Housing construction booming in Calgary, city says

An employee works on a modular home component in Calgary, Friday, April 5, 2024. (Jeff McIntosh/The Canadian Press)

Calgary is leading the country when it comes to the number of houses being built each year, with more than 18,000 residential building permits issued in 2024.

The City of Calgary says home building is not slowing down, with housing starts per capita outpacing other major Canadian centres.

“Last year we issued the largest number of permits for townhouse, rowhouse and semi-detached units ever, as well as the most single detached home permits since 2006,” said Ulrik Seward, chief building official for the City of Calgary, in a news release.

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In 2024, the city issued the following number of residential building permits:

- 5,341 single detached homes (22 per cent higher than in 2023);

- 1,842 semi-detached homes (63 per cent increase over 2023);

- 3,343 townhouses or rowhouses (28 per cent increase over 2023); and

- 7,312 apartment units (37 per cent increase over the five-year average).

The city also added 3,787 new secondary suites and 4,748 suites were added to Calgary’s secondary suite registry.

The statistics are promising news for Calgary’s housing strategy, officials said.

“When we make building homes easier, overall supply is increased, improving choice and affordability for all Calgarians,” said Reid Hendry, Calgary’s chief housing officer.

Several other programs, formed in partnership with representatives from Calgary’s construction industry, are also helping improve the number of homes being built in the city.

Those include the 30-60-90 process for commercial multi-family permit and residential improvement building permits, expedited review for builders, online applications for land use, outline plans and road closures and the inspection booking portal.