Online Permitting

Residents and industry partners have asked for clearer processes, faster approvals, and fewer administrative steps. 

• Faster review times  
• Fewer incomplete applications  
• Better communication with Sturgeon County staff  
• Reduced environmental impact  
• 24/7 access to project information 

Step 1 — Create Your Account 
Register using your email address and set up your profile. 

Step 2 — Select Your Permit Type
CityWorks guides you through the requirements for your project.  

Step 3 — Upload Digital Documents 
Submit drawings, site plans, and supporting documents. 

Step 4 — Pay Fees Online
Secure online payment options are available. 

Step 5 — Track Your Application 
Receive notifications, respond to revision requests, and view updates in real time. 

To ensure efficient review, Sturgeon County requires online plans that meet professional standards.

Document formats accepted:  

• Vector‑based files, preferred
• Proper sheet naming conventions  
• Complete documentation sets  
• Professional seals where required 

Costs for permit types are in the 2026 Fee Schedule.

The following projects need a development permit and a building permit to ensure they meet safety code and building regulations:

• single detached dwellings
• semi-detached dwellings

• duplexes
• other multi-unit buildings

Depending on your land use district, a lot grading deposit may be collected at the time of application.

If you need to be connected to water or wastewater services, or have related questions, contact our Utilities and Waste Management Services department by calling 780-939-4321 or by email.

Before You Apply

Gather the following:

• Site plan with location of building and distances to property lines
  OR

• Surveyed plot plan with location of building and distances to property lines and grading elevations, if the parcel is zoned Residential.
• Land title certificate searched within 30 days prior to the application
• Alberta Transportation Roadside Development Permit Application (if proposed development is within 800 metres of a highway)
• Floor plans including the foundation plan, elevations, information about piles/grade beam and piles supporting roof loads, and stamped engineered drawings (if using strip footing)
• Roof truss layouts and manufactured floor joist drawings
• Stamped engineered drawings for attached garage if it is pile and grade beam
• Preserved wood foundations need plans designed by an engineer registered in Alberta unless designed to the CAN/CSA S406-92 (R2003)
• Copy of Alberta’s New Home Warranty Registration Certificate
• Hydronic heating design information and designer certification, if applicable
• Detailed energy efficiency information
• Energy Codes Project Form
• Abandoned oil well declaration application and map

Which Applications Are Required

1. Development permit
2. Building permit
3. Electrical permit
4. Plumbing permit
5. Gas permit
6. Private sewage permit, if applicable

You need a development permit and a building permit for an accessory building for structures like garages, greenhouse, shops, sheds and more. Any structure 10 square metres require both a Development permit and Building permit.

Depending on your land use district, accessory buildings will have certain rules such as sizes, setbacks and site coverage.

Before You Apply

Gather the following:

• Land title certificate searched within 30 days prior to the application
• Site plan with location of building and distances to property lines
• Alberta Transportation Roadside Development Permit Application (if proposed development is within 800 metres of a highway)
• Construction drawings including floor layout and elevation
• Roof truss layouts and manufactured floor joist drawings, if required
• Hydronic heating design information and designer certification, if required
• Frost wall and footings for foundation
• Engineered drawings for pole buildings, walls over 12 feet high, concrete slab over 55 square metres, grade beam and pile, and any other foundations, if required
• Abandoned oil well declaration application and map

Which Applications Are Required

1. Development permit
2. Building permit
3. Electrical permit, if applicable
4. Plumbing permit, if applicable
5. Gas permit, if applicable

You need a development permit and a building permit for an accessory dwelling unit, such as a basement suite, garage suite or garden suite.

An accessory dwelling unit is a self-contained unit that is located either within or on the same parcel of land. These are in addition to the primary dwelling unit on the property.

Depending on your land use district, accessory dwelling units will have certain requirements. The maximum floor area for an accessory dwelling unit in the country residential (R1) and agriculture residential (AG) land use districts is 115 square metres (1,237 square feet). In all other residential land use districts, the maximum floor area for an accessory dwelling unit is 80 square metres (861 square feet).

