Taradale, Calgary: 13 backyard suites, tied for fourth in the city

Taradale is one of the few places in Calgary where backyard suites are a regular project. City of Calgary open data shows 13 backyard suite permits issued here from January 2023 to 29 September 2026, tied with Greenwood/Greenbriar for second among the 97 communities profiled here and third in the Northeast after Rundle and Whitehorn. The same data shows 111 detached garages, 144 renovations and 48 secondary suite permits.

Why do so many Taradale owners build backyard suites?

The data can't say why. What it shows is a lot of building behind the house: 111 detached garages alongside the 13 backyard suites. Taradale's 13 backyard suites had a median declared value of $129,878 and took a median 48 days to issue. That value is what the owner wrote on the permit, and real costs run higher.

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.

Secondary suites are the bigger number. Owners took out 37 permits to alter existing space into a suite and 11 more for suites built as new construction, the City's New work class, which covers a new or an existing house; with only 3 new houses permitted here, most of those were likely in existing homes. And 95 of Taradale's 202 development permit applications since 2023 were for suites. The alteration permits carried a median declared value of $49,018, lower than 75 of the 80 communities with a median.

Taradale's approvals came with more refusals than anywhere else. Of 157 decided applications, 151 were approved and 6 were refused, a rate of 3.8%, second only to Glacier Ridge among the 97 communities profiled here. The median decision took 34 days.

The rules for a backyard suite changed this year. As of October 2026, a lot can hold one suite, not both, and a backyard suite in R-1N, R-1 or R-2 is discretionary while in R-G it's permitted. The backyard suites guide has the full list and what a backyard suite costs to build.

What else do Taradale owners build?

Renovations and garages. The City issued 144 renovations, 54 of them in 2024, and 111 detached garages.

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.

Garages here took a median 9 days to issue and had a median declared value of $47,063. Additions were the slow permit: Taradale's 11 additions took a median 90 days from application to issue, the longest of 58 communities with a median, though their median declared value was only $30,262. Declared values are what applicants wrote, and they run below real costs; the home addition cost guide covers what one costs in practice.

New houses barely appear. Taradale had 3 new single-detached permits in the window, one in 2025 and two in 2026.

Who lives in Taradale?

Large households. The 2021 census counted 17,630 people in 4,465 households, an average of 3.9. Only 10% of households were one person, and 24% of residents were 14 or younger.

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 shows the housing stretching to fit. Of 5,272 dwellings, 921 were converted structures, 17% and the fifth highest share in the data, and 3,310 were single-detached. Owners lived in 59%.

Put the household size next to the suite and backyard suite counts and the pattern suggests families making room for relatives or rental income on the lot they already own. The legal basement suite guide covers the indoor version as of October 2026.

What land use covers Taradale?

R-1N on 46.5% of the districted area, then R-2 on 11.6%. S-TUC, the transportation and utility corridor district, covers 11.3%, S-SPR 9.7% and R-1 6.5%. Residential districts cover 65.2% of Taradale in all.

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.

Development permit applications named R-1N 90 times and R-G 77 times, so R-G lots, where a backyard suite is a permitted use, carry a big share of the activity. Look up your own parcel on the City's land use map before you draw a suite.

Walking a Taradale backyard suite at full size

A backyard suite is small, and every square foot is a trade: a bigger bedroom or a usable kitchen, a stair to a loft or more floor. On the studio's walkable LED floor, the suite is lit at full size with room names and dimension lines, and freestanding walls, a sofa and a bathtub on wheels can be moved in to test the tight rooms. A suite over a garage can be walked one level at a time.

Elevations go up on a wall-size screen behind the floor, changes show on the floor straight away, and the session is recorded for you to keep. Send the plans as a PDF or DWG at least three days ahead. Every plan gets a free quote based on its size: see pricing, book a session, or go back to the communities hub.