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

# Clinton secondary suite and carriage house rules

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

**Short answer:** In Clinton, a secondary suite in a single detached house, and an accessory dwelling unit in an accessory building, are permitted in the R1, R2, R4, A1 and A2 zones. You may have one of each per parcel. Each needs 1 parking space. The permits needed are not stated.

**Who handles it:** Municipal (Village of Clinton, https://village.clinton.bc.ca)  
**Cost:** No fee is stated on the sources read.  
**How long:** Not stated.  
**Where:**
- Phone: Village Office, 250-459-2261
- Email: Village Office, admin@village.clinton.bc.ca
- Phone: TNRD Building Inspection Services, 250-377-8673

## Key facts

- **Secondary suite allowed:** A secondary suite inside a single detached dwelling is a permitted secondary use in the R1, R2, R4, A1 and A2 zones.
  - Source: [Zoning Bylaw No. 607, 2025, ss. 8.3, 9.3, 16.3, 17.3, 19.3, 6.14.1](https://village.clinton.bc.ca/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/Bylaw-No.-607-2025-Zoning.pdf)
  - Official wording: "d. Dwelling, Secondary Suite e. Home Based Business" … "c. Dwelling, Secondary Suite d. Home Based Business" … "b. Dwelling, Secondary Suite c. Home Based Business" … "only be permitted within a Single Detached Dwelling;"
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-08
- **Coach house or garden suite allowed:** An accessory dwelling unit, in an accessory building only (not an RV or manufactured home), is a permitted secondary use in the R1, R2, R4, A1 and A2 zones.
  - Source: [Zoning Bylaw No. 607, 2025, ss. 6.2.1, 16.3](https://village.clinton.bc.ca/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/Bylaw-No.-607-2025-Zoning.pdf)
  - Official wording: "shall only be within an Accessory Building;" … "shall not be located within a Recreational Vehicle or Manufactured Home Dwelling." … "a. Dwelling, Accessory Dwelling Unit b. Dwelling, Secondary Suite c. Home Based Business"
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-08
- **Limits:** Secondary suite: no larger than the dwelling it is in; separate private entrance. Accessory dwelling unit: up to 100% of its accessory building but not larger than the house. Maximum one suite and one accessory dwelling unit per parcel.
  - Source: [Zoning Bylaw No. 607, 2025, ss. 6.14.1, 6.2.1, 6.14.3](https://village.clinton.bc.ca/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/Bylaw-No.-607-2025-Zoning.pdf)
  - Official wording: "have a floor area less than or equal to the floor area of the Dwelling in which it is" … "have a private entrance separate from the primary entrance of the Principal Use." … "may occupy up to 100% of the floor area of the Accessory Building in which it is" … "shall not exceed the floor area of the Single Detached Dwelling located on the same" … "a maximum of one (1) Secondary Suite and one (1)"
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-08
- **Parking:** 1 space per dwelling unit for a secondary suite or accessory dwelling unit (on top of the main house).
  - Source: [Zoning Bylaw No. 607, 2025, Table 20-1, s. 6.14.2](https://village.clinton.bc.ca/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/Bylaw-No.-607-2025-Zoning.pdf)
  - Official wording: "Dwelling, Secondary 1 space per Dwelling Unit Suite, Accessory Dwelling Unit" … "provide designated parking for the"
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-08
- **Permits:** Not confirmed. The zoning bylaw does not list the permits needed for a suite.
- **Bylaw:** Zoning Bylaw No. 607, 2025 (ss. 6.2, 6.14, zone sections, Table 20-1).
  - Source: [Zoning Bylaw No. 607, 2025, s. 1](https://village.clinton.bc.ca/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/Bylaw-No.-607-2025-Zoning.pdf)
  - Official wording: "Village of Clinton Zoning Bylaw No. 607, 2025"
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-08

## How it works

[Zoning Bylaw No. 607, 2025](https://village.clinton.bc.ca/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/Bylaw-No.-607-2025-Zoning.pdf) allows two kinds of extra home, each as a permitted secondary use in the R1, R2, R4, A1 and A2 zones:

- A secondary suite inside a single detached dwelling. It can be no larger than the dwelling it is in and needs a separate private entrance.
- An accessory dwelling unit, in an accessory building only (not an RV or manufactured home). It can use up to 100% of its accessory building but can be no larger than the house.

A parcel may have one suite and one accessory dwelling unit at most. Parking is 1 space per dwelling unit for a suite or accessory dwelling unit, on top of the main house.

## Steps

1. Confirm your zone with the Village office at 250-459-2261.
2. Ask the Village and TNRD Building Inspection Services (250-377-8673) which permits your suite needs. The zoning bylaw does not list them.
3. Follow the building-permit steps if a permit applies.

## Good to know

- R3 and the commercial, industrial and public zones do not list a secondary suite.
- No owner-occupancy rule was found in the bylaw read.
- The TNRD guide names interior partitions and changes of use as needing a building permit, but does not mention suites.

## Official forms and pages

- [Zoning Bylaw No. 607, 2025 (PDF)](https://village.clinton.bc.ca/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/Bylaw-No.-607-2025-Zoning.pdf)

## Related questions

- [Clinton zoning: find your zone and what it allows](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/clinton/zoning-lookup.md)
- [Clinton building permits: when you need one and how to apply](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/clinton/building-permit.md)
- [Clinton permits for decks, sheds, carports and garages](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/clinton/deck-shed-garage-permit.md)

## The same question elsewhere

- [Secondary suite and carriage house rules in British Columbia, by municipality](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/secondary-suite.md)
- [Cache Creek](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/cache-creek/secondary-suite.md)
- [Ashcroft](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/ashcroft/secondary-suite.md)
- [Lillooet](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/lillooet/secondary-suite.md)
- [100 Mile House](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/100-mile-house/secondary-suite.md)
- [Logan Lake](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/logan-lake/secondary-suite.md)
- [Lytton](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/lytton/secondary-suite.md)

## Sources

- [Zoning Bylaw No. 607, 2025 (PDF)](https://village.clinton.bc.ca/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/Bylaw-No.-607-2025-Zoning.pdf) (read 2026-11-08)
- [Contact Us, Village of Clinton](https://village.clinton.bc.ca/plan-your-visit/contact-us/) (read 2026-11-08)
- [Building Permits, Thompson-Nicola Regional District](https://www.tnrd.ca/planning-development/building-permits/) (read 2026-11-08)

_Checked by script, not yet by a person: the official wording behind 5 of 6 facts was matched to the official text; 1 could not be confirmed. Gov Handbook is an independent guide, not affiliated with Village of Clinton. How answers are checked: https://govhandbook.com/methods/ · Canonical page: https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/clinton/secondary-suite/_