GovHandbook

How many homes you can build on a lot in Chilliwack

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

Chilliwack, British ColumbiaChecked against official textSources read 2026-11-11

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.

Key facts

Homes allowed on a house lotUp 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.Zoning Bylaw 2020, No. 5000, s. 4.08(7)(a)-(c); Small-Scale Multi-Unit Housing (SSMUH), intro · Wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-05
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.
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.
By lot size280 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.Zoning Bylaw 2020, No. 5000, s. 4.08(7)(a)(iv), (b) · Wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-05
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;
Near frequent transitNo 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.Zoning Bylaw 2020, No. 5000, s. 4.08(7)(a)(vi); Transit-Oriented Area Bylaw 2024, No. 5394, ss. 1, 5 · Wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-05
Official wording
Not within a designated transit-oriented area; and,
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
Where it does not applyThe 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.Zoning Bylaw 2020, No. 5000, s. 4.08(7)(a); Small-Scale Housing Frequently Asked Questions, Q5, Q19 · Wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-05
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.
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
ParkingResident 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.Small-Scale Housing Frequently Asked Questions, Q12; Zoning Bylaw 2020, No. 5000, ss. 4.08(7)(e)(iv), 5.04 · Wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-05
Official wording
Single-detached house, duplex, & townhouse 2
Secondary suite, coach house, garden suite 1
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
PermitsNo 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.Small-Scale Housing Frequently Asked Questions, Q17; Development Permits, Development Permit Areas · Wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-05
Official wording
A Development Permit (DP) for form and character is required for all small-scale housing (DPA 8 - Residential).
Residential (DPA 8) applies to coach houses/ garden suites, Small-Scale Multi-Unit Housing (SSMUH), townhouses, and apartments.
BylawZoning 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.Zoning Bylaw 2020, No. 5000, Amendment table; Small-Scale Multi-Unit Housing (SSMUH), intro · Wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-05
Official wording
Zoning Bylaw Amendment Bylaw 2024, No. 5395
Text Amendments – Small-scale, June 18, 2024
Council adopted the Zoning Bylaw updates to comply with this new legislation in June 2024.

How it works

Under the Province's 2023-2024 small-scale multi-unit housing law, the City of Chilliwack's Zoning Bylaw 5000 (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

Sources

  1. Small-Scale Multi-Unit Housing (SSMUH), City of Chilliwack (read 2026-11-11)
  2. Zoning Bylaw 2020, No. 5000 (PDF), City of Chilliwack (read 2026-11-11)
  3. Small-Scale Housing Frequently Asked Questions (PDF), City of Chilliwack (updated July 2025) (read 2026-11-11)
  4. Transit-Oriented Area Bylaw 2024, No. 5394 (PDF), City of Chilliwack (read 2026-11-11)
  5. Development Permits, City of Chilliwack (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. How answers are checked.