A long steel riding arena beside paddocks and a small barn on rolling acreage land
Rocky View County

Indoor Riding Arenas in Rocky View County

In Rocky View County every private riding arena needs a development permit, and charging for lessons makes it an equestrian centre.

  • Permits: Rocky View County Building Services
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Rocky View County's Land Use Bylaw draws a firm line between two kinds of indoor arena. A Riding Arena is a private facility for training, exercising and boarding horses, and it cannot host horse shows, rodeos, teaching sessions or similar events where anyone pays to take part or use it. An Equestrian Centre is the public version, where a fee is paid to participate, attend or use the facility. The County says a private riding arena requires a development permit. An equestrian centre is not a farm building at all, so it needs both a development permit and a building permit. Riding Arena is a discretionary use in the A-GEN, A-SML and R-RUR districts, and it is not listed in the R-CRD country residential district. The horses matter as much as the building. The bylaw counts one horse as one animal unit and allows none on parcels under 1.4 hectares, two on 1.4 to 2.0 hectares, and rising numbers up to no maximum above 16.1 hectares. An equestrian centre is limited to 50 animals on site, 100 spectators per event and five consecutive nights of camping unless its development permit sets otherwise.

Indoor Riding Arenas: the rules in Rocky View County

Rocky View County Planning and Development (Development Authority)

Definitions: a Riding Arena is a private facility for the training, exercising and boarding of horses and shall not be used for horse shows, rodeos, teaching sessions or similar events with a fee to participate or use the facilities. An Equestrian Centre is a public facility where a fee has been paid to participate, attend or use it. Riding Arena and Equestrian Centre are discretionary uses in A-GEN, A-SML and R-RUR.

Source: Rocky View County Land Use Bylaw C-8000-2020, Office Consolidation

Rocky View County Building Services

An Equestrian Centre is not a farm building and requires both a Development Permit and a Building Permit. A private riding arena requires a Development Permit.

Source: Farm Building Exemptions | Rocky View County

Rocky View County Planning and Development (Development Authority)

Livestock (sections 148 and 149): manure must be managed so there is no runoff onto adjacent lands, riparian areas or watercourses; maximum animal units by parcel size range from 0 under 1.4 ha (3.46 ac) to no maximum over 16.1 ha (39.78 ac); one horse or pony is one animal unit. Increasing numbers on parcels under 16.1 ha needs a development permit with pasture and manure management plans.

Source: Rocky View County Land Use Bylaw C-8000-2020, Office Consolidation

Rocky View County Planning and Development (Development Authority)

Equestrian Centre (sections 136 to 138): maximum 100 spectators per event, 50 animals on site, and overnight camping of up to 20 people for five consecutive nights, unless the development permit says otherwise; over 100 spectators requires a water and wastewater servicing plan and a traffic impact analysis.

Source: Rocky View County Land Use Bylaw C-8000-2020, Office Consolidation

Red iron or light-gauge steel?

Most commercial, agricultural and large acreage buildings use rigid-frame "red iron" primary steel. Light-gauge cold-formed frames suit smaller garages and storage. This is how the two differ.

Attribute Rigid-frame red iron Light-gauge cold-formed
Primary frame Hot-rolled or built-up (welded plate) rigid frames, usually tapered, bolted at the haunch and ridge Cold-formed C-sections, screwed or bolted, used as both frame and secondary members
Secondary framing Cold-formed Z-purlins and girts spanning between frames The same cold-formed members, at closer spacing
Clear span Wide clear spans with no interior columns; modular columns optional for very wide buildings Shorter clear spans; wider buildings need interior posts
Frame spacing (bays) Wider bays, set by the manufacturer for the loads at your site Closer frame spacing
Overhead crane Frames and columns can be designed from the start to carry crane runway beams and brackets Not a crane structure
Doors and openings Large overhead and sliding doors framed between columns without losing the clear span Door sizes limited by frame spacing
Typical use Commercial, industrial, agricultural and large acreage shops Garages, small shops and storage
Drawings for the permit Stamped by an Alberta-registered P.Eng. retained by the manufacturer, for your site loads Varies by supplier; confirm stamped drawings before you buy

Built for Chinooks, snow drift and hail

Snow and drift

The building code's 1-in-50-year ground snow load for Calgary is 1.1 kPa, plus 0.1 kPa rain-on-snow. Rocky View County isn't listed in the code's climate table; Calgary is the nearest listed location, about 14 km away, and your permit authority sets the value for your exact site. The roof load your indoor riding arenas is designed for starts there and goes up where snow drifts: against a taller wall, behind a parapet, or where a lean-to steps down from the main roof.

