Sherwood, Calgary: 81 suite permits and not one detached garage

In Sherwood, the most common permit since January 2023 has been for a secondary suite. City of Calgary open data to 29 September 2026 shows 59 suite permits for alterations of existing space and 22 more classed as new construction, against 44 renovations, and not a single detached garage. Households here averaged 3.2 people in the 2021 census, tied with three others for eighth highest of 84 communities.

What are people building in Sherwood?

Suites first, then renovations and basements. Here is every layout-relevant permit type the City issued in Sherwood since 2023:

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 year-by-year pattern is worth a look. Suite alterations went from 9 in 2023 to 32 in 2024, then 13 in 2025, with 5 so far in 2026. Basement developments ran the other way: 22 in 2023, then single digits. The two lines cross in 2024, though the permits don't record why.

New construction is almost absent. Only 3 new single-detached house permits and 3 rowhouse permits were issued here since 2023, so if you're planning work in Sherwood, it's almost certainly on a house that's already standing.

The 22 suite permits in the City's "New" work class don't point to new houses either. That class counts a suite built as new construction, whether the house is new or already standing, so it can't tell you how many suites went into new builds.

What does a suite cost to permit in Sherwood?

The median declared value on a Sherwood suite alteration was $71,349, and those permits took a median of 24 days to issue. Declared values are what the applicant wrote on the permit, and they run below real costs. The site's legal basement suite guide has 2026 cost ranges from Calgary builders, and the egress window page covers the bedroom windows a suite needs.

Basements and additions sit well below that. A Sherwood basement development had a median declared value of $37,284 and took a median of 7 days to issue; the 10 additions came in at $30,026 and 34.5 days.

Do Sherwood suites need a development permit?

Many went through one. Owners filed 65 development permit applications for secondary suites since 2023, out of 134 applications of all types, and the district with the most applications was R-1N with 60.

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.

As of October 2026, the site's suite guide lists a secondary suite as a permitted use in R-1N, R-1 and R-G, so a suite that meets every zoning rule can now go straight to a building permit. Direct control land sets its own rules, and DC covers 15.9% of Sherwood. No backyard suite permits have been issued here yet; the backyard suites guide explains why most districts still need a development permit for one.

The City's registry holds 178 Sherwood suites, with 32 added in 2024 and 34 in 2025.

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-1N, the district with the most development permit applications, is also the largest by area at 26.5%. The City groups 38.6% of Sherwood as special purpose land, more than the 34.9% it groups as Residential: S-TUC, Special Purpose - Transportation and Utility Corridor, covers 17.9%, S-SPR 8.5% and S-UN, Special Purpose - Urban Nature, 7.7%. Check your own lot on the City's land use map before you draw anything.

Who lives in Sherwood?

Bigger, younger households than most of the city. The 2021 census counted 6,520 people in 2,025 households, with 23% of residents aged 14 or younger and only 8% aged 65 or over. Just 16% of households were one person.

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 1,349 single-detached homes (65% of dwellings) and 480 apartments (23%). That mix suggests two kinds of Sherwood project: a family adding bedrooms or a suite to a house, and owners renting out a lower level. For bedroom counts and sizes, the bedroom size guide sets out Alberta's minimums.

Walking a Sherwood suite plan at full size

With a suite, the hard part is fitting two homes into one footprint: where the shared stair lands, whether the suite bedroom gets a proper window, and how the tenant gets in without crossing the main living space. At the studio, your plan is lit at full size on a walkable LED floor, with room names and dimension lines, so you can stand at the bottom of the stair and see what the tenant sees.

Freestanding walls and furniture move into place, changes show on the floor as you make them, and you keep a recording of the session. Send the plan as a PDF or DWG at least three days ahead. Quotes are free and based on the plan's size: see pricing, book a session, or go back to the communities hub.