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What to expect during a Development Compliance Investigation

We receive complaints from a wide variety of people, including trades inspectors, neighbours, postal workers, and pedestrians.

Anyone can file a Development Compliance Zoning Bylaw complaint. When a complaint is made and a Development Compliance Officer has confirmed that it is valid and requires inspection, the following steps may occur:

Notice of Entry
If entry to the property is required for an inspection, a Notice of Entry will be sent stating a date, time, and reason for the inspection.

Inspection
An inspection will be done by a Development Compliance (DC) Officer who will be dressed in plain clothes. The DC Officer will show City of Edmonton identification at the inspection.

During the inspection, the DC Officer will check to ensure that the property complies with the Zoning Bylaw.

After the Inspection 

If the DC Officer finds that the property complies with the Zoning Bylaw after the inspection, the complaint will be closed. There will be no enforcement action taken.

If the DC Officer finds that the property does not comply with the Zoning Bylaw, the following steps may be taken:

Compliance Options
Following the inspection, the DC Officer will discuss actions that must be taken to comply with the Zoning Bylaw.

We recommend that these actions are done before the follow-up inspection date.

Follow-up Inspection
A follow-up inspection will be scheduled to confirm that the corrective actions have been taken and the property complies with the Zoning Bylaw.

The DC Officer has the ability to issue Municipal Tickets, Violation Tickets, and/or Municipal Government Act (MGA) Stop Orders at any time during the investigation process.

Further Action Required
In the case that there is still failure to comply, further enforcement action, including Municipal Government Act (MGA) Stop Orders, with fines up to $10,000 or court orders, may apply.

Checking for Compliance

Finding Your Property and Zoning Regulations

You can find your property’s zone by visiting maps.edmonton.ca. Select ‘Zoning’ and search by your property address.

*Disclaimer: While this will give you an indication of your property's zone, some inaccuracies may occur. To get the confirmation of your zone, please submit a zoning confirmation application form.

Search for your address

Under the 'General' information tab, you will find your current zone, which is linked to the section of the Zoning Bylaw that applies to your property.

You may also have overlays that apply additional regulations to your property. These overlays can also be found under the 'General' information tab and are linked to the applicable sections of the Zoning Bylaw.

For any questions you may have about the Zoning Bylaw, please contact the City of Edmonton.

Licences and Permits You May Need

In order to comply with the Zoning Bylaw, you may be required to have additional licences and permits. Here are some common licences and permits which may apply to you and  your property.

Possible Outcomes from a Development Compliance Complaint

The main goal of the Development Compliance team is to ensure property owners comply with the Zoning Bylaw. We use a variety of methods to achieve this:

Education about Zoning Bylaw regulations helps citizens to understand why complying with these regulations is necessary for all of us to live and work in a safe and vibrant city.

Violation Notices are written warnings that a violation of the Zoning Bylaw has occurred and informs the property owner what must be done in order to comply with the Zoning Bylaw.

Voluntary Compliance occurs when voluntary changes are made to comply with the Zoning Bylaw. This is the most effective and fastest way to achieve compliance.

Enforcement Action: Tickets (Municipal and Violation) are issued when voluntary corrective actions have not been taken.

Enforcement Action: Municipal Government Act Orders (Stop Orders) are legal documents issued in accordance with Section 645 of the Municipal Government Act. These identify the zoning violation and what must be done in order to comply with the Zoning Bylaw. Orders also define a timeline in which the actions must be taken to avoid further enforcement action.

Enforcement Action: Court Orders are demands for action. If the actions to correct the violation do not occur, stronger orders may result, such as an order of contempt. An Order of Contempt occurs when a court of law is disrespected, such as when a person refuses to comply with a court order.