New residential home development (in the Town of Jasper excluding apartment or row housing)

Jasper National Park

Residential homes in Jasper reflect mountain architecture which is not so much style as a series of building characteristics. Dominant roof forms (minimum 6:12 roof slope, except in the case of a manufactured home where a 4:12 roof pitch is permitted) fitting in with the mountain landscape with the with upper stories incorporated in the roof using dormers to achieve headroom, light and venting. Building materials appear to be local in origin and colours that relate directly to the surrounding natural environment. These help to give Jasper a unique feel to the community for those who live here and for those who visit.

Construction of a new home can be a daunting endeavour and it is recommended that you engage the services of a professional to assist with the design and construction process. The process and requirements below outline the overall process, but the development process should begin with contacting the Parks Canada Development Office at jasperdevelopment@pc.gc.ca or (780) 852-6123 to set up a pre-development application meeting with one of our development officers. From this meeting the development officer will be able to supply you with an up-to-date Development Review Template specific to the district you are located within, tailored to your proposed development, and containing a more complete set of requirements. With the Development Review Template in hand you should be able to start the design process for your new home!

Do I need a permit to build a new home?

Yes, three Parks Canada permits are required for the development of a new home. First, a Development Permit, which ensures conformance with the requirements listed in the Architectural Motif Guidelines for the Town of Jasper (PDF, 2.93 MB) and the Town of Jasper Land Use Policy. Secondly, a Building Permit, or a Building / Demolition permit if required, ensures conformance to the National Park Building Regulations and National Building Code – Alberta Edition. Thirdly, after the construction is complete, and the final safety codes inspections are complete, you can then obtain an Occupancy Permit and move into your home. Once the landscaping and any outstanding permit requirements are completed, a Certificate of Completion is issued to close out the project.

Where can I find the specific development requirements for a new home?

The Town of Jasper Land Use Policy contains both general and specific requirements that depend on what zoning district you are in. Your zoning district can be found by referencing the Town of Jasper Land Use Map.

I have a double lot and many of the development requirements are based on Site. What is the difference between a lot and a Site and can I subdivide?

In Jasper the definition of Site is relative to your leasehold (the lands you hold as defined in your lease). Your lease may be on a single lot or a double lot both examples are considered a single Site. For a leasehold on a double lot, the Site Area would be both lots added together. In the Town of Jasper Land Use Policy you will find many of the development requirements relate directly to a Site.

If you have a single leasehold on a double lot and would like each lot to meet the minimum requirements for a Site area as defined in that district, you may be able to do a subdivision of lease. This would result in two separate leases (one for each lot), creating two individual Sites each being considered an individual Site and you could build one dwelling, one garage, and one accessory building on each. For more information on the lease subdivision process, and associated fees, please contact jasperrealtymunicipalservices@pc.gc.ca.

How do I find the potential footprint and maximum gross floor area for a new home on my Site?

Generally, when planning to build a new home, you would start with obtaining a Real Property Report (RPR) of your Site. In a new build situation you will require a Canada Lands Surveyor’s services for: (1) Initial RPR of your Site verifying Site dimensions, verification of Site Area, and also geodetic elevations for each lot corner; (2) to verify foundation sitting and geodetic elevation at the conclusion of foundation construction; and (3) at the conclusion of your project to conduct a new RPR demonstrating all the new structures on the Site.

Using the RPR you can then start to draft a Site Plan and draw in the front, side, and rear setbacks to find the potential area that the building footprint of your home may sit within. The following table lists the required setbacks of the primary building:

Caption text
District	Minimum Front Setback	Minimum Rear Setback	Minimum Side Setback	Minimum Side Setback Corner Site (side facing a street)
R1, R2	6.0 m	10.7 m	1.8 m	4.5 m
R2H	7.5 m	40% of the Site depth or 10.7 m if the Site depth is less than 33.5 m	1.8 m	4.5 m
R3a	6.0 m	7.5 m	1.8 m	4.5 m
R4	2.7 m	1.2 m average	1.5 m	1.5 m
CCW	The Cabin Creek West property setbacks are very lot specific. Please contact jasperdevelopment@pc.gc.ca to obtain your setbacks

If you choose to add a garage it must be setback a minimum of 0.9 m from the back lane or property lines and a minimum of 1.5 m from the primary building (clear of all projections) or a minimum of 6.0 m if located opposite a wall containing a window from a habitable room. If you choose to add a shed (accessory building) it must be a minimum of 1.0 m from property lines and a minimum of 1.5 m from buildings or fences.

