Alberta · Rules scorecard

Backyard suite rules in Edmonton

Zoning Bylaw 20001 took effect January 1, 2024. Backyard housing is a listed use in residential zones such as RS and must meet Section 6.10. It may contain one or more dwellings and may be built before the main house. It cannot be subdivided off or made part of a bare land condominium.

Rating:Friendly· Last confirmed October 2026

The rules at a glance

Allowed?: Allowed by rightZoning Bylaw 20001 took effect January 1, 2024. Backyard housing is a listed use in residential zones such as RS and must meet Section 6.10. It may contain one or more dwellings and may be built before the main house. It cannot be subdivided off or made part of a bare land condominium.
What it’s called: backyard housing (formerly garden suite / garage suite)
Maximum size: 20% site coverage. Floor area above the ground floor: 60.0 m² per dwelling, or 70.0 m² if the Inclusive Design Standard (s.5.50) is met. Second-storey walls are limited to 15.0 m in length (s.6.10, Table 1).
Maximum height: 6.8 m; 4.3 m where the rear lot line abuts a residential zone with a maximum height of 12.0 m or less (s.6.10)
Approvals needed: A development permit and a building permit are both required, and construction can start once both are issued. An occupancy permit is issued after the required inspections.
Typical timeline: Not confirmed from an official source.
Fees and charges: Permit fees are based on the building's floor area (Appendix C of the Planning and Development Fee Schedule). The infill pre-application meeting fee is $195 (effective January 1, 2026).
Parking: No minimum on-site parking. 'Open Option Parking' has applied citywide since 2020; garden suite parking minimums were removed effective July 2, 2020.
Tiny homes on wheels: Not confirmed from an official source.

Facts on this page come from the sources listed below [1][2][3][4].

Notes and caveats

Minimum setback is 1.2 m (0.6 m to an alley in some cases), with 3.0 m separation from other main buildings (s.6.10). The parking statement comes from search extracts of the city's Infill information sheet and an older garden suite overview; I did not read either document in full. I found no Edmonton incentive or tiny home statement.

Why Edmonton is rated Friendly

Allowed by right gives a base rating of Friendly. No extra discretionary approval is recorded, so the base rating stands. How ratings work

Sources

Last confirmed October 2026.

Reuse this data

Data licensed CC BY 4.0 — cite as:

Tiny Home List (2026). Canadian Small Home Rules Scorecard. https://tinyhomelist.ca/rules

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