---
title: Burns Lake secondary suite and carriage house rules
question: "Can I add a secondary suite or a carriage house?"
place: Burns Lake, British Columbia, Canada
place_path: ca/bc/burns-lake
category: Building, renovating and your property
owner: municipal
owner_body: Village of Burns Lake
sources_read: 2026-11-08
review: machine_checked
canonical: "https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/burns-lake/secondary-suite/"
json: "https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/burns-lake/secondary-suite.json"
---

# Burns Lake secondary suite and carriage house rules

**Question:** Can I add a secondary suite or a carriage house?

**Short answer:** In Burns Lake a secondary suite is allowed inside the main dwelling in the RR1, UR, R1, R2, R3, C1 and C2 zones, and in R5 with a duplex or semi-detached home. One suite per dwelling. The bylaw lists no coach house or garden suite.

**Who handles it:** Municipal (Village of Burns Lake, https://www.burnslake.ca)  
**Cost:** See the building-permit-fees answer.  
**How long:** Not stated.  
**Where:**
- Phone: Village planning, 250-692-7587
- Email: Village planning, planning@burnslake.ca
- Phone: RDBN building inspection, 250-692-3195

## Key facts

- **Secondary suite allowed:** Yes, as an accessory use in the RR1, UR (accessory to a single detached dwelling), R1, R2, R3, C1 and C2 zones, and in R5 accessory to a duplex or semi-detached dwelling. One suite per principal dwelling unit, inside the principal dwelling unit only.
  - Source: [Zoning Bylaw No. 880, 2008, consolidated to April 2026, ss. 6.1.3, 6.2.3, 7.1.3, 7.2.3, 7.3, 8.1.3, 4.3.2](https://www.burnslake.ca/media/file/zoning-bylaw-880-2008-sch-123-c20260417pdf)
  - Official wording: "(d) secondary suite, accessory to a single detached dwelling." … "(d) secondary suite;" … "(e) secondary suite, accessory to a duplex or semi-detached dwelling." … "permitted per principal dwelling unit and is" … "permitted within the principal dwelling unit only."
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-08
- **Coach house or garden suite allowed:** No coach house or garden suite use is listed. Section 4.3.2 limits a secondary suite to inside the principal dwelling unit, and an accessory building cannot be used as a principal dwelling.
  - Source: [Zoning Bylaw No. 880, 2008, consolidated to April 2026, ss. 4.3.2, 3.11.3](https://www.burnslake.ca/media/file/zoning-bylaw-880-2008-sch-123-c20260417pdf)
  - Official wording: "permitted within the principal dwelling unit only." … "An accessory building or structure must not be used as a principal dwelling."
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-08
- **Limits:** One suite per principal dwelling unit; it must not be strata titled; no structural alterations that change the single detached dwelling character of the area; it must meet Village bylaws and the BC Building Code.
  - Source: [Zoning Bylaw No. 880, 2008, consolidated to April 2026, s. 4.3](https://www.burnslake.ca/media/file/zoning-bylaw-880-2008-sch-123-c20260417pdf)
  - Official wording: "No more than one secondary suite will be permitted per principal dwelling unit and is" … "A secondary suite must not be strata titled." … "A secondary suite must comply with all relevant Village Bylaws, and the B.C. Building" … "Code, as amended."
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-08
- **Parking:** 1 space per suite (in addition to the 2 spaces per single detached dwelling).
  - Source: [Zoning Bylaw No. 880, 2008, consolidated to April 2026, Schedule 2 Table 1](https://www.burnslake.ca/media/file/zoning-bylaw-880-2008-sch-123-c20260417pdf)
  - Official wording: "Secondary Suites 1 space per suite" … "2 per dwelling unit plus 1 per 7 dwellings for visitor parking for"
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-08
- **Permits:** A secondary suite must comply with all Village bylaws and the BC Building Code; the Building Bylaw requires a building permit before constructing a building or structure or changing the class of occupancy. Development permit need was not checked (OCP is a scan).
  - Source: [Zoning Bylaw No. 880, 2008, consolidated to April 2026, s. 4.3.3](https://www.burnslake.ca/media/file/zoning-bylaw-880-2008-sch-123-c20260417pdf)
  - Official wording: "A secondary suite must comply with all relevant Village Bylaws, and the B.C. Building"
  - Source: [Building Bylaw No. 943, 2013 (Word document), s. 9.1](https://www.burnslake.ca/media/file/building-bylaw-no-943-2013)
  - Official wording: "changing the class of occupancy of any building or structure"
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-08
- **Bylaw:** Village of Burns Lake Zoning Bylaw No. 880, 2008 (consolidated up to April 2026), s. 4.3; Village of Burns Lake Building Bylaw No. 943, 2013
  - Source: [Zoning Bylaw No. 880, 2008, consolidated to April 2026, Cover](https://www.burnslake.ca/media/file/zoning-bylaw-880-2008-sch-123-c20260417pdf)
  - Official wording: "ZONING BYLAW NO. 880, 2008"
  - Source: [Building Bylaw No. 943, 2013 (Word document), Title](https://www.burnslake.ca/media/file/building-bylaw-no-943-2013)
  - Official wording: "This bylaw may be cited for all purposes as the "Village of Burns Lake Building Bylaw No. 943, 2013.""
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-08

