Do I need to register a short-term rental in Calgary?

Yes. A registration or licence must be in place in Calgary before the property is let.

How many nights a year can I let a short-term rental in Calgary?

No annual night limit is recorded at this level in Calgary.

Do I have to keep a guest register in Calgary?

Yes. Calgary requires a register of guests to be kept for every stay.

Is there an accommodation tax on short-term rentals in Calgary?

No accommodation tax is recorded at this level in Calgary.

Are local council rules for Calgary included here?

Yes. The rules shown for Calgary are the ones that bind an operator at this level, last checked 2026-08-19.

Short-term rental rules in Calgary

Last checked 2026-08-19. Jurisdiction code CA-AB-CAL.

Registration or licence	Required before letting
Night limit	No limit recorded at this level
Guest register	Must be kept for every stay

What this means in practice

Calgary requires a short-term rental business licence. Since 1 April 2025 the licence tier turns on whether the property is your PRIMARY RESIDENCE or not, and no longer on how many rooms you let. Unlike Vancouver, Toronto, Ottawa and Montreal, a non-primary residence CAN be licensed here: it costs more, it is not barred.
Cuvanti has NOT verified the licence fees for either tier, or the fire inspection fee, so no amounts are shown. Published figures vary and the council page does not state them. Ask the city before budgeting.
Your business licence number must appear in ANY advertising for the rental.
You may not hold overlapping bookings. Only one active reservation is permitted for the dwelling at a time, so a property cannot be let room by room to unrelated parties simultaneously.
Occupancy is limited to two persons per room, and rooms used for sleeping must have egress windows.
You must carry CAD 2 million liability insurance, provide a fire safety plan, post 24-hour emergency contact details, and keep guest records IN ENGLISH.
Annual fire inspections by the Calgary Fire Department may be required.
Breaching the regulations carries a fine of CAD 1,000 per offence on conviction, across eight separate specified offences, so several can be charged from one inspection.
Platforms such as Airbnb and Vrbo need their own Short-Term Rental Company licence, at CAD 3,000 a year. That is the platform's obligation and not yours, but a platform without one cannot lawfully list your property.

Cuvanti tracks this for your properties automatically

Night limits count across every channel you are connected to, not one platform at a time, which is the only way the number means anything. Cuvanti warns you before a booking would breach a limit, and tells you when a rule in your market changes.

See how it works

Common questions about short-term rentals in Calgary

Do I need to register a short-term rental in Calgary?: Yes. A registration or licence must be in place in Calgary before the property is let.
How many nights a year can I let a short-term rental in Calgary?: No annual night limit is recorded at this level in Calgary.
Do I have to keep a guest register in Calgary?: Yes. Calgary requires a register of guests to be kept for every stay.
Is there an accommodation tax on short-term rentals in Calgary?: No accommodation tax is recorded at this level in Calgary.
Are local council rules for Calgary included here?: Yes. The rules shown for Calgary are the ones that bind an operator at this level, last checked 2026-08-19.

This is not legal advice. It covers registration, night limits and accommodation taxes for the markets Cuvanti has configured, and does not cover every local rule, including planning controls, building and fire safety requirements, and strata or body corporate by-laws. Check your own obligations with a local adviser before you let.