REGINA — A growing number of construction projects are flowing through Regina’s permit system, offering a clearer look at how development is unfolding across the city and how quickly builders can get to work.
According to the City of Regina, 2,577 permits were approved in 2024, climbing to 2,820 in 2025. In the first three months of 2026 alone, 506 permits have already been issued.
Manager of Partnerships and Permit Services Jonathan Wiens said those numbers reflect a wide range of activity across the city.
“A single permit could range from anything from somebody’s residential deck or a foundation repair all the way up to a single permit for a multi-storey apartment building,” Wiens explained.
Faster approvals, quicker starts
One of the city’s key selling points is speed.
Wiens said Regina has some of the fastest turnaround times in the country, with residential permits often reviewed in as little as 10 days, while commercial permits can take up to 20 days depending on complexity.
“We’re quite proud of the fact that we have some of the fastest review turnaround time frames in Canada,” he said, noting that quick approvals help get “shovel in the ground” faster for builders.
That efficiency is increasingly important as construction costs rise and timelines tighten across Canada, he noted, adding that in many larger cities, permit approvals can take weeks or even months, creating delays that add cost and uncertainty. Regina’s approach aims to reduce that friction and keep projects moving.
Once a permit is approved, the clock starts.
Builders typically have six months to begin construction and up to two years to complete the project, though extensions can be granted in certain cases.
“If they aren’t looking at starting within that six-month period, we would actually cancel their permit,” Wiens said.
That requirement is designed to prevent projects from sitting idle and to ensure approved developments move forward in a timely way.
One feature the city highlights as unique is its coordinated approach to more complex builds.
For commercial projects, applicants are often paired with a single point of contact who helps navigate multiple approvals, including development permits, site requirements and servicing connections.
“That single point of contact will work with that customer all the way through all those different folks within the city and help co-ordinate all that,” Wiens said.
The goal is to streamline what can otherwise be a complicated process involving multiple departments.
The system has also shifted heavily online.
Wiens said about 94 per cent of applications are now submitted digitally, allowing builders and homeowners to avoid in-person visits and track progress more easily.
“Most folks are submitting their permits online now, so you don’t even have to come downtown at all,” he said.
That transition mirrors trends across Saskatchewan, where municipalities like Saskatoon and smaller communities have also been modernizing permit systems to improve access and efficiency.
Beyond approvals, permits can also unlock financial incentives.
The city has offered programs encouraging storefront improvements and continues to support housing initiatives, including incentives for secondary suites and affordable housing projects.
“There’s a provincial incentive for folks to build secondary suites,” Wiens noted. “They can get up to 35 per cent of their project back, up to $35,000.”
Additional municipal incentives can include property tax relief for several years, depending on the project.
A system under pressure but moving
With permit numbers trending upward and construction activity continuing across the city, Regina’s system is handling a growing workload while maintaining relatively fast turnaround times, city says.
The broader question now is how many of those approved projects actually get built and how quickly they move from paperwork to reality.
For now, the city says the process is designed to keep things moving.
“We always encourage folks to get a permit,” Wiens said, as this is the first step where every project begins.
