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

# Canal Flats secondary suite and carriage house rules

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

**Short answer:** In Canal Flats the Zoning Bylaw allows an accessory dwelling unit (ADU) in some zones, including R-1, R-1A and SH, with one attached unit per single detached dwelling. Detached units have their own rules, but which zones allow them is unclear, so confirm with the Village office.

**Who handles it:** Municipal (Village of Canal Flats, https://www.canalflats.ca)  
**Cost:** Building permit fees are in Fees and Charges Bylaw No. 300, 2026, Schedule C, based on construction value from a $75 minimum. See the building-permit-fees answer.  
**How long:** Not stated by the Village.  
**Where:**
- In person: Village Office (Columbia Discovery Centre), 8866 Grainger Road, Canal Flats, BC V0B 1B0 (Monday to Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. (closed 12:00 to 1:00))
- Phone: Village Office, 250-349-5462
- Email: Village Office, village@canalflats.ca

## Key facts

- **Secondary suite allowed:** 'Dwelling Unit, Accessory' is an accessory use in the R-1, R-1A and SH zones, and 'Dwelling, Accessory to a permitted use' in A-1 and C-1 (accessory) and C-2 (conditional). An attached unit must be in a principal single detached dwelling, one per dwelling.
  - Source: [Zoning Bylaw No. 215, 2019 (consolidated), s. 5.4 R-1; s. 5.2 A-1; s. 2.7](https://canalflats.civicweb.net/document/50072/)
  - Official wording: "Dwelling Unit, Accessory" … "Dwelling, Accessory to a permitted use" … "An Attached Accessory Dwelling Unit shall be located in one (1) Principal Single" … "No more than one (1) Attached Accessory Dwelling Unit is permitted in a principal Single" … "(b) Dwelling, Accessory to a permitted use"
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-08
- **Coach house or garden suite allowed:** Detached accessory dwelling units are regulated by s. 2.6 'where permitted as a use'. The SH zone's accessory use 'Dwelling Unit, Accessory' points to ss. 2.5 and 2.6, so detached units appear allowed there; the R-1 and R-1A lists do not say. Confirm with the Village.
  - Source: [Zoning Bylaw No. 215, 2019 (consolidated), s. 2.6; s. 5.3 SH accessory uses; s. 6 definitions](https://canalflats.civicweb.net/document/50072/)
  - Official wording: "*See Section 2.5 and 2.6 for Regulations on Accessory Dwelling Units." … "The following regulations apply to Detached Accessory Dwelling Units where"
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-08
- **Limits:** Attached ADU: at most one per single detached dwelling; floor area no more than the lesser of 75 m² (807 ft²) or 40% of the main-floor area; must connect to municipal sewer and water. Detached ADU, where permitted: 37 m² to 70 m² (400 to 753 ft²); 3.0 m from the principal dwelling; 6.0 m maximum height if on the second storey of an accessory building; principal dwelling must be owner occupied.
  - Source: [Zoning Bylaw No. 215, 2019 (consolidated), ss. 2.6-2.7](https://canalflats.civicweb.net/document/50072/)
  - Official wording: "The minimum floor area of a Detached Accessory Dwelling Units shall be 37.0 m2 (400" … "The maximum floor area of a Detached Accessory Dwelling Units shall not exceed 70.0" … "The minimum separation between a principal Dwelling Unit and a Detached Accessory" … "unit(s) shall be owner occupied." … "lesser of 75.0 m2 (807 ft2) or 40% of the Gross Floor Area of the main floor of the" … "shall be connected to the municipal sanitary sewer and water distribution system."
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-08
- **Parking:** One additional off-street parking space per accessory dwelling unit (attached or detached), on top of the space required for the principal dwelling.
  - Source: [Zoning Bylaw No. 215, 2019 (consolidated), ss. 2.6(g), 2.7(e)](https://canalflats.civicweb.net/document/50072/)
  - Official wording: "One (1) additional off-street parking space per Detached Accessory Dwelling Unit is" … "One (1) additional off-street parking space per Attached Accessory Dwelling Unit is"
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-08
- **Permits:** The Zoning Bylaw defines an accessory dwelling unit as 'established as a separate dwelling unit by permit'. A building permit is needed before constructing or altering a building (Building Bylaw s. 7.1), and a development permit first if the site is in a development permit area.
  - Source: [Zoning Bylaw No. 215, 2019 (consolidated), s. 6 definitions](https://canalflats.civicweb.net/document/50072/)
  - Official wording: "has been designed as a separate dwelling unit and has been established as a separate dwelling unit by permit"
  - Source: [Building Bylaw No. 230, 2020, s. 7.1; s. 10.1(a)](https://canalflats.civicweb.net/document/28968/)
  - Official wording: "constructing, repairing or altering a building or structure, including a pool or retaining" … "the owner must apply for and obtain a development permit if the building or structure"
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-08
- **Bylaw:** Village of Canal Flats Zoning Bylaw No. 215, 2019 (ss. 2.5 to 2.7); Building Bylaw No. 230, 2020
  - Source: [Zoning Bylaw No. 215, 2019 (consolidated), s. 1.1](https://canalflats.civicweb.net/document/50072/)
  - Official wording: "This Bylaw may be cited as “Village of Canal Flats Zoning Bylaw No. 215, 2019”."
  - Source: [Building Bylaw No. 230, 2020, s. 1.1](https://canalflats.civicweb.net/document/28968/)
  - Official wording: "This bylaw may be cited as “Village of Canal Flats Building Bylaw No. 230, 2020”."
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-08

