Alarm and Security Services - business guide
A municipal business licence is required for most businesses that deal with alarms or security services.
Examples of businesses that do require municipal licensing:
Do
- Providing the services of security consultants.
- Installing window grills, dead bolts or making other home improvements.
- Monitoring, responding to, repairing and maintaining alarm systems.
- Providing security analysis.
- Selling, supplying or providing installations of alarm systems.
Examples of businesses that do not require municipal licensing:
Don't
- Private security guards
- Private investigators
To speed up the business licence approvals process, customers with a myID business account can receive a digital copy of their business licence via email. Customers applying for a new business licence or renewing an existing licence can use this service. To learn more about the benefits of a myID business account, please visit myID business account (calgary.ca).
Rules and regulations
Alarm agent
An alarm agent licence cannot be issued or renewed unless the agency is in a valid licensed status. An agent requesting a licence may represent a number of different agencies, as long as each agency is in a valid licensed status.
One-person operations
You will be required to have both an alarm agency licence and an alarm agent licence. Stand-alone or self-employed security guards must also obtain a licence for a security consulting agency.
Provincial licence requirement
If your business goes door-to-door to promote or sell its product, please contact Service Alberta at 1-877-427-4088 as a provincial direct sellers licence may be required.
Private security guards who respond to activated alarms are also required to be licensed by the Province with Alberta Justice Private Investigations and Security Guards (1-780-427-0343).
Contractor
A business installing cameras/devices or window grills, dead bolts, peepholes, etc., but not monitoring the security systems, does not require an alarm agent/agency licence. In these cases, a contractor's licence is required.
Non-resident
If a monitoring station for alarms is outside of Calgary, the employees are not required to obtain an alarm agent licence. However, the agency must be licensed if it monitors and reports activated alarms to the Calgary Police Service. In this case, non-resident licence fees are applicable.
Additional licence requirements
The alarm agency licence must be renewed before any alarm agent’s licences employed by the alarm agency can be renewed.
A letter of employment for alarm agents or security consultants is required from the employing agency upon application or renewal.
Fees
For business licence fees, see the Business Licence Fee Schedule. The business licence fee schedule is broken down by licence type. If your business requires multiple licence types, the highest category fee will be charged.
These fees do not include the costs related to required permits to meet land use approval, or any third-party approvals or inspections that may be required to obtain your licence.
Apply
Prepare your application
Once you know how and where your business will operate, you’re ready to apply.
For a smooth application, make sure you know the following information:
- Business Activities
- Location of Business
- Fee payment at the time of application*
- Ownership
- Name of Business
- Contact information for the business and owner
- If you are applying online, a myID account
You will be contacted by a file manager to review your application and provide you with next steps.
Required
| Licence type | Land use | Police | Fire | Health | Provincial | AMVIC | ID card |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alarm agency | |||||||
| Alarm agent | |||||||
| Contractor | |||||||
| Distribution manager | |||||||
| Security consultant | |||||||
| Security consulting agency |
Land use approval
All businesses in Calgary require land use approval. Each space in a building has its own specified, approved use that cannot be changed without an approval, permit or both.
To view the allowable uses within a land use district, refer to the Land Use Bylaw. To determine the land use district of a property, visit myProperty.
You can also refer to Commercial, industrial and mulit-residential for more information, or contact our Planning Services Centre at 403-268-5311 to investigate land use approval for your business.
Calgary Police Services approval
This licence type requires recommendation by the Calgary Police Service through the Police Information Checks unit. Approval is completed by the Calgary Police Service and is initiated on your behalf through your business licence application. Please note that previous police checks cannot be used as a substitute for this approval process.
You are required to provide two pieces of valid, government issued identification, one of which must contain photo identification (ID).
You can show your ID:
- In person at the Planning Services Centre:
3rd floor
800 Macleod Trail S.E.
Calgary, AB
- By email: licencedivisionteam@calgary.ca
- By fax: 403-537-3034
Please reference your Business ID (BID) in the email or fax.
Please note: for licenses requiring a statutory declaration or a City-issued ID card, proof of identification must be shown in person.
This approval generally takes about two weeks.
Acceptable forms of government issued photo identification include:
- driver’s license
- passport
- Alberta photo identification card (issued through registry offices)
- firearms license
- Nexus card
- permanent resident card
- Secure Certificate of Indian Status card (federally issued)
- aviation document booklet
- certified refugee protection claimant document
(For youth between the ages of 12 to 15 years old who cannot provide any of the listed photo identification options, a student photo ID will be considered).
Acceptable forms of government issued identification include:
- provincial health care card
- birth certificate
- marriage certificate
- immigration documentation (includes valid document issued by Immigration and citizenship Canada)
- citizenship card
- citizenship certificate
Fire Prevention Bureau approval
Alberta Health Services Approval (AHS)
An Alberta Health Services (AHS) location inspection is required to ensure public safety. Any business involving the sale, preparation, manufacturing or storage of food products requires this inspection. Any business involved in personal service such as aesthetics or massage is also required to have this inspection. Contact AHS at 1-833-476-4743 for more information and to book a date.
Inspection results can be submitted:
- In person at the Planning Services Centre:
3rd floor, Municipal building, 800 Macleod Trail S.E. - By email: licencedivisionteam@calgary.ca
If AHS advised you that your business type does not require a health inspection, please forward the email confirmation as proof to The City’s Planning Services Centre.
Provincial licensing approval
Certain business activities require provincial licensing in addition to your municipal business license. These activities have been identified as licence types on the chart above (see required approvals chart).
Contact Service Alberta at 1-780-427-4088 (or toll free in Alberta only at 1-877-427-4088) and provide details of the licence types you are currently applying for with The City of Calgary. Service Alberta will direct you to the appropriate provincial contact which will provide further direction in regard to fulfilling the provincial licensing requirements necessary for obtaining your municipal business licence.
Provincial licenses must be submitted to The City’s licence division to obtain the municipal license.
You can present your provincial licence:
- In person at the Planning Services Centre:
3rd floor
800 Macleod Trail S.E.
Calgary, AB
- By email: licencedivisionteam@calgary.ca
- By fax: 403-537-3034
Photo identification cards
If your business type requires an ID card, you must apply in person at the Planning Services Centre:
- Planning Services Centre:
3rd floor
800 Macleod Trail S.E.
Calgary, AB
Two (2) pieces of valid, government issued identification are required, one of which must include photo identification. The Calgary Police Service outlines acceptable forms of identification. Be prepared to have your photograph taken at the Planning Services Centre, where your municipal photo identification card will be created.