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

# Kaslo secondary suite and carriage house rules

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

**Short answer:** Yes. Kaslo's Zoning Bylaw allows a secondary suite (up to 90 m²) or a carriage house (up to 100 m²) in the R-1, RM-1, C-2 and C-3 zones. You need a building permit, and a development permit first if the lot is in a Development Permit Area.

**Who handles it:** Municipal (Village of Kaslo, https://www.kaslo.ca)  
**Cost:** RDCK building permit fees apply (see building-permit-fees). Development permit fee: $250.  
**How long:** Not stated by the Village; the RDCK says turnaround for completed building permit applications is currently about 6 to 8 weeks.  
**Where:**
- In person: Village Office, 413 Fourth Street, Kaslo, BC (Monday to Friday, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. (as shown on the Village website; confirm by phone))
- Phone: RDCK Inspection Line, 250-352-8155
- Email: RDCK building department, buildingdepartment@rdck.bc.ca

## Key facts

- **Secondary suite allowed:** Yes, as a secondary use in the R-1, RM-1, C-2 (Central Business District) and C-3 (Neighbourhood Commercial) zones.
  - Source: [Zoning Bylaw No. 1341, 2026, ss. 8.1.2, 8.3.2, 8.6, 8.7](https://kaslo.civicweb.net/document/15785/)
  - Official wording: "Dwelling, Carriage House vi. Home Occupation, Minor vii. Secondary Suite" … "Home Occupation, Bed and Breakfast Accommodation viii. Home Occupation, Vacation Rental Accommodation ix. Secondary Suite"
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-08
- **Coach house or garden suite allowed:** Yes: a 'carriage house dwelling' is allowed in the R-1, RM-1, C-2 and C-3 zones.
  - Source: [Zoning Bylaw No. 1341, 2026, ss. 8.1.2, 8.3.2, 5.6](https://kaslo.civicweb.net/document/15785/)
  - Official wording: "means a self-contained dwelling unit that is detached from and clearly secondary to a principal residential building on the same lot"
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-08
- **Limits:** Suite: max 90 m², one per principal dwelling, integrated with the house (not joined by breezeway or carport), not strata-titled. Carriage house: max 100 m², 7.5 m high, one per lot, not in front of the house. On lots under 1.0 ha without municipal water and sewer, not both.
  - Source: [Zoning Bylaw No. 1341, 2026, ss. 5.6, 5.10](https://kaslo.civicweb.net/document/15785/)
  - Official wording: "have a maximum floor area of 90.0 square metres" … "A maximum of one secondary suite shall be permitted per principal dwelling unit." … "(a) Maximum Floor Area 100.0 m2" … "A maximum of one carriage house dwelling shall be permitted per lot." … "shall not be subdivided from the principal dwelling unit under the Strata"
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-08
- **Parking:** 1.0 space per dwelling unit for a secondary suite, and 1.0 space per dwelling unit for a carriage house.
  - Source: [Zoning Bylaw No. 1341, 2026, Table 7.4.1](https://kaslo.civicweb.net/document/15785/)
  - Official wording: "Dwelling, Carriage House 1.0 space per dwelling unit" … "Secondary Suite 1.0 space per dwelling unit"
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-08
- **Permits:** A building permit (the Village posts a Secondary Suite checklist; RDCK inspectors act as the Village's building official). A development permit is also needed first if the lot is in a Development Permit Area (lakefront, stream, wildfire or heritage core).
  - Source: [Building Permit Checklist 3, Secondary Suite, page 1](https://villageofkaslo2022.municipalwebsites.ca/ckfinder/connector?command=Proxy&lang=en&type=Files&currentFolder=%2F&hash=c245c263ce0eced480effe66bbede6b4d46c15ae&fileName=KASLO_Building-Permit_Checklist3-Secondary-Suite-REVISED%20March%2010%2C%202025.pdf)
  - Official wording: "Secondary Suites are self-contained dwelling units attached to a primary dwelling, containing cooking, living, sleeping, and sanitary facilities. They can not be strata titled."
  - Source: [Building Permits](https://www.kaslo.ca/p/building-permits)
  - Official wording: "RDCK inspectors act as the Village's Building and Plumbing Official."
  - Source: [Official Community Plan Bylaw No. 1280, 2022, s. 16.1](https://villageofkaslo2022.municipalwebsites.ca/ckfinder/connector?command=Proxy&lang=en&type=Files&currentFolder=%2FBylaws%2F&hash=c245c263ce0eced480effe66bbede6b4d46c15ae&fileName=1280%20Official%20Community%20Plan%20Bylaw%20No_%201280%2C%202022(1%29.pdf)
  - Official wording: "all developments subject to a DPA, a building" … "permit shall not be issued until a development"
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-08
- **Bylaw:** Zoning Bylaw No. 1341, 2026, ss. 5.6 and 5.10 and Part 8; Table 7.4.1
  - Source: [Zoning Bylaw No. 1341, 2026, s. 5.10](https://kaslo.civicweb.net/document/15785/)
  - Official wording: "5.10. SECONDARY SUITES" … "Zoning Bylaw No. 1341, 2026"
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-08

## How it works

The [Zoning Bylaw No. 1341](https://kaslo.civicweb.net/document/15785/) allows a secondary suite as a secondary use, and a "carriage house dwelling", in the R-1, RM-1, C-2 (Central Business District) and C-3 (Neighbourhood Commercial) zones. No owner-occupancy requirement was found in the bylaw.

