Number of registered secondary suites in Calgary doubles since 2024
Posted Aug 14, 2026 12:55 pm.
Last Updated Aug 14, 2026 12:56 pm.
Calgary’s registry of legal secondary suites has doubled in just two years and officials say streamlined permits along with financial incentives have driven the surge.
The City of Calgary says the number of registered secondary suites in the city has grown from 13,000 in 2024 to around 26,000 currently.
The city’s secondary suite incentive program offers up to $10,000 to help homeowners build and register safe, legal suites, and has been credited as a major factor behind the growth.
Josh Howes, suites manager with the city’s Development, Business and Building Services department, said Calgary has spent the past decade removing barriers for homeowners.
“Secondary suites have always been around, but the city is really taking a proactive direct approach making sure that the process to build safe legal suites was supported,” he said.
Contractors say they are seeing the shift firsthand. The Basement Renovators, a Calgary renovation company, says secondary suites now make up about half of its business.
Lead project manager Steve Francis said the city’s decision to eliminate the need for a development permit has significantly sped up construction timelines.
“Depending on how busy the city is you can have design and have permits released within two to three weeks,” Francis said, noting that development permits previously added costs and delays.
The city says that, as of June 24, new applications are being waitlisted until more funding becomes available.
The city expects its registry to reach 30,000 suites by 2027. Officials are also urging homeowners with suites built before March 2018 to register them under Calgary’s amnesty program before it expires at year’s end.
