Development Permits

A development permit acknowledges the use of land and buildings and its compliance with the applicable Official Community Plan and Zoning Bylaw. The type of information the Planning Department reviews includes:

how your property is zoned,
the types of uses the zoning district allows,
the maximum or minimum lot size,
the required building setback distances from roads and property lines,
maximum building heights, and
any other development regulations required by the Zoning Bylaw.

An approved development permit is required in most instances in order to begin developing your property. To help determine if a development permit is required, please reference the applicable Zoning Bylaw here or contact the planning department. If you begin development without the required approvals, you will be charged double permit fees at the time of application.

For Frequently Asked Questions regarding Development Permits, please see our FAQ page.

P4G Update

Development Not Requiring a Development Permit

As per the new Partnership for Growth (P4G) Policy Area Zoning Bylaw Section 2.6, buildings equal to or less than 10sqm (107.64sqft) no longer require permits, as long as they conform to all applicable provisions of the Zoning Bylaw. Please note that structures under 100sqft in the RM Policy Area still require a Development Permit for their placement at this time, however are exempt from requiring a building permit.

Development Permit Categories

Corman Park has two development permit categories - permitted uses and discretionary uses; each with a different approval process:

Permitted Uses

These uses are intended to be appropriate for the Zoning District in which they are listed and not have major impacts on adjacent land uses. R.M. planning staff make decisions on these applications; they do not need Council approval.

Discretionary Uses

These uses may have one or more potential features or effects that warrant specific review, with a recommendation made to Council. Discretionary uses are reviewed under a set of evaluation criteria included in the Zoning Bylaw.

Discretionary use applications are also circulated for a minimum of 21 days to all assessed landowners within 1.6 km (1 mile) of the subject property to provide an opportunity for questions or comments. Comment sheets will be mailed out by R.M. planning staff and will provide a brief overview of the proposal, contact information and space for written comments or questions. Ratepayers can indicate if they need to be contacted or wish to speak to the proposal in front of Council.

Once the landowner comment period has elapsed and the Planning Department has reviewed all the required information, they will write a planning report including a recommendation to Council for approval or refusal based on the merits of the discretionary use application. Council will consider the recommendation of the Planning Department as well as any written or verbal landowner responses received prior to making a decision.

Development Permit Time Frames

The timing associated with the notification, review and approval process will depend solely on the completeness and quality of information provided. The timelines are provided based on receiving an application deemed complete.

For a permitted use, where new construction is not being proposed, a development permit is typically issued within 10 business days of receiving a complete application. Where new construction is being proposed, the process to obtain a building permit is also required.

For a discretionary use, the recommendation to Council is typically presented within 45-60 days of receiving a complete application. However, sometimes additional time is required to mitigate comments received during the referral.

Development Permit Application Forms

The following application forms and information packages outline all the necessary documents to be submitted with your development permit application to ensure the application is complete and can be reviewed and processed in a timely manner. If you require further information or have any questions regarding what category your use falls into, please contact the Planning Department.

Please note: If your new use includes changes to an existing building/structure or a new building/structure, a building permit may be required. For more information, please see the building permit page here, or contact the Planning Department for more information on what permits are required.