Creston secondary suite and carriage house rules

Can I add a secondary suite or a carriage house in Creston?

Creston, British ColumbiaChecked against official textSources read 2026-11-06

How it works

The Zoning Bylaw No. 1958 defines a secondary suite as an attached accessory dwelling unit contained within the principal building. Attached units are allowed as an accessory use in the AG, R1 and R5 zones, and in the Northwest Boulevard (CDNW) zone, where limited to a single family dwelling. A detached accessory dwelling unit (which may include a garden suite or carriage suite) is allowed in R1, R5 and AG. R3, R4 and R6 do not list one.

Limits:

• Attached unit: only in a single family dwelling, at most the lesser of 75.0 sq. m. or 40% of the principal dwelling's floor area.
• Detached unit: the lesser of 75.0 sq. m. or 60%, at least 3.0 m from the principal dwelling.
• R1 allows 3 dwelling units per lot (4 on lots over 280 sq. m.), one of which may be detached. R5 allows 2.
• Detached heights: R1 7.5 m; R5 garden suite 5.0 m, carriage suite 6.1 m.
• Parking: one additional on-site space for each attached or detached unit, on top of the spaces for the principal dwelling.
• No owner-occupancy rule was found for suites.

Steps

1. Check your zone in the Zoning Bylaw (see zoning-lookup).
2. Check the Development Permits page. A development permit is needed first if the lot is in a mapped wildfire or environmentally sensitive area, unless an exception applies, such as alterations completely within a building's interior. Check with staff.
3. Apply for a building permit using the secondary suite checklist: application form, owner's authorization, title, scaled drawings and site plan.
4. Book inspections as for any building permit.

Good to know

• The Town's page links two advisory documents for suites in new and existing single-family dwellings.
• A business licence is needed if you rent units as a business: four or more units on your principal-residence property, or two or more elsewhere (see business-licence).