EDMONTON and CALGARY, Alberta, October 24, 2026: Alberta's cabinet made the City Land Use Bylaw Direction Regulation (Alberta Regulation 255/2026) by Order in Council 353/2026 on October 22, 2026. It orders Edmonton to bring back pre-2024 housing types, density and height and pre-2020 parking minimums on its RS zone, and orders Calgary to lock its restored low-density zoning under an overlay.
The Alberta infill regulation does not ban secondary suites or garden suites and does not set unit counts or setbacks. It directs Edmonton and Calgary to rewrite their zoning bylaws, each within 3 months of the regulation coming into force, and it sets a longer review for both cities. The detailed suite rules will come from those city bylaws.
What does Alberta's City Land Use Bylaw Direction Regulation say?
The regulation is short and names two bylaws: Edmonton's Zoning Bylaw 20001 and Calgary's Land Use Bylaw 1P2007 (s.1). It was made under section 694(5) of the Municipal Government Act, which lets cabinet direct a municipality "to amend its statutory plans and land use bylaw." It follows the province's October 8 announcement, Growing neighbourhoods responsibly.
| Section | City | What it requires |
|---|---|---|
| s.2(1)-(2) | Edmonton | Within 3 months, permitted uses, density and height on RS (Small Scale Residential) lots must match comparable lots under repealed Zoning Bylaw 12800 as it read on December 31, 2023. |
| s.2(3) | Edmonton | RS lots must require the same minimum number of parking spaces as comparable lots under Bylaw 12800 as it read on July 1, 2020. |
| s.3 | Calgary | Within 3 months, an overlay covering every residential parcel rezoned when Bylaw 9P2026 reinstated the low-density districts. |
| s.4(1) | Edmonton | Within 18 months, review the bylaw against the provincial policy statement on infill and amend it to the Minister's satisfaction. |
| s.4(2)-(3) | Calgary | Same review by September 1, 2027; until then, no bylaw changing the overall zoning of the overlay. |
When does the Alberta infill regulation take effect?
The regulation has no commencement section, so under section 2(2) of Alberta's Regulations Act it comes into force on the day it is filed with the Registrar. The 3-month and 18-month clocks run from that day. The October 8 release had said Edmonton would have "three months from Oct. 8"; the regulation's own wording counts from its coming into force.
On its standardized infill designs page, the City of Edmonton says its current zoning bylaw remains in effect until January 2027 and that permit applications continue to be processed under the existing framework. We found no City of Calgary statement on the regulation when we checked.
What it means for landlords in Edmonton: can you still add a suite?
For Edmonton landlords, the regulation does not mention secondary suites, garden suites, units per lot or setbacks. It ties RS lots to "comparable" lots under the old Bylaw 12800, and it leaves the City to decide in its amending bylaw which old zone is comparable. That bylaw had not been published when we checked.
For reference, the City's archived copy of Bylaw 12800 lists Secondary Suites and Garden Suites among the permitted uses in the RF1 Single Detached Residential Zone. Parking is the change most likely to affect a site plan: section 2(3) brings back minimum on-site stalls on RS lots.
What it means for landlords in Calgary
In Calgary, the overlay holds the zoning Council restored on August 4, 2026, and section 4(3) stops Calgary from changing the overlay's overall zoning until its review is done. Council's own rules on its repeal of citywide rezoning page still apply: a property may have a secondary suite or a backyard suite, not both; backyard suites have a parking requirement again; and Bylaw 26P2026 makes secondary suites a permitted use in all low-density districts.
What can Alberta municipalities still control?
Every Alberta municipality still writes its own land use bylaw, and the regulation directs only Edmonton and Calgary. The province's provincial policy statement on infill development says municipalities should ensure that density and the number of dwelling units per lot are generally compatible with the neighbourhood, that as-of-right development is balanced with discretionary approvals where needed, that heights respect the existing scale, and that sufficient on-site parking is provided. It sets no numbers. The release says "the goal is not to stop infill development."
What to do now as an Alberta landlord
- Check your lot's current zoning and whether it is RS (Edmonton) or inside the overlay (Calgary).
- Ask the city how an application in progress is treated if the bylaw changes before a decision.
- Watch for the filing date in the Alberta Gazette and for each city's amending bylaw.
- Plan for parking. A required stall can change a garden suite layout.
When a new suite is ready to rent, Tenon10 creates Alberta leases, runs the move-in inspection report and tracks the security deposit. Our Alberta landlord guide covers the tenancy rules, the Alberta rent increase rules cover later increases, and the Alberta tenant guide explains what your tenant can expect. For the October 8 announcement, see our earlier report.
Renting out a new Alberta suite?
Start with the right paperwork: free landlord and tenant forms, ready to fill in.
Free • No signup required