Before You Apply

Gather the following:

• Site plan with location of building and distances to property lines
• Land title certificate searched within 30 days prior to the application
• Alberta Transportation Roadside Development Permit Application (if proposed development is within 800 metres of a highway)
• Construction drawings including floor layout and elevations
• Abandoned oil well declaration application and map
• Private Sewage Assessment (if connection is being made to an existing system)

Which Applications Are Required

1. Development permit
2. Building permit
3. Electrical permit
4. Plumbing permit
5. Gas permit
6. Private sewage application, if applicable

You need a building permit for most basement developments, such as adding rooms or finishing washrooms.

For basement suites, which includes most developments with a kitchen or those that are designed for renters or have separate access, please see accessory dwelling unit.

Before You Apply

Gather the following:

• Map/drawing of proposed and existing rooms
• Room uses and dimensions
• Details of structural changes, if any
• Locations of smoke and carbon monoxide detectors
• Locations of doors and swings
• Locations and sizes of windows

Which Applications Are Required

1. Building permit
2. Electrical permit
3. Plumbing permit, if applicable
4. Gas permit, if applicable

Both decks and patios are open structures projecting from a building. Decks are at least 0.6 metres high while patios are less than 0.6 metres high.

Your deck, patio and all other buildings must be less than the maximum site coverage allowed for your lot. Generally, this is 40 per cent of your lot, but setbacks depend on your land use district.

You need a development permit and building permit for a deck, but do not need permits for a patio as long as it is within the minimum yard setbacks of your lot.

Before You Apply

Gather the following:

• Site plan with location of building and distances to property lines
• Land title certificate searched within 30 days prior to the application
• Alberta Transportation Roadside Development Permit Application (if proposed development is within 800 metres of a highway)
• Abandoned oil well declaration application and map
• Deck information

Which Applications Are Required

1. Development permit
2. Building permit

Dugouts are usually used by landowners to store water for stock watering, domestic use or spraying.

View Alberta Agriculture and Forestry’s dugout/lagoon volume calculator.

Before You Apply

Gather the following:

• Site plan with location of building and distances to property lines
• Land title certificate searched within 30 days prior to the application
• Alberta Transportation Roadside Development Permit Application (if proposed development is within 800 metres of a highway)
• Dugout Plan

Which Applications Are Required

1. Development permit

You do not need a permit for farm buildings, but you still need to apply for a declaration.

Farm buildings house livestock or are used to store or maintain equipment, materials or produce. To qualify for this exemption, the building must be associated directly with the farm operation and on an Agricultural zoned parcel.

A farm building must meet the following requirements:

You normally do not need a permit to build a fence or screening if it follows the below regulations:

If your fence doesn’t follow the above rules, you need to apply for a variance.

We suggest discussing your fence with your neighbours.

Talking to your neighbours and planning your fence cooperatively can help maintain a good, neighbourly relationship.

A home-based business means you operate a business from your home. The business is located within part of a dwelling unit or accessory building – such as a basement or garage – and is operated by at least one resident of the dwelling for a business activity that results in a product or service.

There are three levels of home-based businesses in Sturgeon County. Depending on your land use district, certain home-based businesses can operate.

Before You Apply

Gather the following:

• Land title certificate searched within 30 days prior to the application
• Alberta Transportation Roadside Development Permit Application (if proposed development is within 800 metres of a highway)
• Corporate registry, if applicable

Which Applications Are Required

1. Development permit

Compliance certificates are a letter provided by Sturgeon County to confirm that development on a property meets the Land Use Bylaw. This service is usually requested by banks and other lending institutions when it comes to the sale or remortgaging of a house

Before You Apply

Gather the Following:

• One original copy of a signed and stamped original Alberta Land Surveyor’s Real Property Report that is current representation of the property dated less than five years from the date of the Compliance Certificate request.

