FREE · CENTRAL ALBERTA · UPDATED
Central Alberta Permit Guides.
Plain-English guides to building permits across Red Deer, Innisfail, Sylvan Lake, Lacombe, Olds, Red Deer County, and surrounding towns. What permits you need. What they typically cost. How long they usually take. What to watch for. Free, no email required.
We built these guides because the #1 question Central Alberta homeowners ask us before they commit to a project is: “do I need a permit for this?” The honest answer is almost always “yes, and here’s what’s involved.” Most municipality websites bury that information under PDFs, code references, and form numbers. We’ve done the digging so you don’t have to.
A note on accuracy: Municipal permit rules, fees, and timelines change. Every guide links directly to the relevant municipality’s official page so you can verify current rules before you act. We update these guides quarterly — check the “Last verified” note at the top of each one. If you spot something out of date, email jfksurfaces@gmail.com and we’ll fix it.
CURRENT GUIDES
Browse by town and project.
More guides are added each month. If you don’t see your town × project combination yet, ask us and we’ll either point you to the right municipal contact or build the guide.
Red Deer
Legal Basement Suite
What you need to legally convert your Red Deer basement into a secondary suite — development permit, building permit, code compliance, separate utilities.
Read the guide →
Red Deer
Detached Garage
Building a detached garage in Red Deer — development permit, setbacks, height limits, lot coverage, and the City of Red Deer review process.
Read the guide →
Red Deer County
Home Addition
Adding to your acreage or country home in Red Deer County — setbacks, septic and well considerations, county zoning, building permits.
Read the guide →
Innisfail
Garage Build
Building a garage in Innisfail — what permits the Town requires, setback rules, height limits, and the typical approval timeline.
Read the guide →
COMING SOON
More guides on the way.
We’re building this out one town × project at a time. Planned next:
DON’T WANT TO DEAL WITH PERMITS YOURSELF?
We handle the permit process on every job we build.
JFK Surfaces takes the permit application, drawings, inspector coordination, and sign-off off your plate. You focus on what you’re building. We focus on getting it approved.