Accessory buildings (excluding garages/carports)

Jasper National Park

An accessory building is a building that does not accommodate the primary use of a site. Examples include sheds, pergolas, saunas, and storage structures. This does not include accessory dwelling units, secondary suites, garage suites or garden suites.

While detached garages and carports are considered accessory buildings, they have a separate permit application process. Please visit the Garage and Garage Suite webpages for application requirements and instructions.

Accessory buildings in Jasper must comply with the Town of Jasper Land Use Policy and Architectural Motif Guidelines.

A Parks Canada Development Permit is not required for an accessory building that has a site area (footprint) less than 4.5 m².

Both a Development Permit and Building Permit may be required for accessory buildings greater than 4.5 m² in area.

Please note: There is currently no fee for a Development Permit application.

Accessory building (shed) requirements

The following standards apply to all accessory buildings, whether approved automatically or through development staff review.

Location

Accessory buildings must:

be located in the rear or side yard
not be located in the front yard
be separate from another building on the same site by at least 1.5 m

Minimum setbacks from rear and side property lines:

1.5 m minimum setback
0.6 m setback permitted only where:
- the building is less than 9.0 m² and it is constructed with non-combustible exterior materials

Site coverage

Accessory buildings may not exceed 20% of the total site area.

This calculation includes the combined site coverage of garages, garage suites, garden suites, sheds, pergolas, and other accessory buildings.

Soft landscaping (grass, flower beds, etc.) requirements must also be maintained in accordance with the Land Use Policy.

Height

Accessory buildings must not exceed:

4.5 m maximum ridge line height
2.5 m maximum eave height

Roof design

If the building includes a roof (e.g., a shed), it must:

Have a minimum 6:12 roof slope or match the roof slope of the primary dwelling.

Materials and colour

Exterior colours, materials, and textures must:

be consistent with the Jasper Colour Palette (Building Exterior Colour and Materials)
match or complement the primary building on the site

How to apply for a permit

1. Automatic development permit (residential only)

You can apply for an automatic permit if:

the project is in-town residential;
the accessory building is less than 9 m² and does not trigger the Building Code including electrical, gas, or plumbing connections; and
the project fully complies with all policy requirements with no variances required.

Automatic permits are not available for garages, carports, garage suites, garden suites, commercial, industrial, institutional or out of town developments. These projects must apply through the standard permit review process.

Automatic Permit

If eligible, you can apply here and receive your permit instantly:

Please select your civic address below.

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Privacy Notice

Land Use Planning Permits and Authorizations

The information you provide is collected under the authority of subsection 8(1) of Canada National Parks Act and section 7 of the National Parks of Canada Land Use Planning Regulations to review and process land use planning proposals / applications towards the issuance of planning permits and authorizations located on leased or licenced lands under the control and management of Parks Canada.

Participation in the land use planning permitting process is voluntary; however, refusal to provide the personal information required will prevent you from obtaining a permit in order to authorise your project.

The information you provide may be matched to the land use agreement record in the Parks Canada National Integrated Realty System to verify the land use agreement holder and project consistency with the terms of the land use agreement.

Personal information may be shared with :

Parks Canada’s finance administration for the purpose of service fee collection and remission in accordance with the Service Fees Act.
Parks Canada’s Law Enforcement Branch in the event of a non-compliance matter for enforcing the Canada National Parks Act to resolve administrative issues.
Provincial authorities for the purpose of land assessment and tax collection.
The Municipality of Jasper.

The information you provide may also be used or disclosed for policy analysis, research and evaluation purposes. However, these additional uses and disclosures of your personal information will not result in an administrative decision being made about you.

Your personal information is administered in accordance with the Canada National Parks Act, the Privacy Act and other applicable laws. You have the right to the protection of, access to, and correction of your personal information, which is described in institution-specific Personal Information Bank Land Use Planning Permits and Authorizations PC PPU 100. Instructions for obtaining this information are outlined in the government publication entitled Info Source, which is available at the following web site:Info Source

You have the right to file a complaint with the Privacy Commissioner of Canada regarding the institution’s handling of your personal information atFile a privacy complaint about a federal institution.

