Beddington Heights: 43 secondary suite permits and no new houses

Beddington Heights isn't building new houses; it's adding homes inside the ones it has. From January 2023 to 29 September 2026, City of Calgary open data shows 43 secondary suite permits, 7 backyard suites and not a single new house, semi or rowhouse. Those 7 backyard suites are 16% of every one issued in the North sector.

What are Beddington Heights owners building?

Suites, garages and small renovations. Every permit in the table below is work on an existing lot.

Permits issued, excluding cancelled ones. "Share of Calgary" is this community's part of the citywide count for the same project type and years. Declared value is what the applicant wrote on the permit application. It is not a quote and runs below real costs. Medians are shown only where a category has at least 5 permits. Source: City of Calgary open data (building permits, development permits, secondary suite registry, census 2021 population, census 2021 households, civic census 2019, land use districts), retrieved 5 October 2026.

The table splits suites into two rows by how the City classed the work: 17 under the City's "New" work class, meaning new construction, and 26 as alterations of existing space. That's 43 in all, with median declared values of $73,270 and $73,357. Those are what applicants wrote on the permit and run below real costs; the legal basement suite guide has builder price ranges.

Renovation permits peaked at 38 in 2024. The 2026 count of 20 runs only to 29 September, so it isn't a full year to compare against.

Why are backyard suites more common in Beddington Heights?

The permits show it, not why. Beddington Heights had 7 backyard suites, 4 of them in 2025. Only Thorncliffe, with 11, had more in the North sector, where Huntington Hills matched the 7 and 10 of the 16 North communities profiled here had none.

They were slow to issue: a median of 92 days from application, against 9 days for a garage. The median declared value was $129,711. Every backyard suite needs a development permit first, and since 4 August 2026, a lot can hold a backyard suite or a secondary suite, not both. The backyard suites guide covers the rules as of October 2026.

Development permits applied for from 1 January 2023; many home projects in Calgary need only a building permit, so these are a subset of all work. The registry lists suites the City has confirmed meet the rules, not every suite that exists. Source: City of Calgary open data (building permits, development permits, secondary suite registry, census 2021 population, census 2021 households, civic census 2019, land use districts), retrieved 5 October 2026.

All 123 decided development permits were approved, with a median of 41 days to a decision. The registry added 30 suites in 2024 and 29 in 2025.

Do you still need a development permit for a suite here?

Usually not, as of October 2026. Until Bylaw 26P2026 in July 2026, the City's suite pages listed R-C1 among the districts where a secondary suite needed a development permit, and 75 of the 164 applications here (46%) were for suites. The site's suite guide now lists a secondary suite as a permitted use in R-C1 and R-C2, so a suite that meets every zoning rule goes straight to a building permit.

The share of the community's districted area in each land use district, from the City's district and community boundary maps intersected exactly. Districts change by lot and by amendment: check a specific lot on the City's land use map before you plan. Source: City of Calgary open data (building permits, development permits, secondary suite registry, census 2021 population, census 2021 households, civic census 2019, land use districts), retrieved 5 October 2026.

R-C1, which the Land Use Bylaw 1P2007 names Residential - Contextual One Dwelling, covers 45% of the community, and R-C2, Residential - Contextual One / Two Dwelling, 26.6%. S-SPR, the school, park and community reserve district, takes 12.7%, M-C1 (Multi-Residential - Contextual Low Profile) 7.5% and C-C2 (Commercial - Community 2) 4.6%. R-CG lots drew 61 development permit applications, the most of any district here, yet R-CG isn't among the five largest districts in the land use data, which was retrieved after citywide rezoning was repealed on 4 August 2026. Confirm your lot on the City's land use map.

Who lives in Beddington Heights?

Families in houses and duplexes. The 2021 census counted 11,295 people in 4,230 households, averaging 2.7 people, and 12% of households had five or more.

Population and household figures are from the 2021 Census of Canada as published by the City of Calgary; dwelling types are from the City's 2019 civic census, the last one it ran. Newer communities have grown since. Source: City of Calgary open data (building permits, development permits, secondary suite registry, census 2021 population, census 2021 households, civic census 2019, land use districts), retrieved 5 October 2026.

The 2019 civic census found 923 duplex dwellings, 21% of the 4,405 total and the 12th highest share of 87 communities. Single-detached houses made up 59% and apartments just 1%. That housing stock suggests the suite pattern: a house or duplex half with a basement that can take a second unit, or a yard with room for a backyard suite instead.

For a basement conversion, the first things to check are ceiling height and bedroom windows. The basement ceiling height guide and the egress window guide give the code minimums.

Seeing a Beddington Heights suite at full size

A basement suite in an older house lives or dies on the stair, the entrance and where the bedrooms can get windows. At the studio, the suite plan is lit at full size on a walkable LED floor, so you can walk from the side door to the kitchen and see whether the stair cuts the living room in half. Freestanding walls and a sofa can be set where you've drawn them, and elevations go up on a wall-size screen.

Changes show on the floor right away, and you keep the recording of the session. Send the plan as a PDF or DWG three days ahead. The quote is free and based on the plan's size: see pricing, book a session, or browse the communities hub.