The City of Calgary is celebrating a Secondary Suite Registry milestone with more than 16,000 secondary suites now registered. We want to thank Calgarians for reaching this milestone and providing safe housing options in communities across the city. The Secondary Suite Registry and sticker program launched in September 2015 to promote the importance of safe and legal secondary suites in Calgary.

“I would encourage us to imagine the depth of today’s affordable housing crisis if we hadn’t moved forward with secondary suites back in 2015,” says Meaghon Reid, Executive Director of Vibrant Communities Calgary.  “Each of these 16,000 suites represents a home for individuals and families who can now live safely and affordably, addressing immediate housing needs and securing long-term community stability. This program exemplifies systems change policy at its best, with lasting benefits for generations to come.”

In the first year of the program, 131 suites joined the Registry. Through an ‘education-first’ model and further supported by Council through an Amnesty Program, and most recently an Incentive Program, we have seen a steady climb in the number of secondary suites added each year. We’ve seen more than 3,000 secondary suites added to the Registry in 2024. This increase has been supported by the Secondary Suites Incentive Program that launched earlier this year. This program offers qualifying homeowners up to $10,000 to build and register a safe secondary suite. If you’re considering a Secondary Suite for your home, visit Calgary.ca/suite-incentive for more information.  

“Providing Calgarians with safe housing options is a priority for The City, which is shown through a variety of programs and changes that make it easier for homeowners to build and register safe secondary suites,” says Joshua Howes, Secondary Suite Program Manager with The City of Calgary. “Getting to 16,000 registered suites is also a great reflection on the efforts of homeowners who want to provide a safe place for their tenants to live.”

Before being added to the Registry, secondary suites are inspected by The City. Inspectors check to make sure the units meet the minimum safety requirements according to the National Building Code and The City’s Land Use Bylaw.

“All Calgarians are entitled to a safe place to live,” says Darren Lockhart, Manager of Building & Development Inspections. “One of the requirements for secondary suites on the Registry is to have smoke and carbon monoxide alarms that connect both dwellings in a home, and safe exits for the secondary suite. This ensures that people who live in a secondary suite can safely exit in an emergency.”

The Secondary Suites Registry is a benefit for homeowners and a helpful online tool for renters. Anyone can easily use the Registry to look up a secondary suite address and confirm if it is safe and legal.

Renters can confirm that they are renting a safe space by visiting https://secondarysuites.calgary.ca/ or looking for the ‘Registered Secondary Suite’ sticker. The stickers include a registration number and can be found either on the door to the suite or one of the windows.

TIMELINE FOR SECONDARY SUITES PROGRAM:

• Council approved the Secondary Suite Registry in 2015.
• Council approved changes to the Land Use Bylaw in 2018 making secondary suites discretionary uses for properties zoned R-1, R-C1 and R-C1L. This meant that homeowners no longer needed to go to Council for approval of their suite.  
• The Secondary Suite Amnesty Program was approved in 2018. Through this program, the fees for secondary suite development permits and the Secondary Suite Registry have been waived. Council extended this program until the end of December 2026.  
• In 2024, Council approved the Secondary Suite Incentive Program, which assists homeowners with the costs of safety elements required to register a secondary suite. The program is funded through the Municipal budget and the Federal Housing Accelerator Fund.