Calgary’s Secondary Suite Amnesty Period
If you own a Calgary property with an unregistered older secondary suite, you have until December 31, 2026, to legalize it under the City’s Secondary Suite Amnesty Program. After that date, the program ends.
That gives owners less than three months to find out where their suite stands and start the process. Here’s what the program is, who it applies to, and why it matters whether you live in the home or rent it out.
What is the Amnesty Program
Calgary started the amnesty in 2018 to get existing illegal suites made safe and registered. Council has extended it several times, most recently in December 2023, when it unanimously voted to run it to the end of 2026. Since it began, more than 11,000 suites have been added to the City’s registry.
If your suite was built before March 12, 2018, the City treats it as an existing suite. Under the amnesty, that can mean:
Waived fees. No development permit charges or registration fees if you use the amnesty period to legalize it before the deadline.
Reduced requirements. Existing suites may qualify for reduced building code requirements. Instead of meeting every standard for new construction, the suite has to meet the City’s minimum life safety requirements.
Those life safety items typically include a proper bedroom egress window, smoke and carbon monoxide alarms, a protected exit route to the outside, and fire separation (drywall) between the units and around the mechanical room. The City’s advisory for suites built before March 12, 2018 has the full list. It’s worth reading before you call a contractor.
One caveat: “may qualify” is the City’s wording, not ours. Every suite is different, and the City decides what your specific suite needs.
What this means for homeowners
For homeowners, this is about compliance and peace of mind. An unregistered suite is a question mark on your property. A legal, registered suite is one less thing to worry about with your insurer, your tenants, and eventually a buyer.
It’s also about safety. The life safety requirements exist because people live in these suites. Smoke alarms, a way out in a fire, and proper separation between units protect whoever is downstairs, whether that’s a tenant, a family member, or you.
It’s also cheaper now than it will be later. Once the amnesty ends, the waived fees and reduced requirements may no longer be available.
What it means for investors
For investors, a legal secondary suite can be an important part of a rental strategy in two ways.
Income. You can rent out a registered suite openly and advertise it with confidence. Renters can check the City’s online Secondary Suites Registry to confirm a suite is legal, and more of them are doing exactly that.
Resale. When it’s time to sell, a legal suite is something you can actually market as a suite. An illegal one raises questions from buyers, their realtors, and their lenders, and those questions tend to come up when you negotiate.
If you’re holding a property with an older suite you’ve never registered, the next few months are your chance to deal with it on the best terms the City has offered.
How to find out where your suite stands
Check the registry. Search your address on the City’s Secondary Suites Registry (secondarysuites.calgary.ca). If your address is listed, your suite is already legal and registered.
Confirm when it was built. The amnesty’s reduced requirements apply to suites built before March 12, 2018.
Read the City’s requirements. The City’s advisory for suites existing prior to March 12, 2018 lists the minimum life safety items.
Start the application early. Upgrades may need a contractor, and contractors get busy. The City’s “Legalize an existing suite” page explains how to apply.
Don’t wait until December. If your suite needs work, you’ll want time to get it done.
Questions about your property?
At Phipps & Tessier Real Estate Group, we’re REALTORS®, but we’re also real estate investors ourselves. If you own a property with an existing suite and aren’t sure what the amnesty could mean for it, as a home or as an investment, send us a message. We’ll talk it through with you.
This post is general information, not legal or building code advice. Program details come from the City of Calgary and can change, so confirm your specific situation at calgary.ca/suites.