Calgary Restaurant Opening:
Every approval in sequence
Opening a restaurant in Calgary touches the City of Calgary, Alberta Health Services, AGLC, and Alberta Corporate Registry — with dependencies between each that most operators discover too late. PermitPilot maps the full graph before you sign a lease.
The Calgary restaurant opening sequence
Typical projects touch all five phases. PermitPilot identifies which steps apply to your specific concept after intake.
Business setup
- —Alberta Corporate Registry — register your business entity
- —CARLs / myID — set up portal access if needed
Land use & location
- —Development Permit (eating/drinking establishment change of use)
- —Apply.Calgary.ca — submit DP application with site plan, floor plan, seating count
- —Typical review: 30–60 calendar days
Construction & trade permits
- —Building Permit — ePermit — with stamped architectural drawings
- —Mechanical Permit — exhaust hood and HVAC
- —Plumbing Permit — grease interceptor, fixture schedule
- —Electrical Permit — panel schedule, load calculations
- —AHS Food Establishment Permit — parallel track
Inspections
- —Rough-in inspection — framing, rough plumbing, mechanical, electrical
- —Exhaust hood / fire suppression inspection
- —AHS pre-opening food premises inspection
- —Final building inspection + occupancy confirmation
Licence issuance
- —Business Licence — Apply.Calgary.ca — after all approvals clear
- —Liquor licence (if applicable) — AGLC application runs on its own timeline
Decisions that branch your approval graph
These questions during intake determine which approvals your project requires.
Liquor service?
Food Primary vs Liquor Primary licence changes the AGLC application class, floor plan requirements, and inspection scope. The AGLC timeline is separate from City timelines and can take 60–120+ days.
Patio?
An exterior patio requires a separate Development Permit endorsement. Liquor on a patio requires AGLC endorsement and additional City compliance steps.
Commercial kitchen with exhaust hood?
A commercial exhaust hood requires a Mechanical Permit and a dedicated inspection. The AHS food premises design must align with the hood specifications submitted to the City.
Grease interceptor (grease trap)?
A Plumbing Permit is required and the sizing must be shown on approved plumbing drawings. AHS reviewers also check grease interceptor specifications.
Restaurant projects have the longest document list of any Calgary workflow
Architectural drawings, equipment schedule, AHS food premises design drawings, exhaust hood drawings, grease interceptor plans, and liquor floor plans are all separate documents reviewed by different agencies. PermitPilot tracks every document against the approval node that needs it — so you know what's ready and what's blocking.
See document validation demoMap your restaurant opening before you sign the lease
Know every permit, every timeline, and every document required — before you commit to a space.
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