---
title: How many homes you can build on a lot in Chilliwack
question: "How many homes can I build on my lot in Chilliwack?"
place: Chilliwack, British Columbia, Canada
place_path: ca/bc/chilliwack
category: Building, renovating and your property
owner: municipal
owner_body: City of Chilliwack
sources_read: 2026-11-11
review: machine_checked
canonical: "https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/chilliwack/homes-per-lot/"
json: "https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/chilliwack/homes-per-lot.json"
---

# How many homes you can build on a lot in Chilliwack

**Question:** How many homes can I build on my lot in Chilliwack?

**Short answer:** On most single-house and duplex lots inside Chilliwack's urban growth boundary that have city water and sewer, the Zoning Bylaw allows up to 4 homes (3 on lots of 280 square metres or less), without rezoning. Lots of 4,050 square metres or more, heritage-protected lots and Extension Areas are excluded.

**Who handles it:** Municipal (City of Chilliwack, https://www.chilliwack.com)  
**Cost:** A Development Permit and building permit are needed; fees are on the City's permit pages.  
**Where:**
- Phone: Planning Department, 604-793-2906 (Ask whether your lot qualifies, or is in an Extension Area.)
- Online: City web map (maps.chilliwack.com), http://maps.chilliwack.com/ (Turn on the Zoning, Urban Growth Boundary and Small-Scale Extension layers and click your lot.)

## Key facts

- **Homes allowed on a house lot:** Up to 4 dwelling units on a lot over 280 square metres, or 3 units on a lot of 280 square metres or less, if the lot meets the criteria below. Any combination of secondary suites, coach houses or garden suites, a single detached house, a duplex, townhouses or an apartment. Below 3 units, the lot's current zone limits apply (for example, R1-A allows a house plus one suite, coach house or garden suite). The City also says every single-detached-zoned property may have 1 secondary suite.
  - Source: [Zoning Bylaw 2020, No. 5000, s. 4.08(7)(a)-(c)](https://www.chilliwack.com/main/attachments/attachView.cfm?attachID=6624)
  - Official wording: "3 or 4 DWELLING UNITS are considered intensive residential and are permitted on LOTS that meet the following criteria" … "3 units on LOTS less than or equal to 280m2 in area; or," … "4 units on LOTS greater than 280m2 in area."
  - Source: [Small-Scale Multi-Unit Housing (SSMUH), intro](https://www.chilliwack.com/main/page.cfm?id=3287)
  - Official wording: "1 secondary suite in all single detached zoned properties; and" … "Up to 4 units on all single detached or duplex zoned lots greater than 280m2 within the urban growth boundary."
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-05
- **By lot size:** 280 square metres is the line - 3 units on a lot of 280 m2 or less, 4 units on a lot over 280 m2. The rules apply only to lots under 4,050 square metres.
  - Source: [Zoning Bylaw 2020, No. 5000, s. 4.08(7)(a)(iv), (b)](https://www.chilliwack.com/main/attachments/attachView.cfm?attachID=6624)
  - Official wording: "3 units on LOTS less than or equal to 280m2 in area; or," … "4 units on LOTS greater than 280m2 in area." … "Less than 4,050m2 in area;"
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-05
- **Near frequent transit:** No extra units for frequent transit. The City's rules give 3 or 4 units everywhere they apply; a lot inside the designated Transit-Oriented Area (around the Downtown Chilliwack Exchange) is excluded from this 3-4 unit rule, and residential parking is not required there.
  - Source: [Zoning Bylaw 2020, No. 5000, s. 4.08(7)(a)(vi)](https://www.chilliwack.com/main/attachments/attachView.cfm?attachID=6624)
  - Official wording: "Not within a designated transit-oriented area; and,"
  - Source: [Transit-Oriented Area Bylaw 2024, No. 5394, ss. 1, 5](https://www.chilliwack.com/main/attachments/attachView.cfm?attachID=7576)
  - Official wording: "A bylaw to designate the Downtown Chilliwack Exchange as a Transit-Oriented Area" … "Minimum OFF-STREET PARKING space requirements for RESIDENTIAL USE in the Zoning Bylaw do not apply on LOTS identified in Area A or Area B"
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-05
- **Where it does not apply:** The 3-4 unit rule applies only to lots that are all of the following - in the AL, AR, AS, RR, R1-A, R1-B, R1-C, R3 or M1-A zone (or the house and duplex areas of listed CD zones); inside the urban growth boundary; connected to community water and sewer; under 4,050 m2; not protected by a Heritage Designation Bylaw as of December 7, 2023; not in a designated Transit-Oriented Area; and not in an Extension Area. Extension Areas allow no small-scale housing until the City finishes infrastructure upgrades or December 31, 2030, whichever comes first. New secondary suites are not allowed below the flood construction level.
  - Source: [Zoning Bylaw 2020, No. 5000, s. 4.08(7)(a)](https://www.chilliwack.com/main/attachments/attachView.cfm?attachID=6624)
  - Official wording: "Connected to COMMUNITY WATER SYSTEM and COMMUNITY SANITARY SEWER SYSTEM;" … "Less than 4,050m2 in area;" … "Not protected by a Heritage Designation Bylaw as of December 7, 2023;" … "Where an extension has not been granted by the Ministry."
  - Source: [Small-Scale Housing Frequently Asked Questions, Q5, Q19](https://www.chilliwack.com/main/attachments/attachView.cfm?attachID=8464)
  - Official wording: "Small- scale housing is temporarily not permitted on properties" … "The City completes infrastructure upgrades for the area;" … "No. New secondary suites are not permitted below the flood"
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-05
- **Parking:** Resident parking per unit: 2 spaces for a single detached house, duplex or townhouse; 1.5 for an apartment unit; 0.75 for a small unit apartment; 1 for a secondary suite, coach house or garden suite. Visitor parking: 1 unenclosed space where two duplexes are on a lot. None required in the Transit-Oriented Area.
  - Source: [Small-Scale Housing Frequently Asked Questions, Q12](https://www.chilliwack.com/main/attachments/attachView.cfm?attachID=8464)
  - Official wording: "Single-detached house, duplex, & townhouse 2" … "Secondary suite, coach house, garden suite 1"
  - Source: [Zoning Bylaw 2020, No. 5000, ss. 4.08(7)(e)(iv), 5.04](https://www.chilliwack.com/main/attachments/attachView.cfm?attachID=6624)
  - Official wording: "One OFF-STREET PARKING SPACE is required for each ACCESSORY DWELLING UNIT, regardless the number of bedrooms." … "One unenclosed OFF-STREET PARKING SPACE per LOT is required for visitor parking where two DUPLEXES are on a LOT." … "APARTMENT, BOARDING HOUSE 1.5 spaces per DU or SLEEPING UNIT"
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-05
- **Permits:** No rezoning is needed if the lot qualifies. A Development Permit for form and character (Development Permit Area 8, Residential) is required for all small-scale housing, and a building permit is needed to build. Extra technical development permits (aquifer, hillside, riparian) may apply, and a Development Variance Permit if you depart from zoning standards.
  - Source: [Small-Scale Housing Frequently Asked Questions, Q17](https://www.chilliwack.com/main/attachments/attachView.cfm?attachID=8464)
  - Official wording: "A Development Permit (DP) for form and character is required for all small-scale housing (DPA 8 - Residential)."
  - Source: [Development Permits, Development Permit Areas](https://www.chilliwack.com/main/page.cfm?id=2182)
  - Official wording: "Residential (DPA 8) applies to coach houses/ garden suites, Small-Scale Multi-Unit Housing (SSMUH), townhouses, and apartments."
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-05
- **Bylaw:** Zoning Bylaw 2020, No. 5000, section 4.08(7), amended by Zoning Bylaw Amendment Bylaw 2024, No. 5395 (small-scale, multi-unit housing), adopted June 18, 2024.
  - Source: [Zoning Bylaw 2020, No. 5000, Amendment table](https://www.chilliwack.com/main/attachments/attachView.cfm?attachID=6624)
  - Official wording: "Zoning Bylaw Amendment Bylaw 2024, No. 5395" … "Text Amendments – Small-scale, June 18, 2024"
  - Source: [Small-Scale Multi-Unit Housing (SSMUH), intro](https://www.chilliwack.com/main/page.cfm?id=3287)
  - Official wording: "Council adopted the Zoning Bylaw updates to comply with this new legislation in June 2024."
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-05

