Edmonton’s ability to retain, attract and grow businesses is affected by how the City regulates and provides service to businesses, property owners and potential investors. An efficient permitting, licensing, and regulatory process helps reduce barriers and encourage investment in our city, which is a key goal of both The City Plan and Edmonton’s Economic Action Plan.
The City continues to advance a number of initiatives to encourage investment and make it easier for businesses and homeowners to navigate the zoning, permitting and licensing process and obtain what they need to renovate or build a home, or expand or start a new business.
The improvements seek to maintain a balance between providing timely service and ensuring that what is built is safe, meets appropriate regulatory standards, fits in with the surrounding neighbourhood, and respects community interests.
Our Commitment and Approach
The City is committed to making development permit, building permit, inspection, and business licensing processes better, easier and faster for customers. Since 2017, service improvements are estimated to have saved planning and development customers 260,933 days and $4.6 million in delay costs annually based on demonstrated reductions in permit timelines.
City staff work with city-building partners (industry, citizens, service providers, and other groups) to find and implement creative solutions to specific challenges.
In 2017, Edmonton launched an initiative focused on changing the way planning and development services are provided. This served to build momentum within the City administration, focusing attention on the customer experience, efficiency, and taking action to improve planning and development services.
This initiative largely focused on streamlining the initial stages of the land development process from rezonings to subdivisions and servicing agreements. It decreased application requirements, standardized technical review of applications to only what was required, and set service level timeline targets that are reported quarterly.
In 2020, a Permit and Licensing Improvement (PLI) initiative was launched, and continues to listen to customers, city building partners and staff, and implement changes that improve the experience of customers and enable staff. It focused on services for:
- Homeowners doing renovations
- Contractors doing commercial or residential renovations, and
- Business owners opening a new business or moving into a new space
Staff and industry workshops generated over 400 improvement ideas that were captured, themed and used to inform focus areas. The City's PLI Initiative was the 2022 winner of the Government of Alberta's Municipal Excellence Awards in the Red Tape Reduction category. Edmonton was also ranked as Number 1 out of 21 Canadian municipalities in residential permit processing through the 2022 CHBA Municipal Benchmarking Study.
While significant progress has been made, the work to make Edmonton an attractive location for investment and living is ongoing.
Current Initiatives
Permitting Transformation for Businesses
Outreach and research shows that many business owners are unfamiliar with City processes and regulations which are required when opening or expanding a new business. This creates delays and at times, cost overruns for business owners. The Permitting Transformation for Business project will improve the customer experience when using the processes for commercial permitting and licensing applications. Permit and licence processing speed will improve and each step in the customer journey will be better explained.
Improvements will include:
- Connect customers with business support specialists early to better understand the journey ahead and the time it should take to successfully open.
- Reduce the time it takes to get a business licence by disconnecting some internal reviews and automating others.
- Provide more information to customers earlier in the process to understand the requirements for their desired location to comply with regulations.
- Streamlined connections between permits and business licences. An integrated process will avoid any confusion and delays for a business owner.
- A handbook for business owners and commercial contractors to better understand regulation requirements for permits and business licences to reduce requests for more information.
- Simplified application questions using language which is easier to understand and helps with applying for the correct permit types.
In Q1 2024, changes were made to reduce delays between inspections being passed and building occupancy being granted. These changes allow permit holders to request final building inspections independent of other final inspections to improve scheduling opportunities and reduce wait times. Additionally, digitizing and automating Commercial Occupancy Permits has replaced manual processes, further reducing delays to businesses and saving City staff time.
In Q2 2024, changes to Business Licensing were launched that streamline and add new automation to the end to end Development Permit, Building Permit and Business Licence processes for applicants. Most Business Licences currently take an average of 23 days. These changes will reduce the time it takes to get a Business Licence by as much as 30 percent, saving applicants time and money, and making Edmonton more business friendly.
Key Benefits: Process efficiency, reduced timelines, enhanced customer experience
Completed: November, 2024
House Development Permit Auto-Review
Building on the new Zoning Bylaw implemented in 2024 which introduced simplified regulations, a House Development Permit auto-review process was created.
The auto-review process enables applicants applying for a Development Permit to enter their project details, which are then automatically checked for compliance with the City’s Zoning Bylaw 20001. The process applies to Single Detached and Semi-detached housing in Developing Areas (zoned RSF), and is anticipated to eventually benefit the majority of greenfield applications.
In 2024, Greenfield Development Permits were processed in an average of 14 days. Houses that are processed through Auto-Review and comply with the Zoning Bylaw can advance to Building Permit immediately, saving applicants time and money, and providing more housing faster in Edmonton. Construction can begin immediately for Auto-Review projects that request and qualify for footing and foundation partial building permits.
Auto-Review had a testing phase for 6 months with home builders and full functionality launched in September 2024. The Application Requirements for House Permits page has further details of how Auto-Review works.
Completed: September 2024
Fire Separation Between Row Houses with More Than Two Secondary Suites Policy
Enacted a new municipal policy which addresses requirements for secondary suites in row houses under the National Building Code, 2023 Alberta Edition (NBC(AE)). This change will effectively remove the need to construct firewalls in row houses with secondary suites where there are adjacent secondary suites in the building.
The policy was developed through the use of an alternative solution complying to NBC(AE), by demonstrating a method of construction which provides equal or better performance with respect to life safety, and property protection. This policy maintains public safety while creating affordability and availability of housing options in Edmonton by more efficiently addressing the required safety of the Building Code.