With these setbacks in mind, you can then begin to draft in the potential footprints which all together (including any other structures which are 1.0 m or more in height) will give you the proposed total Site Coverage. The following table contains each zoning district’s maximum Site Coverages:


District	Site Coverage Primary Building (maximum)	Site Coverage Sheds with Garages (maximum)	Site Coverage Accessory Building (maximum)
R1	30% of the site area	50% of the site area	7.5 m² per primary unit
R2 ^{table 2 note*}	35% of the site area
R2H	30% of the site area
R3a ^{table 2 note*}	35% of the site area		One shed of either 7.5 m² or 2 m² per dwelling unit
R4	32% of the site area		9.3 m²
CCWa	The Cabin Creek West property Site Coverage / Gross Floor areas are very lot specific. To obtain these, please contact jasperdevelopment@pc.gc.ca		7.5 m²
CCWb ^{table 2 note*}
CCWc
Table 2 Notes Table 2 Note * * In the two-unit dwelling districts (R2 and CCWb), as well as the Multi-unit Small Lot Dwelling District (R3b), a one-unit dwelling is permitted but is required to be built to the one-dwelling unit district requirements (slightly smaller site coverage and gross floor area). Return to table 2 note* referrer

The example site plan above is intended to demonstrate planning for a Two-unit Dwelling in the R2 District with a Garage and Shed. Using the table above you can demonstrate your setbacks: front setback would be 6.0 m, rear setback 10.7 m, and not being located on a corner lot, the side setbacks of 1.8 m. The area within the setbacks, as outlined in the dotted red lines, represents the building pocket where you are allowed to place the Two-unit Dwelling within.

Your Site Area is calculated with the width 15.25 m x length 30.48 m which equals 464.5 m². The table above lists the R2 Maximum Site Coverage, if a Garage is included, calculated as the Site Area (464.5 m²) x 45% = 209 m². Your Total Site Coverage calculation would be the potential Main Building Site Coverage area of 160 m² + Garage Site Coverage area 45 m² + Accessory Building (Shed) Site Coverage area of 7.5 m² = 212.45 m² which exceeds the maximum Site Coverage (209 m²) by 3.45 m². This exceedance would then be removed by reducing the Site Coverage of a structure, or combination of structures, until the maximum 209 m² Site Coverage is achieved.

Can I have any projections into the setbacks?

The Primary Building should not project into a setback, but the following projections from the building are permissible:

Front setback (for all districts):

eaves, balconies, canopies, decks, and fire escapes may project a maximum of 1.0 m over or onto a required front setback; and
open porches may project a maximum of 1.8 m over or onto a required front setback.

Side setbacks:

For all districts except R4 - eaves, balconies, canopies, decks, fire escapes, and open porches may project a maximum of 0.9 m over or onto a required side setback, except that only eaves may project into a required side setback on a site where the side setback is used for vehicular access to the rear of the site.
For the R4 District - eaves, balconies, canopies, decks, fire escapes, and open porches may project a maximum of 0.6 m over or onto a required side setback.

Rear setback: eaves, balconies, canopies, decks, fire escapes, and open porches may project a maximum of 1.8 m over or into a required rear setback.
Bay windows, chimneys, and other architectural projections may project a maximum of 0.6 m into any setback.
Any projections above the first story level of the building may not exceed 0.6 m.
Unenclosed steps providing entry exclusively to a basement or first floor of a principal building may project over or into a required front, rear, or side setback except into a required side setback on a site where the side setback is used for vehicular access to the rear of the site.

In the Site Plan example above, any area of the Two Dwelling Unit outside of the dotted red line would be considered a projection.

My lot is on an angle, how do I figure out my building pocket?

Many lots in Jasper are on angles. In these cases, you can use an average front and rear setback to create a rectangular building pocket. This is intended to give these neighborhoods a stepped building frontage streetscape. The example below is a lot in the Compact Lot District (R4) with the front setback of 6.0 m, side setbacks of 1.5 m, and rear setback of 4.5 m creating the angled building pocket outlined within the red dashed lines. Using the average front and rear setbacks creates an adjusted rectangular building pocket as demonstrated within the green dashed lines.

