Edmonton rules
Egress Window Permits in Edmonton
The permit is required, and it is cheap. The engineering that some openings trigger is neither obvious nor cheap — and it is the reason two quotes for the same job can differ by more than the window costs.
Yes, you need a permit. The City of Edmonton requires one for adding or changing the size of a window or exterior door — replacing a window the same size does not need one. The published fees for an interior renovation are $0 development permit, a $120 minimum building permit and a $4.80 safety codes fee. Separately, an opening wider than 1.2 m, or adjacent to another window, requires engineer-stamped foundation drawings.
Same-size replacement or a changed opening?
The City’s renovation guidance lists same-size window replacement among work not requiring a permit, while adding or changing an opening is listed as permit work. Replacing a frame does not by itself establish bedroom egress compliance. Check the actual clear opening and the room’s intended use.
The $0 development permit fee applies to qualifying interior renovation scope. The City lists $195 for projects including exterior renovations, with building and safety-code fees based on construction value. Confirm your scope and fees before applying. A preliminary website review is not a permit decision.
Which permits an egress project engages
The City lists the renovation work that needs a permit, and a basement bedroom project typically hits two entries at once:
- Adding or changing the size of a window or exterior door. This is the egress opening itself.
- Building or finishing a living or recreation room, bedroom or bathroom. This is the basement development around it.
- Structural changes. Which the header over a new or widened opening is.
For an interior renovation that does not change the number of dwellings or introduce a new use, the City shows a development permit fee of $0 alongside the building permit. If the project is a secondary suite rather than a bedroom in your own home, that is a different classification and a different conversation.
What the City charges
| Item | Published amount | Paid to |
|---|---|---|
| Development permit (interior renovation) | $0 | City of Edmonton |
| Building permit (minimum) | $120 | City of Edmonton |
| Safety codes fee | $4.80 | City of Edmonton |
| Engineered drawings, where required | Varies | A professional engineer, not the City |
Fee schedules change. These are the figures published by the City at the time this page was last verified, and the source is linked below — check it before budgeting.
The part most people miss: engineered drawings
This is the single most useful thing on this page, and it is absent from almost every other page that ranks for Edmonton egress windows.
Two consequences follow. First, the width of the opening is not just an aesthetic or daylight decision — crossing 1.2 metres changes what the permit submission requires. Second, an opening next to an existing window triggers the requirement regardless of how wide it is, because the wall between two openings is doing more work than it appears to.
If you are comparing quotes and one is markedly lower, the first question to ask is whether it accounts for this. Homeowners in Edmonton discussing their own projects publicly have reported engineering as a distinct line item in the several-hundred-dollar range on top of the permit — we have not verified those individual figures and do not publish them as a rate, but the existence of the line item is not in doubt. More on how this shows up in a quote.
What the drawings have to show
The City asks for the location and dimensions of all walls, doors and windows, with each sleeping room exit window and window well indicated. Bedroom windows must be labelled with their dimensions and window style — awning, slider, basement hopper and similar — so the reviewer can verify the clear opening rather than infer it.
That labelling requirement is worth understanding, because it is the mechanism by which an undersized window gets caught on paper before it gets built. The requirements page explains what the clear opening actually is.
Sequence
- Confirm the clear opening the room needs and the opening width that produces it.
- Establish whether that width, or its position, triggers engineering.
- Obtain stamped drawings if required.
- Submit the permit application with the drawings and window labelling.
- Permit issued; work proceeds.
- Inspection against the approved permit.
The physical work is normally the short part. Steps one to four are where the schedule actually goes.
Outside Edmonton, it is a different desk
The provincial code behind the requirement is the same across Alberta. The permit is not. Each municipality issues its own, with its own forms, fees and timelines:
- City of Edmonton — Edmonton
- Strathcona County — Sherwood Park, Strathcona County
- City of St. Albert — St. Albert
- City of Leduc — Leduc
- City of Fort Saskatchewan — Fort Saskatchewan
- City of Spruce Grove — Spruce Grove
- Town of Stony Plain — Stony Plain
- Town of Beaumont — Beaumont
This is why the first question on our quote form is the community or postal code. See the service area page.
Common questions
Do I need a permit to add an egress window in Edmonton?
Yes. The City of Edmonton lists adding or changing the size of a window or exterior door among the renovation projects that require a permit. Building or finishing a bedroom is separately listed as permit work, so a basement bedroom project usually engages both.
Do I need a permit to replace a window the same size?
No. Replacing a window with one of the same size does not require a permit in Edmonton. The moment the opening changes size, it does.
What does the permit cost?
For an interior renovation the City publishes a $0 development permit fee, a minimum building permit fee of $120, and a $4.80 safety codes fee. Those are the published municipal charges. Engineering, if your opening requires it, is a separate professional cost paid to the engineer, not to the City.
When are engineered drawings required?
The City requires site-specific engineering for foundation wall reinforcement where a window opening is greater than 1.2 metres wide or adjacent to other windows, and where a foundation wall exceeds 3.0 metres in height. Foundation wall reinforcement for floor openings adjacent to a foundation wall is treated the same way.
What has to be shown on the drawings?
The City asks for the location and dimensions of all walls, doors and windows, with each sleeping room exit window and window well indicated. Bedroom windows have to be labelled with their dimensions and window style — awning, slider, basement hopper and so on — so the reviewer can confirm the clear opening rather than take it on trust.
Who pulls the permit — me or the contractor?
Either can, and it is worth settling explicitly before work starts rather than assuming. Ask any contractor whether their quote includes applying for the permit and whether the permit fee and any engineering are inside or outside the number they have given you.
What happens at inspection?
The work is inspected against what the permit approved. For an egress project that means the opening as built, the structural work above it, and the window well. Getting the permit right at the front end is what makes this step uneventful.
Is the process the same in Sherwood Park or St. Albert?
No. Sherwood Park is in Strathcona County, which issues its own permits under its own process and fee schedule. St. Albert, Leduc, Spruce Grove, Stony Plain, Fort Saskatchewan and Beaumont each do the same. The provincial code behind the requirement is the same; the paperwork, the fees and the timelines are not.
Related pages
- Egress Window RequirementsThe measurements an Edmonton egress window has to meet, with sources.
- Egress Window CostWhat drives the price of an egress window project in Edmonton.
- Basement Window EnlargementWidening an existing basement opening so the window meets egress.
- Service AreaWhere we work, grouped by the authority that issues the permit.
Find out whether your opening triggers engineering
Tell us roughly how wide the opening needs to be and whether there is another window near it. That is usually enough to answer the question.