M-CG — Multi-Residential – Contextual Grade-Oriented District
Multi-Residential – Contextual Grade-Oriented District (M-CG) is one of Calgary's multi-residential districts under the Land Use Bylaw. Permitted: accessory residential building, home based child care, home occupation, park, protective emergency service, secondary suite, sign, utilities. Needs City approval: multi residential development, duplex, semi-detached house, single detached house, backyard suite.
Last reviewed: August 2026
What you can build in M-CG
Permitted (the rules below still apply):
- Accessory residential building
- Home based child care
- Home occupation
- Park
- Protective emergency service
- Secondary suite
- Sign
- Utilities
Needs City approval (decided case by case):
- Multi residential development
- Duplex
- Semi-detached house
- Single detached house
- Backyard suite
M-CG rules at a glance
| Building height | 12 m s.585(2) steps height down at a property line shared with a low density residential/M-CG/H-GO district: 8.0 m at that line where the neighbouring building is >6.0 m or there is none (up to 12.0 m at 4.0 m distance), or 6.0 m at that line where the neighbouring building is ≤6.0 m (up to 12.0 m at 6.0 m distance). s.585 also caps the upper-storey cross-section (area at 10.5 m ≤ 40% of the area between grade and 9.0 m). The flat 12.0 m check sees none of this. |
|---|---|
| Front setback | 3 m |
| Side setback | 1.2 m |
| Rear setback | 1.2 m |
| Maximum density | 111 units/ha |
| Minimum parking | 0.625 stalls per unit 0.625 per secondary/backyard suite |
Notes
- Units at grade must occupy ≥50% of the ground-floor area and have direct, street-visible access (s.581).
- Front setback and building height both use a 'contextual' formula based on neighbouring building heights (ss.583, 585). The values here are a safe generic base; verify the contextual value against the specific site context.
- A minimum 5.0 m² of amenity space per unit is required Part 6-wide (s.557).
Is a specific Calgary lot zoned M-CG?
Amest reads the current district for any Calgary address and shows the buildable envelope, setbacks and unit count for that exact lot — free.
Check an address →Bylaw sections: Purpose (s.576), Density (s.580), Front setback (s.583), Side setback (s.583), Rear setback (s.583), Height (s.585). Read the live City of Calgary bylaw for this district →
Related Calgary districts
- M-1 — Multi-Residential – Low Profile District
- M-2 — Multi-Residential – Medium Profile District
- M-C1 — Multi-Residential – Contextual Low Profile District
- M-C2 — Multi-Residential – Contextual Medium Profile District
- M-G — Multi-Residential – At Grade Housing District
- M-H1 — Multi-Residential – High Density Low Rise District
- M-H2 — Multi-Residential – High Density Medium Rise District
- M-H3 — Multi-Residential – High Density High Rise District
All Calgary zoning districts →
Digitized from the City of Calgary Land Use Bylaw 1P2007 as amended (incl. Bylaw 9P2026, effective August 4, 2026). Amest is not the City of Calgary, a planning authority, or a law firm. Preliminary information only — confirm with the City and a qualified professional before buying or building.