Kitimat secondary suite and carriage house rules

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

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

How it works

Kitimat's Kitimat Municipal Code does not use the term secondary suite. Instead, zones allow a number of dwelling units. A second unit is allowed where a zone permits two dwelling units on a lot: R2-A (detached dwelling, up to two units), R2-B (semi-detached, up to two units) and the G3, G3-A, G3-B, G3-C and G5-A rural zones. The one-family R1 zones allow one dwelling unit. We did not read every zone, so ask Planning about yours.

A detached unit (the Code's "Accessory Dwelling Unit (Detached)") is allowed only on listed sites: certain Mulberry Street lots in R2-A, three Oolichan Avenue lots in C4, three Loganberry Avenue lots in C10, the G3-A, G3-B and G3-C zones, and one listed parcel in G5-A. In G3-A it is allowed only where there is clear land for a sewerage reserve disposal field. Detached units are not permitted in the R1 zones.

Detached unit limits (s. 9.2.1.15): at most 100 m² of floor area; it must be in place of the second dwelling unit allowed in the main residence; a landscape screen toward neighbouring residences; it cannot be subdivided or stratified; and no tourist accommodation except with one Bed and Breakfast on the parcel.

Steps

1. Ask Community Planning and Development which zone you are in and whether a second unit is allowed (planning@kitimat.ca, 250-632-8900).
2. Apply for a building permit; plumbing permits are needed for new plumbing. See the building-permit answer.
3. If the property is in a development permit area, get that permit first, because no building permit is issued without it.
4. Include Homeowner Protection Office registration with a residential building permit application.

Good to know

• R2-A parking: at least three spaces per lot, two with unrestricted access to the highway, each 3.5 m by 6.5 m, with at least one in the permissible building area for a garage or carport. In R2-A the main dwelling and detached unit must be 3.7 m or more apart. No separate parking figure for the suite was found.
• No owner-occupancy requirement or size limit for an interior suite was found in the Code.
• No suite-specific permit or registration was found. Rental accommodation standards are in Part 13, s. 13.3.4.
• The Official Community Plan says the District must amend the Code by December 31, 2030 to allow 3 to 4 units on eligible residential lots under provincial law, so these rules are expected to change.