Site plan for an angled lot. — Text version

This site plan is an example of how to demonstrate the building pocket using the front and rear setback averages. The front setback is demonstrated at 6.0 m, the side setbacks are demonstrated at 1.5 m, and the rear setback is demonstrated as 4.5 m with the building pocket contained within these setbacks as outlined in red dashed lines. Using the average front and rear setbacks the adjusted rectangular building pocket is demonstrated within the green dashed lines. The width of the lot is demonstrated as 13.92 m and the length of the lot demonstrated as 28.10 m with the lot outlined using a solid black line.

How tall can I build my home, garage, and shed?

There are restrictions on building heights to help ensure views are preserved in the community. Roof heights, eave heights, and minimum 6:12 roof pitch (except in the case of a mobile home where the minimum roof pitch is 4:12) all tie in the mountain architecture built form. The following table identifies the maximum roof and eave heights per district:

Caption text
District	Building Roof / Eave Height (maximum)	Garage Roof / Eave Height (maximum)	Garage or Garden Suite Roof / Eave Height (maximum)	Accessory Building Height / Eave Height (maximum)
R1 and R2	9.0 m / 4.5 m	4.5 m / 2.5 m	6.6 m / 3.5 m	4.5 m / 2.5 m
R2H	7.9 m / 4.25 m	4.5 m / 2.5 m	6.6 m
R3a	9.6 m / 4.7 m	4.5 m / 2.5 m	NA
R4	7.2 m / 3.2 m	5.1 m / 2.5 m	NA
CCWa	The Cabin Creek West property Site Coverage areas are very lot specific. Please contact jasperdevelopment@pc.gc.ca to obtain your setbacks	NA	NA
CCWb	The Cabin Creek West property Site Coverage areas are very lot specific. Please refer to the Land Use Policy and contact jasperdevelopment@pc.gc.ca to obtain your setbacks		NA
CCWc	The Cabin Creek West property requirements are very lot specific. Please contact jasperdevelopment@pc.gc.ca with any questions		NA

An example of an Elevation Plan can be found on the Garage Suite Development webpage.

In the Architectural Motif I noticed that upper floors are to be built into the roof structure and the use of dormers is to be used to achieve headroom, light and venting. Are there any limitations on roof dormers?

The preferred architectural style for a dormer is a gable style roof (minimum 6:12 roof slope in all districts other than in the case of a mobile home where the minimum roof slope is 4:12), but in some instances the span of the dormer may be more conducive to a shed style dormer which may have a reduced slope. Dormers on either the front or back elevations shall not be more than 50% of the primary building width. Dormers on either side elevation in the R4 District shall not be more than 50% of the primary building width, and 75% of the primary building width for all other districts.

Are there any other requirements I should be aware of as I finish up exterior design of my home?

For the exterior design, please note that all entrances must be provided with roofs for protection from weather and the primary dwelling’s entrance must face the main street (corner sites may face either the main street or the side street).

How do I plan my required on-site parking and landscaping?

Your required parking, and soft landscaping, is dependent on what district you are in, as well other factors, as stated in the table below.


District		Minimum Soft Landscaping Ratio for overall site	Minimum Soft Landscaping Ratio for front yard	Minimum Required On-site Parking Stalls (considered hard landscaping)
R1	Sites with back lane	25% of Site Area	70% of Front Yard	1 stall per primary dwelling unit
R1	Sites without back lane	20% of Site Area	45% of Front Yard	1 stall per primary dwelling unit
R2	Sites with back lane	25% of Site Area	70% of Front Yard	1 stall per primary dwelling unit
R2	Sites without back lane	20% of Site Area	45% of Front Yard	1 stall per primary dwelling unit
R2H	Sites with back lane	25% of Site Area	75% of Front Yard	1 stall per primary dwelling unit
R2H	Sites without back lane	20% of Site Area	70% of Front Yard	1 stall per primary dwelling unit
R3a		25% of Site Area	70% of Front Yard	1 stall per primary dwelling unit
R4		13.5% of Site Area	10% of Front Yard	1 stall per primary dwelling unit
CCWa		25% of Site Area	70% of Front Yard	1 stall per primary dwelling unit
CCWb		25% of Site Area	70% of Front Yard	1 stall per primary dwelling unit
CCWc		15% of Site Area	70% of Front Yard	1 stall per primary dwelling unit

On your site plan, parking stalls are required to be dimensioned at the minimum width of 2.7 m and length of 6.0 m and shall be unobstructed. If your site has back lane access, the parking must be accessed from the lane and be located in the back yard. Except in the R4 zoning district, sites without back lane access cannot have their required on-site parking within the front setback. Parking stalls must also be setback a minimum of 0.6 m from public roadways / back lanes.

