In Calgary, a double garage is roughly 22 by 22 ft to 24 by 24 ft (6.7 to 7.3 m square) and a single about 14 by 22 ft, in the 2026 garage guide from Calgary builder Precision Construction & Decora (PCND, 2026). The City of Calgary's own minimum is the parking stall: at least 5.9 m by 3 m (19 ft 4 in by 9 ft 10 in) when it touches two barriers, such as garage walls (The City of Calgary, 2026). Alberta's building code sets no garage floor size; it asks for a clear height of at least 2 m (6 ft 7 in) (NBC(AE) 2023, 9.5.3.3).
Key takeaways
- As of September 2026, a Calgary parking stall must be at least 5.9 m by 3 m (19 ft 4 in by 9 ft 10 in) when it touches two barriers, 5.9 m by 2.85 m with one, and 5.9 m by 2.5 m with none (The City of Calgary, 2026).
- Precision Construction & Decora prices a single garage of about 14 by 22 ft at $35,000 to $55,000 and a double of 22 by 22 to 24 by 24 ft at $55,000 to $90,000 in 2026 (PCND, 2026).
- A garage over 75 m² (807 sq ft), over 4.6 m (15 ft 1 in) tall, over 3 m (9 ft 10 in) to the eave or larger than the house needs a development permit (The City of Calgary, 2026).
- All accessory buildings on a lot can cover no more than the lesser of the house's footprint or 75.0 m² per dwelling unit (Land Use Bylaw 1P2007, s. 346).
- A slab over 55 m² (592 sq ft) without a foundation 1.2 m (3 ft 11 in) below grade must be engineered, so a 24 by 24 ft double, at 53.5 m², sits just under that line (The City of Calgary, 2026).
- The City issued 2,854 permits for new detached garages in 2025, with a median declared value of $42,434 (The City of Calgary open data, 2025).
How big is a double garage in Calgary?
Between 22 by 22 ft and 24 by 24 ft, in the size bands Precision Construction & Decora (PCND) published on 30 March 2026. PCND calls 24 by 24 ft the sweet spot for most suburban lots, with "enough room to open both car doors comfortably and still walk around" (PCND, 2026).
These are PCND's sizes and 2026 prices, with metric sizes and areas converted:
| Garage | PCND's size | Metric | Area | PCND's 2026 range |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Single | About 14 by 22 ft | 4.3 by 6.7 m | 308 sq ft (28.6 m²) | $35,000 to $55,000 |
| Double | 22 by 22 ft | 6.7 by 6.7 m | 484 sq ft (45.0 m²) | $55,000 to $90,000 |
| Double | 24 by 24 ft | 7.3 by 7.3 m | 576 sq ft (53.5 m²) | $55,000 to $90,000 |
| Oversized or triple | 26 ft or wider | 7.9 m or wider | 624 sq ft (58.0 m²) at 24 ft deep | $90,000 to $140,000+ |
Note: these are one builder's sizes and price ranges, not City minimums or quotes, and PCND doesn't say whether its sizes are inside or outside dimensions.
PCND's oversized band covers "a third bay, a deeper footprint for a truck or trailer, or taller walls" for a lift or an RV. Its prices assume a finished build on a reasonably flat lot.
What does the City of Calgary require for a garage stall?
A stall at least 5.9 m (19 ft 4 in) deep, and 3.0 m (9 ft 10 in) wide when it touches two barriers. The City counts "walls of a garage, fences and property lines" as barriers (The City of Calgary, 2026). The rule comes from the Land Use Bylaw: "The minimum depth of a motor vehicle parking stall is 5.9 metres" for a house, a secondary suite or a backyard suite (Land Use Bylaw 1P2007, s. 122).
The City's stall sizes depend on how many barriers the stall touches, as of September 2026:
| Stall touches | Minimum width | Minimum depth |
|---|---|---|
| Two barriers, such as both walls of a single garage | 3.0 m (9 ft 10 in) | 5.9 m (19 ft 4 in) |
| One barrier, such as one garage wall | 2.85 m (9 ft 4 in) | 5.9 m (19 ft 4 in) |
| No barriers, such as an open pad | 2.5 m (8 ft 2 in) | 5.9 m (19 ft 4 in) |
Note: these are minimums for required stalls, measured between barriers; they're not recommended garage sizes.