The primary purpose of a commercial event venue is to hold events such as weddings, retreats, ceremonies and other commercial events. Often, this type of activity may require a rezoning of your parcel prior to the application of a development permit. Our team will be happy to guide you through these discussions.

Before You Apply

Gather the following:

• Complete construction drawings for any proposed buildings or site work
• Drawing that depicts site details of your development. A surveyed plot plan may be required depending on scale of operations.
• Land Title Certificate, searched within 30 days prior to the application. If the parcel is titled to a company name, you will also be required to provide a Corporate Registry
• Abandoned oil well declaration form and map
• Alberta Transportation Roadside Development Permit Application (if proposed development is within 800 metres of a highway)
• Utility Application, for all parcels with Municipal Servicing, including for most parcels within a subdivision
• Approach Application/Deposit where no access to the parcel exists or the upgrade of the access required to meet Sturgeon County minimum standards
• Emergency Response Plan specifying an emergency response plan for any potential hazards and muster points
• Operations outline or plan including number of attendee, peak site visits, hours and season of operation, signage, and servicing
• Additional items that may be required;
  • Traffic impact assessment
  • Community and neighbourhood consultation plan
  • Noise Impact Assessment

Which Applications Are Required

• Rezoning application, if applicable
• Development permit
• Building permit
• Electrical permit, if applicable
• Plumbing permit, if applicable
• Gas permit, if applicable
• Private Sewage, if applicable

Agricultural landowners have opportunities to enhance and diversify their operations through agribusiness and agritourism ventures. Sturgeon County provides the support for these opportunities through; diversified agriculture, intensive agriculture and, event venues. In some cases, rezoning your parcel may be required. Additional information and related documents can be found on our Agritourism page.

Diversified Agriculture

Diversified agriculture is an agricultural use that brings more traffic and has more impact to the land compared to traditional agricultural activities. It includes value-added agricultural processing, retail sales of agricultural products, and commercial experiences related to farming or farm life, such as farm-to-table dinners and corn mazes. It does not include events that are not primarily agricultural in nature, such as weddings, retreats, ceremonies and corporate functions.

Before You Apply

Gather the following:

• Provide a detailed description of the business, operations outline or plan; including number of attendees, peak site visits, hours and season of operation, signage, and servicing.
• Vehicle and traffic information that will be occurring on your parcel including; estimated number of trips, what type of road traffic, if traffic will be routed and, on-site parking stalls.
• Infrastructure and servicing impacts that will occur from the activity on the parcel like how your water is supplied, what type of sanitary services, an estimation of water usage (if municipal or hauled) and, an approximate sanitary daily peak use.
• Information about the site such as storage on the parcel, if deliveries are being made, proposed occupancy of the outdoor and indoor areas, if there is any on-site employees, if alcohol will be served/sold and, operational hours and months.

Which Applications Are Required

• Development permit
• Building permit
• Electrical permit, if applicable
• Plumbing permit, if applicable
• Gas permit, if applicable
• Private Sewage, if applicable

Start an Application

Site grading is the process of adjusting the slope and elevation of the soil.

Before You Apply

Gather the following:

• Detail of the project;
  • Area size of the grading,
  • Amount of grading change,
  • Amount of fill,
  • Start and end date,
  • Fill material (if applicable) and,
  • Details of the stripped material (if applicable)
• Hauling of the material and the haul route with the number of truck loads
• Engineered Drawings – must be designed and stamped by a qualified professional engineer to include the following:
  • Site Drainage and Grading Plan
    • Pre-development and Post-development grading plan (contours and grade elevations for existing topography with proposed contours and grade surface elevations to demonstrate positive drainage away from any buildings or adjacent parcels)
    • Existing contours at 0.5m intervals preferred, not to exceed 1.0m maximum)
    • Dimensions and area(s) of excavation, fill, and/or grading, depth of excavation, height of infilling
    • Location of natural wetlands, watercourses and drainage channels or ditches
    • Cross sections of major cut/fill areas on site may be required (approx. 1m or more)
    • Proposed berm location with specifications (height/width)
    • Proposed/Existing Approach/Access
    • Temporary stockpile location
  • Erosion and Sedimentation Control Plan if required by General Municipal Servicing Standard
  • Soil Test complete by an Accredited Laboratory or Qualified Professional (applicable for Clean Fill or Marginal Fill)
  • Safety Data Sheet (applicable for Construction Fill)
  • Safety Data Sheet and Baseline Tier 1 Soil Analysis (applicable for Recycled Fill)
  • Stormwater Management Plan
• Land Title Certificate, searched within 30 days prior to the application. If the parcel is titled to a company name, you will also be required to provide a Corporate Registry
• Alberta Transportation Approval, if 300 m from a provincial right-of-way or 800 m of the centerline of a highway and public road intersection

