Zoning Bylaw

Zoning is about:

• What can be built where
• Permitted types of buildings and activities
• Implementing municipal land use plans

Zoning is not about:

• Regulating groups of people or behaviours
• How buildings are built
• Exactly what a building looks like

The Zoning Bylaw does not provide the rules for how a building is constructed, in terms of safety and construction materials — that is the role of the Alberta Building Code. It also does not determine the rules for business licensing — that is the role of the Business Licence Bylaw.

There are also other City bylaws and legislation that are aimed at ensuring developments are well maintained and operated once they are constructed. One example is the Community Standards Bylaw (14600).

The City Plan, Edmonton’s combined Municipal Development Plan and Transportation Master Plan, guides how land use, growth patterns and transportation and mobility systems need to transform to support an additional 1 million people in Edmonton. While The City Plan is the big-picture vision, District Planning and the Zoning Bylaw are about implementation.

The City Plan identifies districts as diverse, accessible collections of neighbourhoods that contain most of the services and amenities that Edmontonians rely on. The future District Policy and Plans will guide the development, infrastructure and amenity investment needed to create complete communities, whereas the regulations in the Zoning Bylaw determine the development potential of a site today.

Visit City Building to learn more about all the projects helping bring The City Plan’s vision to life.

For the first time in over 60 years, Edmonton's Zoning Bylaw was overhauled to rethink how, what and why the City regulates in terms of land development to ensure accessibility, usability, adaptability and alignment with The City Plan and other City policies and initiatives.

Since 2018, Edmontonians have played a critical role in shaping the Zoning Bylaw through workshops, online surveys, information sessions and more. Work continued until October 2023, at which time the updated bylaw was approved by City Council at a Public Hearing.

Visit the Zoning Bylaw Renewal Initiative to learn more about the creation of Edmonton's Zoning Bylaw.