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

# Hazelton secondary suite and carriage house rules

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

**Short answer:** Yes. Hazelton allows one secondary suite inside a single family home, and one detached accessory dwelling unit (ADU) of up to 90 m², in the Residential (R), Rural Residential (RR) and Residential Community (RC) zones. Both need a building permit.

**Who handles it:** Municipal (Village of Hazelton, https://hazelton.ca)  
**Cost:** Development permit for an ADU in a Development Permit Area, $250; see the building-permit-fees answer for building permit fees.  
**How long:** No guaranteed time. The Village's ADU guide says a project needing both development and building permits can take a couple of months.  
**Where:**
- In person: Municipal Office, 4310 Field Street, Hazelton, BC V0J 1Y0 (Monday to Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., closed 12:00 p.m. to 1:00 p.m.)
- Phone: Village Office, 250-842-5991
- Email: Village Office, info@hazelton.ca

## Key facts

- **Secondary suite allowed:** Yes. Secondary suites are a permitted use in the Residential (R), Rural Residential (RR) and Residential Community (RC) zones. Only one per lot, and the suite is a second dwelling unit within a single family dwelling.
  - Source: [Zoning Bylaw No. 478, 2015, unofficial consolidation, Zoning Bylaw s. 5.1.1, 5.2.1, 5.3.1, 3.12, definitions](https://hazelton.ca/?mdocs-file=629)
  - Official wording: "c) Secondary Suites" … "Only one Secondary Suites shall be permitted on a lot." … "SECONDARY SUITE means a second and subordinate dwelling unit within a single family"
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-08
- **Coach house or garden suite allowed:** Yes, as an Accessory Dwelling Unit (ADU), a detached unit, where permitted: R, RR and RC zones. One per lot, max 90 m², on a permanent foundation, within the required rear yard, not strata-titled, not a short-term rental, no secondary suite inside it, connected to municipal water and sewer, and access no more than 30 m from a public street or laneway.
  - Source: [Zoning Bylaw No. 478, 2015, unofficial consolidation, Zoning Bylaw s. 3.17](https://hazelton.ca/?mdocs-file=629)
  - Official wording: "An Accessory Dwelling Unit shall have a maximum gross floor area of 90 m2" … "No lot shall have more than one Accessory Dwelling Unit;" … "An Accessory Dwelling Unit shall be sited within a required rear yard;" … "30 m (98 ft) from an operational public street or laneway"
  - Source: [Zoning Bylaw No. 478, 2015, unofficial consolidation, Zoning Bylaw s. 5.3.1](https://hazelton.ca/?mdocs-file=629)
  - Official wording: "g) Accessory Dwelling Units"
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-08
- **Limits:** Secondary suite: max floor area 40% of the principal building's total floor area; one per lot. ADU: max 90 m²; one per lot; ADU height max 5.8 m.
  - Source: [Zoning Bylaw No. 478, 2015, unofficial consolidation, Zoning Bylaw s. 3.12, 5.1.2](https://hazelton.ca/?mdocs-file=629)
  - Official wording: "The maximum floor area shall not exceed 40% of the total floor area of the Principal" … "Accessory Dwelling Units 5.8 meters (19.0 feet)"
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-08
- **Parking:** Not confirmed. The Village's zoning sheet states no parking rule for suites.
- **Permits:** A building permit is required for any construction or structural renovation. For an ADU, approval from BC Housing's Licensing and Consumer Services comes first, and in a Development Permit Area a development permit application ($250 fee) must be approved before the building permit.
  - Source: [Accessory Dwelling Unit guide, ADU guide, Application Process (page 7)](https://hazelton.ca/?mdocs-file=1805)
  - Official wording: "You need a building permit for any construction or" … "structural renovation." … "Before you apply to build an ADU, you must obtain" … "approval from BC Housing’s Licensing & Consumer" … "application fee" … "$250.00)" … "need to apply for a development permit (application fee"
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-08
- **Bylaw:** Zoning Bylaw No. 478, 2015, ss. 3.12 and 3.17
  - Source: [Zoning Bylaw No. 478, 2015, unofficial consolidation, Zoning Bylaw cover](https://hazelton.ca/?mdocs-file=629)
  - Official wording: "Village of Hazelton" … "Zoning Bylaw No. 478, 2015"
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-08

## How it works

The Village of Hazelton's [Zoning Bylaw No. 478](https://hazelton.ca/?mdocs-file=629) permits a secondary suite in the Residential (R), Rural Residential (RR) and Residential Community (RC) zones. It is a second dwelling unit within a single family dwelling, one per lot, with a floor area of up to 40% of the principal building's total floor area.

A detached unit, called an Accessory Dwelling Unit (ADU), is also permitted in R, RR and RC. Conditions (s. 3.17): one per lot, maximum 90 m² and 5.8 m high, on a permanent foundation, within the required rear yard, not strata-titled, not a short-term rental, no secondary suite inside it, connected to municipal water and sewer, and access no more than 30 m from a public street or laneway.

## Steps

1. Call the Village office to confirm your zone and lot suit a suite or ADU.
2. For an ADU, get approval from BC Housing's Licensing and Consumer Services first, as the Village's [ADU guide](https://hazelton.ca/?mdocs-file=1805) describes.
3. If your lot is in a Development Permit Area, apply for a development permit ($250 fee) and have it approved before the building permit.
4. Apply for a building permit. One is required for any construction or structural renovation.

## Good to know

- The sheet states no parking rule for suites. Ask the Village office.
- An ADU may not be used as a short-term rental.

## Official forms and pages

- [Accessory Dwelling Unit guide (PDF)](https://hazelton.ca/?mdocs-file=1805)
- [Zoning Bylaw No. 478, 2015 (PDF)](https://hazelton.ca/?mdocs-file=629)

## Related questions

- [Hazelton building permits: when you need one and how to apply](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/hazelton/building-permit.md)
- [Hazelton building permit fees](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/hazelton/building-permit-fees.md)
- [Hazelton zoning: find your zone and what it allows](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/hazelton/zoning-lookup.md)
- [Hazelton short-term rental rules (Airbnb, Vrbo)](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/hazelton/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)
- [New Hazelton](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/new-hazelton/secondary-suite.md)
- [Smithers](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/smithers/secondary-suite.md)
- [Telkwa](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/telkwa/secondary-suite.md)
- [Granisle](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/granisle/secondary-suite.md)
- [Terrace](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/terrace/secondary-suite.md)
- [Houston](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/houston/secondary-suite.md)

## Sources

- [Zoning Bylaw No. 478, 2015, unofficial consolidation (PDF), Village of Hazelton](https://hazelton.ca/?mdocs-file=629) (read 2026-11-08)
- [Accessory Dwelling Unit guide (PDF), Village of Hazelton](https://hazelton.ca/?mdocs-file=1805) (read 2026-11-08)
- [Contact Us, Village of Hazelton](https://hazelton.ca/village-office/contact-us/) (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 Hazelton. How answers are checked: https://govhandbook.com/methods/ · Canonical page: https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/hazelton/secondary-suite/_