Which Applications Are Required

• Development permit
• Roaduse Agreement, if applicable

Most signage, like animated or digital, awning, billboard, directional, freestanding, portable, projecting or roof, requires approvals depending on the land use of the parcel. Some may not require a development permit as long as it meets the requirements in the Land Use Bylaw.

Before You Apply

Gather the following:

• Construction drawings and details of the sign including dimensions and type. Engineered drawings may be required, depending on the type of sign
• Site plan drawn to scale showing the dimensions of the property, distances from roadways and existing buildings
• Alberta Transportation Roadside Development Permit Application (if proposed development is within 800 metres of a highway)

Which Applications Are Required

• Development permit
• Building permit

Telecommunication tower and antenna system are an exterior transmitting device used to receive and/or transmit radio-frequency signals, microwave signals or other federally licensed communications energy transmitted from, or to be received by, other antennas.

Antenna systems include the antenna and may include amateur radio towers, a supporting tower, mast or other supporting structure, a station and an equipment shelter.

Before You Apply

Gather the following:

• Land Title Certificate
• Site Selection/Justification Report
• Site Plan with Key Map
• Elevation Drawings
• Cross-section of building for roof-top facility
• Colour photograph of the subject property with a superimposed image of the proposed facility
• Names, information, and signatures of the registered landowner(s)
• Right of Entry Authorization

Full details and specifications for the information can be found on the Proposed Telecommunication Tower and Antenna System form.

Which Applications Are Required

• Development permit

Subdivisions

Subdividing is the process of dividing a lot or parcel of land into two or more lots or parcels. The process can include subdividing a single parcel or multiple parcels.

This usually happens when a property owner divides a parcel of land into several smaller lots. It also includes when several smaller lots are combined into a single parcel. Creating a condominium plan is also a form of subdivision.

The Municipal Government Act allows you to subdivide property; however, subdivisions may be subject to conditions.

Before You Apply

We recommend you discuss your subdivision application with us by calling 780-939-8275 or emailing Planning and Development Services.

Early guidance and an understanding of the process will help you move forward in the right direction and ensure the process proceeds smoothly.

Cityworks Subdivision Application Portal Launching Soon

Redistricting of Land

Redistricting, or rezoning, is the process of changing the land use district that applies to a particular parcel of land. Each parcel of land has a specific land use which means it is regulated in a specific way.

As a landowner, you might request redistricting if you’d like to subdivide your land or build on your land in a way that is not currently allowed.

Before You Apply

We recommend you discuss your redistricting plans with us by calling 780-939-8275 or emailing Planning and Development Services.

Early guidance and an understanding of the process will help you move forward in the right direction and ensure the process proceeds smoothly.

Gather the following:

• Environmental site assessments
• Infrastructure servicing report
• PDF form of plans with clear details
• Some additional requirements could include the following:
  • Land use concept
  • Geotechnical investigation
  • Traffic impact assessments

Which Applications Are Required

1. Land Use Bylaw Amendment/Rezoning application

Cityworks Rezoning Application Portal Launching Soon

Common Questions

If you need clarification, arrange a meeting with a planning technician by calling 780-939-8275 or emailing Planning and Development. They can provide guidance that can prevent surprises and save you time, money and effort!