Castlegar secondary suite and carriage house rules
Can I add a secondary suite or a carriage house?
Short answer
Yes. Castlegar's Zoning Bylaw allows accessory dwelling units, including secondary suites and detached carriage houses or garden suites, in the R1, R2, RU, CPA and RMU zones and in C1 to C4. In R1 you can have up to four dwelling units on a lot of 280 m² or more, and three on a smaller lot. You need a building permit.
Key facts
| Secondary suite allowed | Yes. A secondary suite is an accessory dwelling unit inside a one-unit dwelling. Accessory dwelling units are a permitted use in the R1, R2, RU, CPA, RMU and C1 to C4 zones. In R3 only on a lot with a single-detached dwelling that existed when the bylaw was adopted.Zoning Bylaw 1428 (consolidated, PDF), Part 10 definitions; Zoning Bylaw 1428 (consolidated, PDF), s. 7.1.2, 7.2.2; Zoning Bylaw 1428 (consolidated, PDF), s. 7.3.3 · Wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06Official wordingSecondary Suite Means an Accessory Dwelling Unit, located within the Structure of a 7.1.2. Permitted Uses a) Accessory Dwelling Unit d) Residential Building a) An Accessory Dwelling Unit is permitted Use on any Lot that has a single-detached Dwelling that was in existence at the time of adoption of this Bylaw. |
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| Coach house or garden suite allowed | Yes. An accessory dwelling unit may be in a separate building (carriage house, garden suite), in the same zones as secondary suites.Zoning Bylaw 1428 (consolidated, PDF), Part 10 definitions; Accessory Dwellings, What Are Accessory Dwellings? · Wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06Official wordingMeans a Dwelling Unit in a separate Building or within an existing such as a secondary suite, basement suite, carriage house, and garden suite. |
| Limits | R1: up to 4 dwelling units per lot on lots of 280 m² or more, 3 on smaller lots. R2: up to 8 units per building and 120 units per hectare. Owner occupancy is not required (City news release, April 2025).Zoning Bylaw 1428 (consolidated, PDF), s. 7.1.3; Zoning Bylaw 1428 (consolidated, PDF), s. 7.2.3; City Launches New Accessory Dwelling Program, News release 2 April 2025 · Wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06Official wordinga) The maximum density permitted is four (4) Dwelling Unit(s) Per Lot (UPL) for any Lot 280m2 b) The maximum density permitted is three (3)Dwelling Unit(s) Per Lot (UPL) for any Lot less a) The maximum density permitted is 120 Dwelling Unit(s) per Hectare (UPH) b) The maximum number of Dwelling Unit(s) per Residential Building is eight (8). b) The maximum number of Dwelling Unit(s) per Residential Building is eight (8). Owner occupancy is not required, making it easier for property owners to add secondary suites, garden suites, or laneway homes. |
| Parking | Zoning Table 6 sets 0.5 space per accessory dwelling unit (the 1-2 unit residential row says 1 per unit). The City page: 1 space for the house plus 0.5 per accessory dwelling, rounded up to a whole number, so 2 spaces for a house with one accessory dwelling.Zoning Bylaw 1428 (consolidated, PDF), Table 6; Accessory Dwellings, What are the Zoning Regulations? · Wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06Official wordingDwelling, Accessory Unit 0.5 spaces per Dwelling Unit Parking – The lot must be able to accommodate one space per main house and 0.5 space per accessory dwelling. *Note that parking is rounded up to a whole number |
| Permits | A building permit is required (adding a dwelling unit; Building Bylaw fee $500 for a new secondary suite), plus fire inspections before occupancy. A development permit is also needed if the lot is in a flood hazard, steep slope or riparian development permit area, or the Multi-Unit Residential area (5 or more units).Zoning Bylaw 1428 (consolidated, PDF), s. 5.1.3; Building Bylaw 1338 (consolidated, PDF), Schedule A; Apply for a Building Permit, When do I need a building permit?; Community Plan Bylaw 1427, s. 7.1; Table 7 · Wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06Official wording5.1.3. Fire Inspections and all required Building Permits shall be obtained prior to occupancy. Application for NEW Secondary Suite Changing how a building or space is used (for example, moving into a commercial space or adding a dwelling unit) x Construction of, addition to or alteration Yes, if the development has five (5) or |
| Bylaw | Zoning Bylaw No. 1428 (s. 5.1, Part 7) and Building Bylaw No. 1338, 2020Zoning Bylaw 1428 (consolidated, PDF), s. 1.1.1; Building Bylaw 1338 (consolidated, PDF), Schedule A, s. 1.1 · Wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06Official wordingThis Bylaw may be cited as “Zoning Bylaw No. 1428”. This Bylaw may be cited for all purposes as ‘Building Bylaw No. 1338, 2020’. |
How it works
Under Zoning Bylaw 1428, a secondary suite is an accessory dwelling unit inside a one-unit dwelling. Accessory dwelling units are a permitted use in the R1, R2, RU, CPA, RMU and C1 to C4 zones. In R3 they are allowed only on a lot with a single-detached dwelling that existed when the bylaw was adopted. They are not listed in R4, RC, A1, M or P zones. An accessory dwelling unit may also be in a separate building, such as a carriage house or garden suite.
Limits: in R1, up to 4 dwelling units per lot on lots of 280 m² or more, and 3 on smaller lots. In R2, up to 8 units per building and 120 units per hectare. The City says owner occupancy is not required.
Steps
- Look up your zone (see zoning-lookup) and check your lot size.
- Read the City's Accessory Dwellings page, which explains the process for existing and new buildings.
- Apply for a building permit by emailing devserv@castlegar.ca or at City Hall. The permit fee for a new secondary suite is $500.
- Book inspections as the work goes on. Fire inspections are also required before occupancy.
Good to know
- Parking: the City says 1 space for the house plus 0.5 per accessory dwelling, rounded up, so 2 spaces for a house with one suite. Zoning Table 6 lists 0.5 per accessory dwelling unit and 1 per unit for one- or two-unit residential buildings, and does not say how the rows combine.
- A detached accessory dwelling follows accessory-building setbacks and height. In R1 that is 6.0 m from the front lot line, 3.0 m from an exterior side line and 1.5 m from interior side and rear lines, at most 7.5 m high.
- A development permit is also needed if the lot is in a flood hazard, steep slope or riparian development permit area, or in the Multi-Unit Residential area (5 or more units).
- The bylaw sets no floor-area cap for suites in the texts we read. The City page's "less than half of the main house" is a rule of thumb, not a bylaw limit.
Official forms and pages
The same question in other places
Fruitvale · Trail · Warfield · Rossland · Montrose · Nelson
Secondary suite and carriage house rules in British Columbia, by municipality →
Sources
- Accessory Dwellings, City of Castlegar (read 2026-11-05)
- City Launches New Accessory Dwelling Program, City of Castlegar (read 2026-11-05)
- Zoning Bylaw 1428 (consolidated, PDF), City of Castlegar (read 2026-11-05)
- Building Bylaw 1338 (consolidated, PDF), Schedule A, City of Castlegar (read 2026-11-05)
- Community Plan Bylaw 1427 (PDF), City of Castlegar (read 2026-11-05)
- Apply for a Building Permit, City of Castlegar (read 2026-11-05)
Checked by script, not yet by a person: the official wording behind 6 of 6 facts was matched to the official text. How answers are checked.