If you own a home in Calgary, sooner or later you’re bound to ask: “Where does my property actually end?”
Maybe you’re planning a new fence, sorting out a disagreement with a neighbour, or just trying to avoid problems when you sell.
This article walks through practical ways to understand where your property begins and ends, what City tools can and cannot tell you, and when it makes sense to bring in a licensed land surveyor so you can move forward with confidence.
Why Knowing Your Property Lines Matters
Before you grab a tape measure or mark out a fence line, it helps to understand why the exact location of your boundaries matters. In Calgary, property lines are more than lines on a map. They control where you can build, how close you can get to the neighbours property and where your neighbour’s rights begin.
Avoid Fence Disputes, Encroachments, And Bylaw Violations
Many of the issues we see start with good intentions and rough assumptions. A fence is built “close enough” to the line, a shed with eaves nudges up to the fence, or a retaining wall crosses onto a neighbour’s land. Everything works fine for years — until a sales transaction occurs and someone orders a Real Property Report (RPR), and the land owner sees encroachments from, or onto, adjoining neighbours’ properties.
That’s when encroachments and bylaw violations surface. A feature that crosses a boundary can lead to delays in closing and, sometimes, the need for private encroachment agreements or physical changes to the property.
Understanding where your property lines lie is one of the simplest ways to avoid these surprises — and keep your relationships with neighbours and buyers on solid ground.
Accessing Property Information Online
Calgary homeowners have better online tools than ever before. Those tools are useful for orientation and planning, as long as you understand their limits. They can show you general lot information, but they do not replace a legal survey.
Use My Property Calgary For Lot Size And Legal Details
If you search for “City of Calgary My Property” or “My Property Calgary,” you’ll find the City’s property information tools, including the City of Calgary’s My Property App. These tools let you confirm basic facts about your parcel: the civic address, assessment details, legal description, and an approximate lot size and shape.
This information is helpful when you are trying to understand what you own, how it is classified, and how it compares to neighbouring parcels. It can also confirm that you are looking at the correct lot before you go any further.
Think of this as your desk‑research phase: it gives you context, but it does not tell you exactly where to sink a fence post or place a garage foundation.
View Property Lines Online, Though Not Legally Binding
You can also find online maps that appear to show property lines on top of aerial imagery. These can be useful for getting a feel for how your lot fits into the block, but they are not survey‑grade.
Linework on public maps is often generalized or offset slightly, especially in older neighbourhoods or areas that have seen multiple rounds of development. Because of that, these maps are not considered legally binding. You should not rely on them for any decision that could create an encroachment or trespass, or become part of a real estate dispute. They are a starting point, not the final word.
When You Need A Professional Land Survey
You will reach a point where a rough idea of where your property lines sit is not enough. When money, permits, or contractual obligations are involved, guessing becomes risky — and having a professional land survey moves from “nice to have” to “necessary.”
Required For Building, Selling, Or Boundary Issues
There are a few clear signals that you should involve a licensed land surveyor.
If you are building close to a property line — a new garage, an addition, a taller deck, or a significant retaining wall — you will want accurate boundary information before you pour concrete or drill post holes.
If you are selling your home, you will almost certainly be asked to provide a current Real Property Report with municipal compliance, which shows exactly where your improvements sit relative to the boundaries and easements.
You may also reach this point when there is active tension around a boundary. A neighbour might question the location of a fence, or you might see a structure which appears to cross into your land. In these situations, a legal opinion on the boundary from a licensed Alberta Land Surveyor is the safest way to protect your interests and avoid escalating a disagreement.
Certified Surveys Provide Accurate, Legal Results
A certified survey is very different from pulling up a map on your phone. A licensed surveyor researches the survey plans and title documents that define your parcel, then sends a crew to locate and verify survey evidence such as pins, monuments, or other marks on and around your block. They measure the positions of permanent, visible improvements relative to the true legal boundaries and compile those results into a plan.
When that plan is signed, the surveyor is taking professional responsibility for its accuracy. That is why lenders, lawyers, and the City of Calgary are willing to rely on documents like an RPR — they know a licensed professional has followed defined standards and is accountable for the work.
