R-Gm — Residential – Low Density Mixed Housing District (Modified)
Residential – Low Density Mixed Housing District (Modified) (R-Gm) is one of Calgary's low-density residential districts under the Land Use Bylaw. Permitted: semi-detached house, duplex, rowhouse, secondary suite, backyard suite. Needs City approval: cottage housing cluster, single detached house.
Last reviewed: August 2026
What you can build in R-Gm
Permitted (the rules below still apply):
- Semi-detached house
- Duplex
- Rowhouse
- Secondary suite
- Backyard suite
Needs City approval (decided case by case):
- Cottage housing cluster
- Single detached house
R-Gm rules at a glance
| Building height | 12 m |
|---|---|
| Parcel coverage | 60%; 70% (laned) |
| Front setback | 1 m |
| Side setback | 1.2 m. 3 m on one side if there's no lane and no attached front or side garage. 1 m on the street side of a corner lot |
| Rear setback | 7.5 m. 5 m with no lane, when all parking is in a garage. 1.2 m next to a carriage-house lot, when all parking is in a garage. 0.6 m along the lane, when all parking is in garages opening onto it |
| Minimum parcel width | 6 m |
| Minimum parcel area | 150 m² |
| Minimum parking | 1 stall per unit 1 per secondary/backyard suite |
Common R-Gm permit mistakes
- A single detached house needs City approval here. Semi-detached, duplex and rowhouse are the expected types.
- Every unit needs its own share of the lot: 6 m of width and 150 m² of area each.
- All buildings, including the garage, can cover at most 60% of the lot (70% with a rear lane), less 21 m² for each parking stall not in a garage. In older, established neighbourhoods, an open front porch doesn't count.
- Height is capped at 12 m, or 10 m for a backyard suite on a lot with a rear lane.
Notes
- Modified version of R-G intended for attached housing-dominant precincts.
- Single Detached Dwelling is not permitted in R-Gm; it needs City approval (s.547.3).
- All other rules are identical to R-G.
- Parcel coverage reduced by 21 m² per required parking stall not in a private garage (s.547.8(3)).
Is a specific Calgary lot zoned R-Gm?
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.547), Uses (s.547.3), Parcel width (s.547.6), Parcel area (s.547.7), Parcel coverage (s.547.8), Front setback (s.547.10), Side setback (s.547.11), Rear setback (s.547.12), Height (s.547.13). Read the live City of Calgary bylaw for this district →
Related Calgary districts
- R-1 — Residential – One Dwelling District
- R-1N — Residential – Narrow Parcel One Dwelling District
- R-1s — Residential – One Dwelling District
- R-2 — Residential – One/Two Dwelling District
- R-2M — Residential – Low Density Multiple Dwelling District
- R-C1 — Residential – Contextual One Dwelling District
- R-C1L — Residential – Contextual Large Parcel One Dwelling District
- R-C1Ls — Residential – Contextual Large Parcel One Dwelling 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.