## How it works

The [Zoning Bylaw No. 215](https://canalflats.civicweb.net/document/50072/) calls a secondary suite an accessory dwelling unit (ADU). "Dwelling Unit, Accessory" is an accessory use in the R-1, R-1A and SH zones. "Dwelling, Accessory to a permitted use" is allowed in A-1 and C-1 (accessory) and C-2 (conditional). An attached unit must be in a principal single detached dwelling, one per dwelling.

Section 2.6 sets rules for detached ADUs where a zone permits them. The SH zone points to those rules, so detached units appear allowed there. The R-1 and R-1A lists do not say. Confirm with the Village.

## Steps

1. Confirm your zone and whether an ADU is allowed (see zoning-lookup).
2. Call the Village office (250-349-5462) to confirm the rules for your lot.
3. Apply for a building permit before constructing or altering the building. If the site is in a development permit area, you need a development permit first.

## Good to know

- Attached ADU: floor area no more than the lesser of 75 m² (807 ft²) or 40% of the main-floor area, and connected to municipal sewer and water.
- Detached ADU, where permitted: 37 m² to 70 m² (400 to 753 ft²); 3.0 m from the principal dwelling; 6.0 m maximum height if on the second storey of an accessory building; the principal dwelling must be owner occupied.
- One additional off-street parking space is required per ADU (attached or detached), on top of the principal dwelling's space.
- The bylaw defines an ADU as "established as a separate dwelling unit by permit".

## Official forms and pages

- [Zoning Bylaw No. 215, 2019](https://canalflats.civicweb.net/document/50072/)

## Related questions

- [Canal Flats building permits: when you need one and how to apply](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/canal-flats/building-permit.md)
- [Canal Flats building permit fees](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/canal-flats/building-permit-fees.md)
- [Canal Flats zoning: find your zone and what it allows](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/canal-flats/zoning-lookup.md)
- [Canal Flats short-term rental rules (Airbnb, Vrbo)](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/canal-flats/short-term-rental.md)

## The same question elsewhere

- [Secondary suite and carriage house rules in British Columbia, by municipality](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/secondary-suite.md)
- [Invermere](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/invermere/secondary-suite.md)
- [Radium Hot Springs](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/radium-hot-springs/secondary-suite.md)
- [Kimberley](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/kimberley/secondary-suite.md)
- [Elkford](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/elkford/secondary-suite.md)
- [Cranbrook](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/cranbrook/secondary-suite.md)
- [Kaslo](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/kaslo/secondary-suite.md)

## Sources

- [Zoning Bylaw No. 215, 2019 (consolidated), Village of Canal Flats](https://canalflats.civicweb.net/document/50072/) (read 2026-11-08)
- [Building Bylaw No. 230, 2020, Village of Canal Flats](https://canalflats.civicweb.net/document/28968/) (read 2026-11-08)
- [Fees and Charges Bylaw No. 300, 2026, Village of Canal Flats](https://canalflats.civicweb.net/document/50057/) (read 2026-11-08)
- [Contact Us, Village of Canal Flats](https://www.canalflats.ca/contact-us/) (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 Canal Flats. How answers are checked: https://govhandbook.com/methods/ · Canonical page: https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/canal-flats/secondary-suite/_