- **Secondary suite:** up to 90 m²; one per principal dwelling; built into the house (not joined to it by a breezeway or carport); not strata-titled.
- **Carriage house:** up to 100 m² and 7.5 m high; one per lot; not in front of the house.
- **Lots under 1.0 ha without municipal water and sewer:** you may have one or the other, not both.
- **Parking:** 1.0 space per dwelling unit for a secondary suite and 1.0 space per dwelling unit for a carriage house, on the same lot.

## Steps

1. Confirm your lot's zone and whether it is in a Development Permit Area (lakefront, stream, wildfire or heritage core) with the Village Office, 250-353-2311.
2. If it is, get a development permit first; the application fee is $250.
3. Use the Village's Secondary Suite checklist from the [Building Permits page](https://www.kaslo.ca/p/building-permits) and apply for a building permit.

## Good to know

- Payment in lieu of parking is possible under Bylaw 1228, according to the Village's Development page.
- The Village's [OCP and Zoning Bylaw Update page](https://www.kaslo.ca/p/ocp-and-zoning-bylaw-update) says the Official Community Plan is being updated.

## Official forms and pages

- [Building Permit Checklist 3, Secondary Suite (PDF), Village of Kaslo](https://villageofkaslo2022.municipalwebsites.ca/ckfinder/connector?command=Proxy&lang=en&type=Files&currentFolder=%2F&hash=c245c263ce0eced480effe66bbede6b4d46c15ae&fileName=KASLO_Building-Permit_Checklist3-Secondary-Suite-REVISED%20March%2010%2C%202025.pdf)
- [Zoning Bylaw No. 1341, 2026 (PDF), Village of Kaslo](https://kaslo.civicweb.net/document/15785/)
- [Official Community Plan Bylaw No. 1280, 2022 (PDF), Village of Kaslo](https://villageofkaslo2022.municipalwebsites.ca/ckfinder/connector?command=Proxy&lang=en&type=Files&currentFolder=%2FBylaws%2F&hash=c245c263ce0eced480effe66bbede6b4d46c15ae&fileName=1280%20Official%20Community%20Plan%20Bylaw%20No_%201280%2C%202022(1%29.pdf)

## Related questions

- [Kaslo building permits: when you need one and how to apply](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/kaslo/building-permit.md)
- [Kaslo building permit fees](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/kaslo/building-permit-fees.md)
- [Kaslo zoning: find your zone and what it allows](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/kaslo/zoning-lookup.md)
- [Kaslo short-term rental rules (Airbnb, Vrbo)](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/kaslo/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)
- [Silverton](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/silverton/secondary-suite.md)
- [New Denver](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/new-denver/secondary-suite.md)
- [Slocan](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/slocan/secondary-suite.md)
- [Nelson](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/nelson/secondary-suite.md)
- [Nakusp](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/nakusp/secondary-suite.md)
- [Kimberley](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/kimberley/secondary-suite.md)

## Sources

- [Zoning Bylaw No. 1341, 2026 (PDF), Village of Kaslo](https://kaslo.civicweb.net/document/15785/) (read 2026-11-08)
- [Building Permit Checklist 3, Secondary Suite (PDF), Village of Kaslo](https://villageofkaslo2022.municipalwebsites.ca/ckfinder/connector?command=Proxy&lang=en&type=Files&currentFolder=%2F&hash=c245c263ce0eced480effe66bbede6b4d46c15ae&fileName=KASLO_Building-Permit_Checklist3-Secondary-Suite-REVISED%20March%2010%2C%202025.pdf) (read 2026-11-08)
- [Official Community Plan Bylaw No. 1280, 2022 (PDF), Village of Kaslo](https://villageofkaslo2022.municipalwebsites.ca/ckfinder/connector?command=Proxy&lang=en&type=Files&currentFolder=%2FBylaws%2F&hash=c245c263ce0eced480effe66bbede6b4d46c15ae&fileName=1280%20Official%20Community%20Plan%20Bylaw%20No_%201280%2C%202022(1%29.pdf) (read 2026-11-08)
- [Building Permits, Village of Kaslo](https://www.kaslo.ca/p/building-permits) (read 2026-11-08)
- [Fees and Charges Bylaw No. 1300 (PDF), Village of Kaslo](https://kaslo.civicweb.net/document/16424/) (read 2026-11-08)
- [Building Department, Regional District of Central Kootenay](https://www.rdck.ca/development-community-sustainability-services/building/) (read 2026-11-08)
- [Village Office, Village of Kaslo](https://www.kaslo.ca/p/cityhall) (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 Kaslo. How answers are checked: https://govhandbook.com/methods/ · Canonical page: https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/kaslo/secondary-suite/_