We asked the City of Calgary who's responsible for pothole damage
Potholes are a frustrating part of life in Calgary, especially during the winter months.
As a Canadian city, our constant freeze-thaw cycles in the winter cause water to accumulate and freeze on the road. Add the weight of millions of pounds of cars (including YYCâs love for pickup trucks), and hazardous potholes are practically unavoidable.
But when they cause damage to your car, whoâs responsible for the costs?
We reached out to the City of Calgary, which said that it’s continually working to repair potholes on city streets. Pothole repairs are completed by operational crews and identified in 311 citizen reports and through routine inspections.
Once inspections are completed, repairs are prioritized using a five-point scale based on pothole severity, safety impacts, and location.
In 2025 alone, the City filled over 35,000Â potholes on city streets.
But despite these efforts, potholes remain a major hazard for drivers. Last winter, a Calgarian shared a photo of the damage to their vehicle, which they claimed was caused by a pothole at 96th Avenue NE and Airport Trail NE.
“I’ve been doing a pretty good job of dodging potholes over the years. But finally took a bullet from the increasingly deteriorating roads in recent years,” they said.
“Unfixable side wall damage, need a new tire. Fun morning before work.”
According to the City of Calgary, for those looking to file a claim, provincial law may make it liable for pothole damage if these criteria are met:
- The condition of the roadway was outside the reasonable state of repair, accounting for the character of the road in question and the area of the City
- The City knew, or ought to have known, of the state of disrepair
- The City had not taken reasonable steps to prevent the disrepair from occurring
- The road in question falls under City jurisdiction, is not a private road or a provincial highway
- Written notice of the incident is provided to the City within 30 days of the occurrence
However, filing a claim for pothole damage can be difficult. According to the City of Calgaryâs website, the Roads Department inspects roads annually. This inspection covers sidewalks and roadways to identify defects that require maintenance or attention.
“Making a claim does not guarantee you will get paid,” the site states.
But while we may have our issues with potholes, things could always be worse! Our neighbours to the north in Edmonton filled over 500,000 potholes in 2025.