## How it works

Under the Province's 2023-2024 small-scale multi-unit housing law, the City of Chilliwack's [Zoning Bylaw 5000](https://www.chilliwack.com/main/attachments/attachView.cfm?attachID=6624) (section 4.08(7), added June 18, 2024) lets owners of single-house and duplex lots build 3 or 4 homes without rezoning. The units can be secondary suites, coach houses, garden suites, a house, a duplex, townhouses or a small apartment, in any mix.

## Steps

1. Check your lot on the City web map (maps.chilliwack.com): zone, urban growth boundary and Small-Scale Extension layers.
2. Confirm with the Planning Department at 604-793-2906 if it is near an Extension Area, heritage-protected, or in the downtown Transit-Oriented Area.
3. Apply for a Development Permit (form and character, Residential), then a building permit.

## Good to know

- The lot must be under 4,050 square metres, inside the urban growth boundary and on city water and sewer.
- Parking: 2 spaces for each house, duplex or townhouse, 1 for each suite, coach house or garden suite, 1.5 for each apartment.
- Lot coverage, setbacks and height follow your zone; the floor area ratio is capped at 0.75.
- New secondary suites are not allowed below the flood construction level.
- Existing covenants limiting density still apply.

## Official forms and pages

- [Small-Scale Multi-Unit Housing (SSMUH)](https://www.chilliwack.com/main/page.cfm?id=3287)
- [Small-Scale Housing Frequently Asked Questions (PDF)](https://www.chilliwack.com/main/attachments/attachView.cfm?attachID=8464)
- [Development Permits](https://www.chilliwack.com/main/page.cfm?id=2182)

## Sources

- [Small-Scale Multi-Unit Housing (SSMUH), City of Chilliwack](https://www.chilliwack.com/main/page.cfm?id=3287) (read 2026-11-11)
- [Zoning Bylaw 2020, No. 5000 (PDF), City of Chilliwack](https://www.chilliwack.com/main/attachments/attachView.cfm?attachID=6624) (read 2026-11-11)
- [Small-Scale Housing Frequently Asked Questions (PDF), City of Chilliwack (updated July 2025)](https://www.chilliwack.com/main/attachments/attachView.cfm?attachID=8464) (read 2026-11-11)
- [Transit-Oriented Area Bylaw 2024, No. 5394 (PDF), City of Chilliwack](https://www.chilliwack.com/main/attachments/attachView.cfm?attachID=7576) (read 2026-11-11)
- [Development Permits, City of Chilliwack](https://www.chilliwack.com/main/page.cfm?id=2182) (read 2026-11-11)

_Checked by script, not yet by a person: the official wording behind 7 of 7 facts was matched to the official text. Gov Handbook is an independent guide, not affiliated with City of Chilliwack. How answers are checked: https://govhandbook.com/methods/ · Canonical page: https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/chilliwack/homes-per-lot/_