More information on soft landscaping, including sample landscape plans and calculations, as well as the link to the Parks Canada approved planting list, are all available on the landscaping development webpage.

I’ve heard that there are limitations on the colour and materials I can use for the siding and roofing of my home. Where can I find these?

As part of the Architectural Motif Guidelines for the Town of Jasper, building materials should appear to be local in origin and colours that relate directly to the surrounding natural environment. Building exterior colour and materials can be found on the Jasper Colour Palette webpage.

I live in the Old Town Jasper Historic District (R2H), are there any other development requirements I should be aware of?

In addition to the requirements stated on this webpage, the R2H district has a specific set of requirements to preserve the heritage characteristics of this district as set out in The Town of Jasper Land Use Policy Appendix C Design Guidelines for New Development in Old Town Jasper.

I’m looking into adding a Secondary Suite or a Garage Suite as part of my build. Is there more information specific to these developments?

Yes. Follow the links to the development webpages for Secondary Suites and Garage Suites for more information on these requirements.

What do I need to submit for a Development Permit for a new home?

Development Permit Application - There is no fee for a development permit application. To apply for a development permit, please sign and submit the Development Permit Application (PDF, 195 KB). This will provide the development office with basic contact information and the anticipated cost of the project to ensure the proper authority approves the permit.
New Home Development Checklist - The checklist (PDF, 187 KB) is for you to ensure you are submitting everything that is required for a complete development permit submission package for a New Home Development.
Project Narrative - Please describe your project and include:
- the type of building and its intended use
- number of dwelling units including secondary suites (if any) or garage suites (if any)
- a real property report prepared by a Canada lands surveyor, including the existing geodetic elevation of the four corners of the lot
- photos of the site and adjacent areas
Site Plan (in metric and drawn to a scale of not less than 1:200) The plan must show:
- North arrow and Scale
- Lot dimensions and Total Site Area (m²),
- Geodetic elevations of the four corners of the site
- Dimensions and area (m²) of existing and proposed structures (primary building, garage, shed, fence, retaining walls, etc.)
- Site Coverage of each structure and total Site Coverage Calculation
- All setbacks (rear, front and side) from the property line to the Primary Building and the proposed structures
- Proposed required on-site parking spaces demonstrated and dimensioned (minimum 2.7 m width by 6.0 m length each with no obstructions)
- location of utility lines (buried and / or overhead)
Architectural plans (in metric and drawn to a scale of not less than 1:100) demonstrating:
- Dimensioned floor plans of all proposed development
- Elevation plans from grade indicating geodetic: roof heights, eave heights, main floor height, of all structures
- Sections indicating floor heights and relationship with geodetic grade
- Site section from the front to rear property line, including adjacent streets and lanes
- Roof plan showing slopes and major roof structure

The above required submissions, or any questions regarding the above, may be submitted to the Jasper Development Office at: jasperdevelopment@pc.gc.ca.

When do I need to obtain the building permit?

Once a Development Permit has been issued, you can begin the process of applying for a building permit as detailed on the Parks Canada Building Permit webpage.

For a new home, the Parks Canada Building Permit is a two-stage permit with the first permit for foundation only and the second permit for the remaining build. The foundation only permit restricts construction to only foundation which requires, at completion, a formal letter from a Canada Lands Surveyor stating the built foundation sitting and geodetic elevation. A Parks Canada Development Officer will review the survey letter, and if the foundation is in conformance with the Parks Canada approved plans, will then amend the building permit removing the foundation only restriction.

The above requirements are intended to help assist you with your application. If there are any conflicts between the information presented above and the requirements as stated in the Town of Jasper Land Use Policy, the requirements in the Policy take precedent.

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