## How it works

The [Zoning Bylaw No. 880](https://www.burnslake.ca/media/file/zoning-bylaw-880-2008-sch-123-c20260417pdf) allows a secondary suite as an accessory use in the RR1, UR (with a single detached dwelling), R1, R2, R3, C1 and C2 zones, and in R5 with a duplex or semi-detached dwelling. It must be inside the principal dwelling unit. No coach house or garden suite use is listed, and an accessory building cannot be used as a principal dwelling. The bylaw's definition of "secondary suite" mentions accessory buildings, which does not match this, so ask Village planning before you plan a detached suite.

## Steps

1. Find your zone with Village planning (250-692-7587 or planning@burnslake.ca).
2. Check the limits below.
3. Ask the Regional District of Bulkley-Nechako (RDBN) building inspection (250-692-3195) about a building permit.

## Good to know

- One suite per principal dwelling unit. It must not be strata titled, and no structural alterations may change the single detached dwelling character of the area.
- It must meet all Village bylaws and the BC Building Code. The Building Bylaw requires a permit before constructing a building or structure or changing its class of occupancy.
- Parking: 1 space per suite, in addition to the 2 spaces per single detached dwelling.
- R4, R6, R7, C3, C4 and other zones were not found to list suites.
- We found no size cap or owner-occupancy rule. Whether a development permit is needed was not checked.

## Official forms and pages

- [Zoning Bylaw No. 880, 2008 (PDF)](https://www.burnslake.ca/media/file/zoning-bylaw-880-2008-sch-123-c20260417pdf)

## Related questions

- [Burns Lake building permits: when you need one and how to apply](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/burns-lake/building-permit.md)
- [Burns Lake zoning: find your zone and what it allows](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/burns-lake/zoning-lookup.md)
- [Burns Lake home-based business rules](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/burns-lake/home-based-business.md)

## The same question elsewhere

- [Secondary suite and carriage house rules in British Columbia, by municipality](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/secondary-suite.md)
- [Fraser Lake](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/fraser-lake/secondary-suite.md)
- [Houston](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/houston/secondary-suite.md)
- [Granisle](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/granisle/secondary-suite.md)
- [Fort St James](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/fort-st-james/secondary-suite.md)
- [Vanderhoof](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/vanderhoof/secondary-suite.md)
- [Telkwa](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/telkwa/secondary-suite.md)

## Sources

- [Zoning Bylaw No. 880, 2008, consolidated to April 2026 (PDF), Village of Burns Lake](https://www.burnslake.ca/media/file/zoning-bylaw-880-2008-sch-123-c20260417pdf) (read 2026-11-08)
- [Building Bylaw No. 943, 2013 (Word document), Village of Burns Lake](https://www.burnslake.ca/media/file/building-bylaw-no-943-2013) (read 2026-11-08)
- [Contact, Village of Burns Lake](https://www.burnslake.ca/contact) (read 2026-11-08)

_Checked by script, not yet by a person: the official wording behind 6 of 6 facts was matched to the official text. Gov Handbook is an independent guide, not affiliated with Village of Burns Lake. How answers are checked: https://govhandbook.com/methods/ · Canonical page: https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/burns-lake/secondary-suite/_