The new Zoning Bylaw will be an important tool for building the vision set out in the Calgary Plan and simplify rules that guide land use and building form in the city.

LEARN more about the new Zoning Bylaw:

• Intro video – An introduction to what the Zoning Bylaw is.

• Summary sheets – Information about the highlights, changes and zones proposed in this draft of the Zoning Bylaw.

• Annotated Draft Zoning Bylaw – This document is a work in progress, which includes notes from the project team highlighting key considerations.

SHARE your input to help shape the new Zoning Bylaw:

• Webinar series – Register for an online session to learn more about the draft Zoning Bylaw, and ask questions of the project team.

• Workshop series – Register for a session to learn more, ask questions, and share your ideas with the project team online or in person.

• Online survey – Share your thoughts in the form below.

We want to hear from you. Your input will help us make important decisions. As the draft Zoning Bylaw takes shape in the coming years, we will continue to check-in with Calgarians, ensuring that the new Zoning Bylaw helps build a city of opportunity and choice.

While there are connections to the draft Zoning Bylaw, this work is separate from the Rezoning for Housing program conducted earlier this year. For more information on Rezoning for Housing, please visit their webpage.

What is the Zoning Bylaw?

• A Zoning Bylaw directs the shape and size of buildings and the uses (activities) allowed on a property.
• A zone sets the rules for buildings and uses across the city, including all residential, commercial and industrial areas.
• Each property is assigned a zone to guide future development, but this does not require any changes to the property or building.

Want to know more about what a zoning bylaw is or what it does? Watch the intro video below.

Learn more about how zoning works or scroll down to sign up for a webinar or workshop to learn more and ask questions.

What’s new in the Zoning Bylaw?

The new Zoning Bylaw will simplify zoning rules across the city. This means that starting a business, renovating your home, or building something new will be easier. The simplified Zoning Bylaw will:

• Add clarity and flexibility to regulations

• Reduce redundancy and overlap between different zones

• Simplify the list of uses

• Add more graphics and plain language to make the rules easier to understand

These changes will enable a responsive and nimble planning process, reducing the cost and complication of development. The rules will be easier for everyone to understand.

Explore the summary sheets linked in the graphic below to learn more.

Why does Calgary need a new Zoning Bylaw?

The current Land Use Bylaw has served us well, but is stuck in the past. It looks a lot like the one written decades ago, when Calgary was a very different city.

A new Zoning Bylaw will help the city step up to the crucial opportunities of today, like addressing climate change and building a more equitable city.

Aligning the Zoning Bylaw

The City Building Program is a multi-year project, aimed at aligning and strengthening Calgary’s planning regulations and rules to create a place where everyone can thrive – through the Calgary Plan, Zoning Bylaw and Street Manual.

The Zoning Bylaw will align to the new Calgary Plan, helping deliver on that plan’s vision for:

• Improved housing choice

• Great transit

• A vibrant downtown

• Walkable, mixed-use communities

It will also align with the new Street Manual, ensuring that the way land is used and the ways to get around are all part of the same strategy.

Aligning the Zoning Bylaw with other City plans makes achieving Calgary’s goals easier, cuts red tape, and adds certainty for communities and businesses.

Learn more about the City Building Program

Online Survey

Share your input and take the online survey.

Workshop Series

Whether you have never heard of zoning before or use the current Land Use Bylaw every day, there is an opportunity for you to shape the document. Register for an event (online or in-person) at the link below to learn more, ask questions, and share your input to help shape the future Zoning Bylaw.