Projects that do not meet these requirements must be submitted through the standard development permit application process for review by a development officer.

Click Submit to send your information to Parks Canada and receive your permit. Please allow up to 30 minutes for your permit to arrive in your inbox.

Submit

2. Standard development permit (staff review required)

You must apply for a standard development permit if:

the project is commercial, industrial, institutional, or out of the townsite
the proposal varies from Land Use Policy and/or Architectural Motif requirements
the structure triggers safety codes (building, electrical, gas, plumbing, etc.) and requires a Building Permit

Please submit the following to jasperdevelopment@pc.gc.ca:

1. Parks Canada Development Permit Application

Please submit the signed Parks Canada development permit application (PDF, 168 KB). Include the property address, lessee name, applicant name, and contact information as well as the anticipated cost of the project to ensure the proper authority approves the permit.

2. Accessory Building Submission Checklist

Please submit the completed checklist (PDF, 221 KB). All fields are required to properly review your submission.

3. Project description, photos, and exterior details

Provide a short paragraph that explains what is currently on your property and what you are planning to build or change. Include photos showing the area where the accessory building will be located and any other relevant parts of the property.

In the same description, also include details about the proposed shed’s exterior, including:

siding colour, material, and texture
roofing colour and material

The colours and materials must match the house and follow the Jasper Colour Palette – Building Exterior Colour and Materials. You are encouraged to include a link to the manufacturer’s website for the proposed materials.

4. Site plan

Provide a scaled site plan (in metres) showing all existing structures and the proposed accessory building.

Your site plan must include:

1. Existing and proposed buildings

Show:

your house
any existing garage or accessory buildings
the proposed accessory building

For the proposed building, include:

its location in the rear or side yard
its length and width (in metres)
its total footprint (site coverage) in square metres (m²)

2. Site coverage (building footprint limits)

In residential districts (R1, R2, R2H, R3a, R3b, R4, CCWa, CCWb, CCWc), the accessory building footprint cannot exceed 20% of the total site area.

For non-residential districts, site coverage requirements vary by zoning district (see Land Use Policy).

3. Setback and separation distances

Clearly show and label:

distance from the proposed building to all property lines
distance from the proposed building to other buildings or fences

All distances must be shown in metres.

4. Landscaping

Your plan must show all landscaping on the site, including:

Hard landscaping such as sidewalks, paved walkways, driveways, gravel areas, bark mulch, retaining walls, patios, etc.

Soft Landscaping such as grass, flower beds, shrubs, trees, gardens, etc.

You must calculate and show the soft landscaping ratio, which is: soft landscaping area (m²) / total site area (m²).


District		Minimum soft landscaping for overall site	Minimum soft landscaping in front yard
R1 and R2	Sites with back lane	25%	70%
R1 and R2	Sites without back lane	20%	45%
R2H	Sites with back lane	25%	75%
R2H	Sites without back lane	20%	70%
R3a / CCWa / CCWb		25%	70%
R3b / CCWc		15%	70%
R4		13.75%	10%

More information on soft landscaping is available on the Landscaping in Jasper National Park webpage.

5. Storm water drainage

Draw arrows indicating the direction of stormwater flow.

6. Elevation plan

A dimensioned plan of what the shed looks like if you were facing it. It should include:

ridge line height from grade;
eave line height from grade;
a roof with a minimum 6:12 slope (or matching the house roof slope). For example, a roof that rises 6 inches for every 12 inches of horizontal run has a 6:12 slope.

After review, you will be notified if the permit is approved or if revisions are needed.

If you have any questions regarding your application, please contact the Jasper Development Office at jasperdevelopment@pc.gc.ca or 780-852-6123.

The information above is intended to assist with your application. In the event of any conflict between this information and the Town of Jasper Land Use Policy, the Policy takes precedence.

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