Chinook wind

The 1-in-50-year design wind pressure for Calgary is 0.48 kPa, about 98 km/h sustained over an hour. Gusts run higher, which is why large doors, end walls and anchor bolts are designed for the site's exposure, not a catalogue default.

Hail

Southern Alberta sees some of Canada's most damaging hail. Ask for wall and roof panels carrying a UL 2218 Class 4 impact rating in the manufacturer's listing, and check the paint system's warranty terms for hail.

Source: National Building Code – 2023 Alberta Edition, Volume 1: Table C-2, Climatic Design Data for Selected Locations in Alberta, NBC(AE) 2023. Your stamped drawings use the values for your exact site.

Site and foundation in Rocky View County

Check the district and parcel size before anything else: an arena on R-CRD land is not a listed use, and on a small R-RUR parcel the horse count may not justify one. The development permit application will ask where manure is stored and how runoff stays on site and away from wells, sloughs and coulees, so place the arena and its manure pad with drainage in mind. The County also asks for property slopes and distance to neighbouring livestock and buildings. Arena footing needs a level, well-drained base, and wide clear spans mean large column reactions at the sidewalls, so the foundation design should follow a soils review. Leave room for trailer turning and parking near the doors. If you might ever charge for lessons or clinics, plan for equestrian centre rules from the start, because changing the use later needs a new development permit and a building permit.

Common clear-span sizes

Size (ft)Floor areaTypical useFraming
30x40 1,200 sq ft Two-bay garage shop, hobby shop, small equipment storage red iron or light gauge
40x60 2,400 sq ft Acreage shop with RV or equipment bays, small contractor shop red iron or light gauge
60x100 6,000 sq ft Contractor yard building, machine storage, small warehouse red iron
100x200+ 20,000 sq ft Warehouse, crane-served fabrication shop, riding arena red iron

Every size is a starting point. Width, length, eave height and frame spacing are set to your use and your site.

Indoor Riding Arenas in Rocky View County: questions

Can I give paid riding lessons in my private arena?

Not under a Riding Arena approval. The County's bylaw says a riding arena cannot be used for teaching sessions or events where there is a fee to participate or to use the facility. Paid lessons, clinics, shows or boarding open to the public make it an Equestrian Centre, which needs its own development permit and a building permit, and comes with limits on spectators, animals and camping.

How many horses can I keep on my acreage?

Rocky View County's bylaw counts one horse as one animal unit. Parcels under 1.4 hectares (3.46 acres) get none, 1.4 to 2.0 hectares get two, and the number rises with parcel size to 15 on parcels up to 12.1 hectares and 20 up to 16.1 hectares, with no maximum above that. Foals at their mother's side are not counted. Keeping more on a smaller parcel needs a development permit with pasture and manure plans.

Is a private riding arena a farm building?

For the building permit, possibly. The County's Farm Building Exemption declaration lists a horse riding arena, exercise or training facility not used by the public as one of the occupancies it covers. A development permit is still required for a private riding arena either way. An equestrian centre open to the public is never a farm building in the County's view.

What does the County want to know about manure?

The arena information sheet asks whether manure is composted, stockpiled or spread, how long it is stored, and where any off-site storage is. It also asks how runoff is kept out of wells and water bodies and kept within the property, and notes that letting manure nutrients move off site is an offence under provincial environmental law. Manure storage construction must also comply with the Agricultural Operation Practices Act.

Keep reading

The pages that answer the next question this one raises.

Building in Rocky View County

Permits, land use and design loads in Rocky View County for every building type.

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Indoor Riding Arenas

How we plan, supply and build indoor riding arenas, wherever the site is.

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Indoor Riding Arenas in Foothills County

The rules that change for indoor riding arenas in Foothills County.

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Agricultural Steel Buildings in Rocky View County

Steel machine sheds, hay sheds, barns and farm shops: what Alberta's farm-building exemption covers, what it doesn't, and how a change of use ends it.

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