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Kaslo secondary suite and carriage house rules

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

Kaslo, British ColumbiaChecked against official textSources read 2026-11-08

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.

Key facts

Secondary suite allowedYes, as a secondary use in the R-1, RM-1, C-2 (Central Business District) and C-3 (Neighbourhood Commercial) zones.Zoning Bylaw No. 1341, 2026, ss. 8.1.2, 8.3.2, 8.6, 8.7 · Wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-08
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
Coach house or garden suite allowedYes: a 'carriage house dwelling' is allowed in the R-1, RM-1, C-2 and C-3 zones.Zoning Bylaw No. 1341, 2026, ss. 8.1.2, 8.3.2, 5.6 · Wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-08
Official wording
means a self-contained dwelling unit that is detached from and clearly secondary to a principal residential building on the same lot
LimitsSuite: 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.Zoning Bylaw No. 1341, 2026, ss. 5.6, 5.10 · Wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-08
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
Parking1.0 space per dwelling unit for a secondary suite, and 1.0 space per dwelling unit for a carriage house.Zoning Bylaw No. 1341, 2026, Table 7.4.1 · Wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-08
Official wording
Dwelling, Carriage House 1.0 space per dwelling unit
Secondary Suite 1.0 space per dwelling unit
PermitsA 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).Building Permit Checklist 3, Secondary Suite, page 1; Building Permits; Official Community Plan Bylaw No. 1280, 2022, s. 16.1 · Wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-08
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.
RDCK inspectors act as the Village's Building and Plumbing Official.
all developments subject to a DPA, a building
permit shall not be issued until a development
BylawZoning Bylaw No. 1341, 2026, ss. 5.6 and 5.10 and Part 8; Table 7.4.1Zoning Bylaw No. 1341, 2026, s. 5.10 · Wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-08
Official wording
5.10. SECONDARY SUITES
Zoning Bylaw No. 1341, 2026

How it works

The Zoning Bylaw No. 1341 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 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 says the Official Community Plan is being updated.

Official forms and pages

The same question in other places

Silverton · New Denver · Slocan · Nelson · Nakusp · Kimberley

Secondary suite and carriage house rules in British Columbia, by municipality →

Sources

  1. Zoning Bylaw No. 1341, 2026 (PDF), Village of Kaslo (read 2026-11-08)
  2. Building Permit Checklist 3, Secondary Suite (PDF), Village of Kaslo (read 2026-11-08)
  3. Official Community Plan Bylaw No. 1280, 2022 (PDF), Village of Kaslo (read 2026-11-08)
  4. Building Permits, Village of Kaslo (read 2026-11-08)
  5. Fees and Charges Bylaw No. 1300 (PDF), Village of Kaslo (read 2026-11-08)
  6. Building Department, Regional District of Central Kootenay (read 2026-11-08)
  7. Village Office, Village of Kaslo (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. How answers are checked.