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

# Cumberland secondary suite and carriage house rules

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

**Short answer:** In the Village of Cumberland a secondary suite is allowed as a secondary use in the R-1, R-2, R-3, R-RTMU and R-MU zones (not R-MHP) and some mixed-use and interchange zones. You need a building permit and one extra parking space. The zoning bylaw does not define a coach house.

**Who handles it:** Municipal (Village of Cumberland, https://cumberland.ca)  
**Cost:** Building permit fees apply (see building-permit-fees). Amenity Cost Charges and Development Cost Charges may apply when a dwelling unit is added.  
**How long:** The Village does not state a processing time.  
**Where:**
- In person: Village Office, 2673 Dunsmuir Avenue, Cumberland, BC (Monday to Friday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.)
- Phone: Village Office, 250-336-2291
- Email: Planner, planning@cumberland.ca

## Key facts

- **Secondary suite allowed:** Allowed as a secondary use in R-1, R-2, R-3, R-RTMU and R-MU (not R-MHP). Also allowed in the MU-2 and MU-3 mixed-use zones and in some Interchange zones; check the permitted-use table for the zone.
  - Source: [Zoning Bylaw No. 1238, 2025, consolidated July 27, 2026, Table 10.2(1)](https://cumberland.ca/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Bylaw-1238-consolidated_27Jul2026_nav.pdf)
  - Official wording: "Secondary Suite 6 S S S -- S S" … "Secondary Suite n/a S S"
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-08
- **Coach house or garden suite allowed:** The Zoning Bylaw does not define a coach house or garden suite. It sets a 90.0 m² maximum floor area for each additional detached dwelling unit in the R-2 and R-3 zones (n/a in R-1); an R-1 lot may have up to 4 dwelling units, R-2 up to 3 and R-3 up to 2.
  - Source: [Zoning Bylaw No. 1238, 2025, consolidated July 27, 2026, Table 10.5(1); Table 10.4(1)](https://cumberland.ca/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Bylaw-1238-consolidated_27Jul2026_nav.pdf)
  - Official wording: "Maximum Floor Area of Each Additional Detached" … "Maximum No. of Dwelling Units 1 4 per lot 3 per lot 2 per lot"
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-08
- **Limits:** One secondary suite per principal dwelling unit. It must be incidental to and integrated with the principal dwelling, not connected to it through a breezeway, garage or similar unconditioned space, and have its own separate entrance. It cannot be strata-subdivided. Accessory buildings cannot contain a dwelling unit.
  - Source: [Zoning Bylaw No. 1238, 2025, consolidated July 27, 2026, s. 6.7; s. 6.1(3)](https://cumberland.ca/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Bylaw-1238-consolidated_27Jul2026_nav.pdf)
  - Official wording: "A maximum of one secondary suite is permitted per principal dwelling unit." … "have its own separate entrance." … "No secondary suite can be subdivided from the principal dwelling unit under the Strata Property" … "No accessory building or structure can contain a dwelling unit or sleeping unit."
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-08
- **Parking:** 1.0 space per secondary suite, in addition to the parking required for the principal dwelling unit.
  - Source: [Zoning Bylaw No. 1238, 2025, consolidated July 27, 2026, Table 9.4.1(2) and condition 2](https://cumberland.ca/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Bylaw-1238-consolidated_27Jul2026_nav.pdf)
  - Official wording: "Secondary suites 2" … "Parking requirements for secondary suites are in addition to the parking requirements for the"
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-08
- **Permits:** A building permit is required for a secondary suite. Adding a dwelling unit may trigger Amenity Cost Charges and Development Cost Charges. A development permit depends on the development permit areas that apply to the lot.
  - Source: [Building and Plumbing Permits, Building and Plumbing Permits page](https://cumberland.ca/building-permits/)
  - Official wording: "construction of an secondary suite" … "If you are adding a dwelling unit to your property ACC’s and DCC’s may apply."
  - Source: [Development Permits, Is a Development Permit Needed?](https://cumberland.ca/development-permits/)
  - Official wording: "First determine if your property is within any of the DPAs."
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-08
- **Bylaw:** Zoning Bylaw No. 1238, 2025 (s. 6.7, Table 10.2(1)); Building Bylaw No. 949, 2012
  - Source: [Zoning Bylaw No. 1238, 2025, consolidated July 27, 2026, s. 1.1](https://cumberland.ca/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Bylaw-1238-consolidated_27Jul2026_nav.pdf)
  - Official wording: "This Bylaw may be cited as “Village of Cumberland Zoning Bylaw No. 1238, 2025”."
  - Source: [https://cumberland.ca/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/Bylaw-949-Building-Bylaw-CONS-Jan-17-2020.pdf, Title page](https://cumberland.ca/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/Bylaw-949-Building-Bylaw-CONS-Jan-17-2020.pdf)
  - Official wording: "Cumberland Building Bylaw No. 949, 2012"
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-08