By that rule, two stalls side by side with no wall between them each touch one barrier, so the pair needs at least 5.7 m (18 ft 8 in) of clear width: two 2 850 mm stalls, 5 700 mm across and 5 900 mm deep. Most districts require at least one stall, some narrow lots need two, and required stalls can't be one behind the other (The City of Calgary, 2026).
Inside PCND's 24 ft double, taken as 7 315 mm square inside, two of those stalls against the side walls leave 1 615 mm (5 ft 4 in) between them and 1 415 mm (4 ft 8 in) behind them:
Calgary's stall sizes come from its own bylaw, so other municipalities' numbers can differ. Stairs in a garage that serves your home follow the home's stair rules (NBC(AE) 2023, 9.8.1.2), covered in the stairs guide.
How big and how tall can a detached garage be in Calgary?
Past any of the Land Use Bylaw limits below, you need a development permit, with no guarantee of approval (Land Use Bylaw 1P2007, s. 345 and 346). These are the rules that shape a detached garage on a typical low-density Calgary lot, as of September 2026:
| Rule | Limit | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Building permit | Needed over 10 m² (107 sq ft) | City garages page |
| Height to the peak | 4.6 m (15 ft 1 in), from the finished floor | Land Use Bylaw, s. 345 |
| Height at the eave | 3.0 m (9 ft 10 in), from the finished floor | Land Use Bylaw, s. 345 |
| Storeys | One, plus an attic up to 1.5 m (4 ft 11 in) high, with no windows and a removable ladder | Land Use Bylaw, s. 345 |
| Area of all accessory buildings | Lesser of the house's footprint or 75.0 m² (807 sq ft) per dwelling unit | Land Use Bylaw, s. 346 |
| Slab | Engineered if over 55 m² (592 sq ft) without a foundation 1.2 m (3 ft 11 in) below grade | City garages page |
| Distance from the house | 1.0 m (3 ft 3 in) | City garages page |
| Rear and side property lines | 0.6 m (2 ft), or 1.2 m (3 ft 11 in) from a street, with exceptions | City garages page |
Note: these are limits as the City and the bylaw state them, not design advice; lot coverage limits by district also apply.
The same 55 m² appears in the code: a one-storey detached garage under 55 m² that isn't masonry can sit on a 100 mm concrete slab rather than full foundations (NBC(AE) 2023, 9.35.3.1). PCND's doubles fall under it; a triple 26 ft wide and 24 ft deep, at 58.0 m², goes over. For scale, a garage 24 ft deep reaches 75 m² at about 33 ft 8 in wide.
Lot coverage is a separate cap: in R-C1, all buildings together can cover 45% of the lot (The City of Calgary, 2026).
How deep should a garage be for a truck?
No Calgary rule sets a truck depth; the stall minimum is 5.9 m (19 ft 4 in) for any vehicle. Compare your truck's length, from the maker's specification page for its model year, cab and box, with the garage's inside depth. The rest is your walking room and space for a workbench or the stairs. This page doesn't list truck lengths, because they change with every model year.
A 22 ft (6 706 mm) inside depth is 806 mm (2 ft 8 in) more than the City's stall, and 24 ft (7 315 mm) is 1 415 mm (4 ft 8 in) more. For height, Pine Creek requires overhead doors 7 ft or 8 ft (2 134 or 2 438 mm) high, Silverhorn allows up to 9 ft (2 743 mm), and taller walls run into the City's 3.0 m eave limit.
What do Pine Creek and Silverhorn require?
Some new communities add garage rules of their own, reviewed before the permit. These are two sets of published guidelines:
| Community | Rule | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Pine Creek, Calgary | Front-drive garages at least 20 ft (6.1 m) wide, with a 16 ft (4.9 m) door | Pine Creek guidelines, April 2023 |
| Pine Creek | At least 12 in (305 mm) from each side of the door to the edge of the foundation | Same |
| Pine Creek | On a triple, the single bay set back at least 2 ft from the double | Same |
| Silverhorn, Rocky View County | Every garage designed for at least three vehicles | Silverhorn guidelines, posted 2023 |
| Silverhorn | Doors no taller than 9 ft or wider than 20 ft without the coordinator's approval | Same |
| Silverhorn | Boats, trailers and campers kept in a garage or accessory building | Same |
Note: these are developer guidelines as published, not City or County bylaws; check the current stage's rules with the architectural coordinator.
