New homes & infill
New houses, including infill in mature neighbourhoods, need approval for use, height, setbacks and lot coverage.
Development permits, filed right the first time.
A development permit is the municipality’s approval that what you want to build — and where you want to put it — fits the zoning rules for your lot. It comes before the building permit, and it is where most projects are won or lost. We check the zoning first, prepare the application, and file it in Edmonton, Sherwood Park and across Strathcona County.
Start with a free zoning check. We tell you what’s possible before you pay for drawings.
01 The basics
What a development permit is
Every lot sits in a zoning district, and that district sets the rules: what uses are allowed, how big a building can be, how tall, and how far it must sit from the property lines. In Edmonton those rules live in the Zoning Bylaw; in Sherwood Park and the rest of Strathcona County, in the Land Use Bylaw. A development permit is the city or county confirming your project follows those rules.
It is a separate approval from the building permit. The development permit deals with use and placement — the building permit deals with how the project is constructed. Most construction projects need both, in that order.
Filing without checking first is how applications stall: a planner finds a setback, a parking shortfall or a use that was never permitted, and the file goes back and forth for weeks. Our whole process is built to catch those issues before the application goes in.
02 Who needs one
Projects that usually need a development permit
Not sure whether your project needs one? That is exactly what the free zoning check answers.
Additions & major renovations
Adding floor area or changing the footprint of a home usually triggers a development permit.
Secondary & garden suites
Suites are a use the zoning has to allow on your lot — confirmed before any drawings are paid for. See our suites page.
Commercial changes
A new business use, a change of use, or new signage in a commercial space generally needs one.
Home-based businesses
Depending on the scale and the municipality, a home-based business can require a permit too.
Accessory buildings
Larger garages and detached structures often need approval for size, height and placement.
03 What we prepare
What goes into the application
Prepared, checked and filed by our team — one point of contact from the first check to the decision.
1
Site plan
Your lot, the proposed building, setbacks, access and parking, drawn to the standard the municipality expects.
2
Floor plans & elevations
The drawings that show planners exactly what is being proposed, inside and out.
3
Application forms & supporting documents
Completed forms and the supporting material the city or county asks for with this kind of application.
4
Responses to the planner
When the reviewing planner asks questions or requests changes, we answer and revise — that follow-through is part of the service.
04 Process — 04 steps
How it works
01
Free
Free zoning check
We look up your lot’s district and rules and tell you honestly what is possible — before you pay for drawings.
02
Drawings & documents
We prepare the site plan, plans and elevations and assemble the full application package.
03
We file & follow through
The application is submitted, and we respond to the municipality’s questions as they come.
04
Decision — then building permit
Once approved, we prepare the building permit package so construction can be approved next.
05 Common questions
Questions, answered
In most cases, yes. The development permit confirms the use and placement are allowed; the building permit then covers how the project is built. We handle both, in the right order.
It varies by municipality and by project — a straightforward application moves faster than one that needs variances or neighbourhood notification. We give you a realistic expectation for your project up front, and we keep the file moving by answering the planner’s questions quickly.
You usually have options: adjust the design to fit the rules, ask the municipality to relax a specific regulation where that process exists, or — for a bigger change — apply for rezoning. The free zoning check tells you which of those paths your project is actually on.
Not yet — construction itself is approved by the building permit. Starting work before both approvals are in place can lead to stop-work orders and having to undo finished work.
→ Keep exploring
Other services
Building permits
Full drawing packages that meet the Alberta Building Code.
Secondary & garden suites
Legal suites designed and permitted, top to bottom.
Rezoning
Planning rationale and city presentation materials for zoning changes.
Tenant improvements
Permits and drawings for commercial build-outs.
Free Zoning check — No obligation
Find out what your lot allows — free.
Send us the address and what you have in mind. The zoning check comes first, and it costs nothing.
Phone
825-966-3884
Email
innovapermits@gmail.com
Innova Drafting & Permits Services — Edmonton & Sherwood Park, Alberta.