## How it works

[Zoning Bylaw No. 1238](https://cumberland.ca/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Bylaw-1238-consolidated_27Jul2026_nav.pdf) allows a secondary suite as a secondary use in R-1, R-2, R-3, R-RTMU and R-MU (not R-MHP), and also in the MU-2 and MU-3 mixed-use zones and some Interchange zones. Check the permitted-use table for your zone.

Rules for a suite: one secondary suite per principal dwelling unit; it must be incidental to and integrated with the principal dwelling, not connected to it through a breezeway, garage or similar unconditioned space, and have its own separate entrance; it cannot be strata-subdivided. Parking is 1.0 space per suite, in addition to what the principal dwelling needs.

Accessory buildings cannot contain a dwelling unit. The bylaw does not define a coach house or garden suite. It sets a 90.0 m² maximum floor area for each additional detached dwelling unit in the R-2 and R-3 zones (not applicable in R-1). An R-1 lot may have up to 4 dwelling units, R-2 up to 3 and R-3 up to 2.

## Steps

1. Find your zone (see the zoning-lookup answer) and check the use table.
2. Ask the Planner (planning@cumberland.ca or 250-336-2291) whether a development permit area applies to your lot.
3. Apply for a building permit; one is required for a secondary suite.

## Good to know

- Adding a dwelling unit may trigger Amenity Cost Charges and Development Cost Charges.
- The bylaw sets no suite size limit or owner-occupancy rule that we found; ask the Planner to confirm.
- For a detached coach house or garden suite, ask the Planner what the bylaw allows.

## Official forms and pages

- [Zoning Bylaw No. 1238, consolidated July 27, 2026 (PDF)](https://cumberland.ca/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Bylaw-1238-consolidated_27Jul2026_nav.pdf)
- [Building and Plumbing Permits, Village of Cumberland](https://cumberland.ca/building-permits/)
- [Development Permits, Village of Cumberland](https://cumberland.ca/development-permits/)

## Related questions

- [Cumberland building permits: when you need one and how to apply](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/cumberland/building-permit.md)
- [Cumberland building permit fees](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/cumberland/building-permit-fees.md)
- [Cumberland zoning: find your zone and what it allows](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/cumberland/zoning-lookup.md)
- [Cumberland short-term rental rules (Airbnb, Vrbo)](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/cumberland/short-term-rental.md)

## The same question elsewhere

- [Secondary suite and carriage house rules in British Columbia, by municipality](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/secondary-suite.md)
- [Courtenay](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/courtenay/secondary-suite.md)
- [Comox](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/comox/secondary-suite.md)
- [Campbell River](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/campbell-river/secondary-suite.md)
- [Powell River](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/powell-river/secondary-suite.md)
- [Port Alberni](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/port-alberni/secondary-suite.md)
- [Qualicum Beach](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/qualicum-beach/secondary-suite.md)

## Sources

- [Zoning Bylaw No. 1238, 2025, consolidated July 27, 2026 (PDF)](https://cumberland.ca/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Bylaw-1238-consolidated_27Jul2026_nav.pdf) (read 2026-11-08)
- [Building and Plumbing Permits, Village of Cumberland](https://cumberland.ca/building-permits/) (read 2026-11-08)
- [Development Permits, Village of Cumberland](https://cumberland.ca/development-permits/) (read 2026-11-08)
- [https://cumberland.ca/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/Bylaw-949-Building-Bylaw-CONS-Jan-17-2020.pdf](https://cumberland.ca/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/Bylaw-949-Building-Bylaw-CONS-Jan-17-2020.pdf) (read 2026-11-08)

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