Legal suites, basements and garages in Airdrie.

Airdrie runs its own permits, separate from Calgary, and a few of its rules change the plan. This is what the City of Airdrie asks for on the three jobs we get asked about most there.

Legal basement suites in Airdrie

Every secondary suite in Airdrie needs a development permit first, then a basement building permit. That is the first difference from Calgary, where some districts take a building permit alone. The City puts the development permit at about two to four weeks.

A suite is a permitted use in most single-detached districts, including R1, R1-E, R1-V, R1-W, R1-U, R1-L and R2, and a discretionary use in R1-L0, R2-T, R2-A, R3 and R4. On a lot reached only by a cul-de-sac it is discretionary wherever it is.

What the suite itself needs, from the City’s code requirements:

• A ceiling of at least 1.95 m, down to 1.85 m under ductwork and beams
• An egress window in every bedroom: at least 0.35 m² of opening, no side under 380 mm, and 760 mm clear in front of it in the window well
• Its own entrance
• ½-inch drywall on both sides of shared walls and under the floor above, with self-closing solid-core doors
• Smoke alarms hard-wired with a battery backup and interconnected with every alarm in the main house, and CO alarms in or within 5 m of each bedroom
• A separate heating and ventilation system with its own temperature control
• One parking stall for the suite on top of the two for the house. Street parking does not count.

On a suite, the City does not let a homeowner do the HVAC, electrical, plumbing or gas work themselves.

The City’s 2026 fees: a $305 development permit, a building permit at $0.59 per square foot with a $135 minimum, $137 for HVAC, $137 to $219 for electrical depending on size, $158 for plumbing, and the Safety Codes levy of 4% (at least $4.50) on top.

Basement development without a suite

A basement that is not a suite needs a building permit but no development permit, as long as the use of the house does not change. The 2026 fee is $0.40 per square foot with a $135 minimum, plus the trade permits.

The first inspection comes before insulation and drywall, once every rough-in is done, and a final electrical inspection closes it out. Building, HVAC, plumbing and gas finals may also apply. Starting before the permit can double the fees.

Detached garages in Airdrie

Any garage over 10 m² (107 sq ft) needs a permit. In the R1 and R2 districts, a garage that meets the Land Use Bylaw is approved through a plot plan review rather than a development permit. A second garage over 25 m² where one already exists, or a garage taller than 5 m, does need one.

The bylaw sets where it goes and how big it gets: no taller than 5 m or the house, whichever is less; 0.6 m from the side and rear property lines, 3.0 m on a corner side and 1.0 m from the house, never in the front yard; and no more than 20% of the lot, up to 90 m².

Near a property line the building rules tighten. A wall within 1.2 m of the line can have no windows, doors or vents, and a wall closer than 600 mm needs a 45-minute fire rating. Since 1 March 2026 the truss specifications need an Alberta engineer’s seal, a garage over 55 m² needs an engineered slab or foundation walls with footings, and the City asks for a Real Property Report. The 2026 permit fee is $10.17 per $1,000 of construction value, with a $135 minimum.

Check your builder’s Airdrie licence

Airdrie requires every contractor to hold a City of Airdrie business licence, and without one a contractor cannot get construction permits. Ours is LC2601925. Ask anyone quoting your job for theirs.

See how we build legal suites

See how we build garages