In Silverhorn, Rocky View County "will not accept building permit applications" without an approved stamp from IBI Group, the community's architectural coordinator. Settle the garage before you apply.
Do you need a permit for a detached garage in Calgary?
Yes, if it's over 10 m² (107 sq ft). As of September 2026, the building permit for a new garage is $333.84, including the 4% Safety Codes Council fee, and every new garage also needs a separate electrical permit (The City of Calgary, 2026). The Calgary building permits guide covers other projects' fees and timelines.
Here's how many garage permits the City issued in 2025:
| Permit type | Permits | Median declared value |
|---|---|---|
| Private detached garage, new | 2,854 | $42,434 |
| Garage with a suite, new | 179 | $130,044 |
Source: City of Calgary building permits open data, permits issued in 2025 excluding cancelled ones, retrieved 2026-09-25. The median is of the construction value declared on the permit application. It isn't a quote and usually runs below what the work really costs. New homes and commercial work pay permit fees on this value; most home alterations pay a flat fee.
The declared value is what the applicant wrote on the permit application. It isn't a quote and runs below real costs, so the $42,434 median sits under PCND's $55,000 to $90,000 for a finished double. It doesn't set the fee either: as of September 2026 a detached garage pays the City's flat $333.84 building permit fee (The City of Calgary, 2026 fee schedule). A suite over a garage is a backyard suite, with its own rules in the backyard suite guide.
Where a full-size walkthrough fits
On a drawing, it's hard to judge the depth left behind a long vehicle or a man door that swings into a stall. At 1to1 Plans Calgary, your plan is lit at full size from inside a walkable LED floor, with dimension lines. Draw your vehicle's outline on the plan at its real length and it shows up on the floor too.
Freestanding walls can stand in for a shelving line or a workbench, changes go up on the floor on the spot, and you keep the session recording. Sessions are quoted for the plan by its size, the quote is free, and there's nothing to pay at booking (get a quote). See how the studio works for homeowners, the other room size guides, or book a session.
Questions
What size is a double garage in Canada?
A double garage in Calgary is roughly 22 by 22 ft to 24 by 24 ft in Precision Construction & Decora's 2026 guide (PCND, 2026). The City's minimum for two side-by-side stalls works out to 5.7 m by 5.9 m (18 ft 8 in by 19 ft 4 in) inside. Alberta's building code sets no garage size.
How big is a single-car garage?
A single-car garage in Calgary is about 14 by 22 ft in PCND's 2026 size bands. The City's minimum for one stall between two walls is 3.0 m by 5.9 m (9 ft 10 in by 19 ft 4 in), measured inside (The City of Calgary, 2026).
How big is a triple garage in Calgary?
A triple garage in Calgary starts at about 26 ft wide in PCND's size bands. Once all accessory buildings pass 75 m² (807 sq ft) per dwelling unit or the house's footprint, it needs a development permit (Land Use Bylaw 1P2007, s. 346). In Silverhorn, every garage must fit at least three vehicles.
How deep should a garage be for a truck?
A garage for a truck has no set depth in Calgary's rules; the City's stall minimum is 5.9 m (19 ft 4 in) for any vehicle (The City of Calgary, 2026). Compare your truck's length for its model year with the garage's inside depth.
Do you need a permit to build a detached garage in Calgary?
Yes. A detached garage over 10 m² (107 sq ft) needs a building permit in Calgary, and every new garage needs a separate electrical permit. As of September 2026, the building permit for a new garage costs $333.84 (The City of Calgary, 2026).
Sources
- PCND, 2026 pcnd.ca
- The City of Calgary, 2026 calgary.ca
- NBC(AE) 2023, 9.5.3.3 nrc-publications.canada.ca
- Land Use Bylaw 1P2007, s. 346 calgary.ca
- The City of Calgary open data, 2025 data.calgary.ca
- Pine Creek guidelines, April 2023 experiencepinecreek.com
- Silverhorn guidelines, posted 2023 silverhorn.ca
- The City of Calgary, 2026 fee schedule calgary.ca
