Sheds (residential accessory buildings)

A Parks Canada development permit is required for an accessory building (shed) that has a site area (footprint) greater than 4.5 m². Examples of other accessory buildings that would also follow this development process may include wood storage structures, pergolas, saunas, and gazebos. Although an accessory building with a site area of 4.5 m² or less does not require a permit, you still must be mindful to respect your site’s minimum soft landscaping ratio.

What are the requirements for building a shed?

For residential accessory buildings there are general, and zoning district specific, development requirements. For the district specific requirements, you will need to identify which zone your property is located in.

You can find your District Zone using two methods. You can locate your property on the Town of Jasper land use map and click on the Info tab for the District (R1, R2, R2H, R4, CCWa, CCWb, etc). Alternatively, at the bottom of the webpage there is a drop-down menu for “Table of land parcels” in which you can type in your address into the search bar and it will bring up your Zone.

The permitting process for developing an accessory building is a two-permit process consisting of obtaining a Parks Canada Development Permit and then after the work is completed, obtaining a Parks Canada Certificate of Completion.

What do I need to submit for a development permit for a shed?

Parks Canada development permit application

There is no fee for a development permit application. To apply for a development permit, please sign and submit the Parks Canada development permit application (no building permit required) (PDF, 180 KB) which will provide the development office with basic contact information and the anticipated cost of the project to ensure the proper authority approves the permit.

Accessory building submission checklist

The checklist is to assist you to ensure you are submitting everything that is required for a complete development permit submission package for a shed and will form part of your submission.
Accessory building submission checklist (PDF, 143 KB)

Written narrative

Paragraph describing what currently exists on site, and what work you are proposing to undertake. Photos of the site that shows the existing area where the shed is to be located, as well as any other relevant photos for the project, are encouraged. This will give the development office both a plain language explanation as well as a visual illustration of your project to help us understand.

Exterior colour and materials

Usually submitted as part of the narrative, please describe the proposed shed’s:

1. exterior siding colour, material, and texture; and
2. roofing colour and material.

The colours, materials and textures must be consistent with the Jasper colour palette – building exterior colour and materials and should match the house. For clarity it is also encouraged to include a web link to the manufacturer’s website.

Site plan

A metric dimensioned scaled plan of what is existing and what is proposed. The site plan should demonstrate the existing buildings (home, garage, or other accessory buildings) and the proposed accessory building including:


1. Located in the rear yard with accessory building’s length and width dimensioned in metres.
2. Site Coverage (footprint) area in m². The accessory building site coverage for each district is:



District	Site Coverage (footprint)
R1, R2, R2H, CCWa, CCWb, CCWc	7.5 m2
R4	9.3 m2
R3a	7.5 m2 or 2 m2 per dwelling unit
R3b	3 m2 per dwelling unit

3. Distance from property lines: minimum 1 m
4. Distance to other buildings or fences: minimum 1.5 m
5. Site landscaping including:
   
   
   1. Hard landscaping (sidewalks, paved walkways, driveways, graveled areas, bark mulch, retaining walls, patios);
   2. Soft Landscaping (grass, flower beds, shrubs, trees, and gardens)
   3. Soft Landscaping Ratio = Soft Landscaping area (m²) / Site Area (m²). The site’s soft landscaping ratio for each district is:
   
   

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

   More info on soft landscaping can be found on our Landscaping in Jasper National Park web page.

6. Storm water drainage flow to be indicated with arrows

Elevation plan

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

1. Shed height from grade (refer to districts maximums).
2. Shed eave height from grade (refer to districts maximums).
3. 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.

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