing water and sewer lines in or around the house. Replacing a hot water tank can need one too. You do not need a permit to fix a leak, replace existing taps and fixtures, or clear a blocked drain.

Gas permits

A homeowner cannot get a gas permit without the proper gas fitting qualifications. The one exception is a homeowner permit to install a gas fireplace. Even then, the gas line that feeds the fireplace needs its own gas permit and has to be installed by an Alberta certified journeyman gas fitter. Furnaces, water heaters, gas ranges and barbecue lines are all work for a licensed gas fitter.

What it costs

Each fee includes the 4% Safety Codes Council fee. Homeowner trade permits expire 330 days after they are issued, and the City can extend them.

Inspections

Book the rough-in inspection before any insulation, vapour barrier or drywall covers the work, then a final inspection when everything is connected. You book online through the Inspections Booking System with your myID account and job access code, before 2 p.m. for a next business day visit. Homeowners can also ask for a remote video inspection for plumbing and gas work. Our guide to Calgary building inspections explains what each inspection looks for.

Work that was already covered up

The City will not issue a homeowner permit for wiring or plumbing that was finished and hidden without a permit. To make it legal, you have to hire a licensed contractor, who applies for the permit, checks the work and corrects what needs fixing before the inspection. The inspector may ask for drywall to come off. The homeowner remains responsible for any work done before. See renovations done without a permit in Calgary.

Is it worth doing yourself

For a few plugs or a light fixture, a homeowner permit is straightforward. For a basement, a kitchen or an addition, the electrical and plumbing touch everything else, from the framing inspection to the schedule for drywall. On every Kay2 renovation our licensed trades pull the permits and pass the inspections, so the work is documented when you sell. Start with how to apply for permits and inspections in Calgary for the official links.