Hire A Surveyor To Confirm Property Lines For Fencing
Fences and retaining walls sit right where property lines and relationships meet. In Calgary, it is common for those structures to be built based on assumptions rather than verified boundaries. Over time, that can lead to walls stepping onto neighbouring properties and fences creeping into lanes, streets, or sideways onto your neighbour’s lot because they were not built in the correct place.
If you are planning a new fence, replacing an old one, or adjusting a retaining wall, having a surveyor confirm your property lines is usually cheaper and less stressful than fixing an encroachment later. A clear plan and, if needed, stakes on the ground remove the guesswork so you and your neighbour can make decisions together based on facts rather than memories.
For owners who want that clarity along with a document their lawyer and the City can rely on, a Real Property Report is often the right choice.
Understanding DIY Methods And Their Limits
Most homeowners start with what they can do themselves. That instinct makes sense, but it is important to know where those methods stop being reliable. A few centimetres of error may not look like much on the ground, yet it can matter a great deal on an RPR, to your neighbour, or at City Hall.
Maps And Physical Markers Help, But Are Often Unreliable
People commonly look for old wooden stakes, metal pins, or nails in the curb and treat those as the definitive corners of the lot. Others assume the original builder placed the fence exactly on the property line, or they rely on a sketch from a contractor that “looked right at the time.”
The challenge is, these clues are rarely checked against the legal survey fabric. Pins are sometimes disturbed or covered during construction or landscaping. Fences may have been built for convenience rather than precision. Builder sketches are typically layout tools, not legal documents.
Without a licensed surveyor verifying and interpreting the evidence, you cannot be certain what those marks actually represent.
Avoid Guesswork To Prevent Boundary Mistakes
The real risk with DIY methods is not that they are always wrong. It is that you have no easy way to tell when they are.
A fence built a few centimetres over the line might not cause trouble for years, until it shows up as an encroachment on a new RPR. At that time, there may have been a concrete patio poured and a shed placed against the fence, which are all in the neighbour’s property.
If the decision you are making involves real money, a future sale, or something difficult to move like a wall, garage, or large deck, treat DIY methods as background information only. Use them to ask better questions, not to replace a legal survey.
Common Questions About Boundaries
Even after reviewing maps and talking to professionals, certain questions come up repeatedly for Calgary homeowners. Many of them centre on setbacks, easements, and fences.
Rules For Setbacks, Corner Lots, And Easements
Setbacks and easements shape how close you can build to your property lines and what you can place in certain strips of land.
In many newer Calgary neighbourhoods, rear and side yards include utility or drainage rights‑of‑way where permanent structures are heavily restricted. Corner lots often come with additional considerations because of sightlines, lanes, and access.
The exact distances and allowances depend on the land use district and the specific easements registered on title. That is why a Real Property Report is such a useful starting point — it shows your boundaries, your improvements, and any easements, giving both you and the City a shared picture to work from when permits or compliance reviews are needed.
Whether A Fence Must Sit On The Exact Property Line
One of the most persistent myths is that “the fence is the property line.” In reality, fences can be built on the line, just inside it, or just outside it, and their position does not change the legal boundary of the parcel. A fence that appears to mark the edge of a yard might actually sit several centimetres onto one property or the other.
That is why surveyors often remind clients that a fence is not proof of the boundary. If the exact location matters — for a dispute, a sale, or a new build — you will need a survey to confirm where the legal line runs. Once you know that, you and your neighbour can decide whether the fence should stay where it is, move, or be rebuilt, with a clear understanding of the shared responsibilities.
Third Rock Geomatics: Licensed Surveyors You Can Trust
Figuring out where your property lines sit should reduce stress, not add to it. Third Rock Geomatics focuses on giving homeowners clear, timely answers about their boundaries so that they can build, sell, and resolve issues with confidence.
Accurate Residential Property Line Surveys In Calgary
As residential land surveyors, Third Rock brings together local experience, familiarity with Calgary’s bylaws and processes, and a commitment to straightforward communication.
That means:
- You know who is responsible for the work: a licensed Alberta Land Surveyor.
- You receive plans that lawyers, realtors, and City staff can interpret quickly.
- You get practical guidance on what your options are if a fence, wall, or other feature is not where it should be.
If you are planning a fence, approaching a sale, or facing a boundary question and want to avoid last-minute stress the day before closing, contact us today.
A clear understanding of your property lines today is one of the easiest ways to protect your investment tomorrow.
