Posted by Wendy Aylesworth on Wednesday, July 16th, 2025 8:27am.
Surveyors show pergolas on Real Property Reports because they are considered a building.
A pergola can be attached or unattached to the house and each treatment has its own rules.
Attached, it's an addition to the house and needs a building permit application.
Unattached, it's treated similar to a shed and those bylaws apply.
Pergolas or any structure, cannot extend up to or cover a concrete swale in the yard.
An up-to-date Real Property Report (RPR) with Compliance Stamp, showing it meets the city bylaws, is required for the buyer in an Offer to Purchase.
If you believe you may have an issue with compliance, approach the problem well ahead of listing a property for sale. Encroachment agreements in my experience can take weeks to complete.
You have choices:
to move it, dismantle it or apply for an agreement to keep it in place.
Visit www.calgary.ca/realestate/encroachments.html for city processing timelines.