The change will make the construction of secondary suites in row houses easier to complete, and is expected to save thousands of dollars in design, construction materials and construction costs, directly supporting affordability for consumers, and supporting the city’s commitment to affordability.
Refer to Policy B23-01, Fire Separation Between Row Houses with More Than Two Secondary Suites, and the supporting documentation which demonstrates the alternative solution on the Application Requirements for House Permits page.
Completed: August 2024
Edmonton Service Centre Appointments
This project introduced appointments for permits and licensing inquiry services at the Edmonton Service Centre. In previous years customers have experienced long and unpredictable walk-in services wait times. This change will enable customers to have certainty of when they can meet with City staff, plan for parking, and improve service quality. Walk-in services will be phased out, after which customers can book in-person, telephone and virtual appointments. Customers can continue to make inquiries via email and phone.
The appointment model helps to better match a staff member with knowledge of the inquiry to the customer and will provide better quality service during the appointment. For more information on how to make a phone or email inquiry, or to schedule an appointment, please visit the Edmonton Service Centre.
Key Benefits: Enhanced customer experience, process efficiency
Completed: August 2024
Risk-Based Inspections Expansion
This project focuses on improving the customer experience around inspections conducted by the Safety Codes Permits and Inspection section for Building, Electrical, Plumbing, Gas and Heating, Ventilating and Air Conditioning (HVAC).
The goals are:
- Improve the transparency and customer experience of the inspection processes
- Improve the ability of permit holders to be ready for an inspection
- Improve inspection consistency
- Expanding the use of our risk-based artificial intelligence model for new house construction to ensure inspection resources are allocated to high-risk inspections first
Key Benefits: Process efficiency, reduced timelines, enhanced customer experience
Target completion date: April 2025
Regulatory Changes to Support Development and Business Growth
Zoning Bylaw Renewal
While it may seem far removed from our everyday lives, zoning is everywhere—from parks and playgrounds to the housing we live in and the downtown core. It impacts almost every aspect of the way Edmonton’s land, buildings and neighbourhoods are planned and developed.
The Zoning Bylaw Renewal Initiative was a five-year project to overhaul Edmonton’s Zoning Bylaw - rethinking how, what and why the City regulates in terms of zoning and land development. Council approved the new Zoning Bylaw (Charter Bylaw 20001) and associated city-wide rezoning (Charter Bylaw 21001) on October 23, 2023. The new bylaw and zoning map came into effect on January 1, 2024.
The bylaw isn't just about today; it's about preparing for tomorrow. It helps support Edmonton’s growth, change and competitiveness, ensuring we are creating a city that is equitable, climate-resilient, livable and adaptable for everyone.
For more information on the goals of new bylaw and how it was built, visit Zoning Bylaw Renewal.
Business Licence Bylaw Renewal
A new Business Licence Bylaw came into effect on January 17, 2022. The new bylaw provides clearer, more consistent regulations to help reduce barriers for businesses. It also allows the City to respond more quickly and decisively to new and emerging business types.
Some of the key changes and benefits for businesses include:
- One or two-year licence option with a discounted fee for choosing the two-year option
- Discounted fee for businesses that renew their licence on time
- Simplified fee schedule, where businesses with multiple categories will only be charged a single-category fee
- New, updated licence categories with clearer descriptions and licensing requirements
Business Support Services
The Edmonton Economic Action Plan (Action Plan) is a 10-year road map to building a vibrant, inclusive and sustainable economy. This Action Plan is one of the key elements of the City Plan and is aimed at creating jobs, attracting investment, supporting business and strengthening our economy.
Business Grants and Supports
Many grants and support initiatives have been made available to support local businesses, especially through the COVID-19 pandemic:
- Edmonton Economic Action Plan Grant launched to support a more resilient, diverse and equitable local economy
- Commercial building grants: Businesses can access the Storefront Improvement Grant to improve the exterior of their business, the Development Incentive Grant to help with interior renovations and new development in targeted areas, or the Corner Store Grants to help with interior and exterior beautification in neighbourhood renewal areas
- 2021 Edmonton Economic Incentive Construction Grant that stimulates high-impact private construction projects in the Centre City area (beginning before March 31, 2022)
- Edmonton Economic Recovery Grant launched to support businesses through the pandemic
- Centralized support for business owners through Business Friendly Support
- Business licence fees reduced by 50% in 2020 and 2021
- Dispatch and vehicle licence fees reduced by 100% for limousines and 50% for all other vehicles for hire in 2020 and 2021
- Business Improvement Area (BIA) Tax Levy Payment Deferral in 2020 for businesses located in BIAs
- Property Tax Relief for property owners in 2020
- City-owned Property Rent Forbearance for tenants of City-owned buildings and facilities in 2020
Client Liaison Unit
Enhanced service to support the building industry on major commercial, industrial, and large-site mixed-use infill projects through all stages of the approval process.
One-on-One Business-Friendly Support
Business-Friendly Edmonton offers Business Owners one-on-one support to reduce barriers to starting and growing a business in Edmonton, including navigating the City’s licensing and permitting processes, and grant programs, and connecting with relevant City departments and external organizations.
This one-on-one support enables customized navigational assistance for as long as required and is utilized by local business owners, including Indigenous entrepreneurs, those new to Canada, and business owners from other equity deserving groups.
