Lumby secondary suite and carriage house rules

Can I add a secondary suite or a carriage house?

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

Short answer

Yes. Lumby allows one secondary suite inside a single family dwelling in several zones, and in some zones one secondary detached dwelling per lot. A building permit is required.

Key facts

Secondary suite allowed	Yes: one secondary suite inside a single family dwelling (s. 410), in the R.1, R.2, R.4, R.7, Small Holding and Country Residential zones. The Village says the 2024 amendments allow one single family dwelling with a secondary suite on all properties previously zoned only for a single family dwelling.Zoning Bylaw No. 750, 2012, consolidated, s. 410.1; s. 1201.1.e; Planning and Building Inspection, Village planning page · Wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-08 Official wording Secondary suites must be located in a single family dwelling; and Secondary Suites subject to the provisions of Section 410 the Zoning Bylaw has been updated to permit one single family dwelling with a secondary suite on all properties that were previously zoned to permit only a single family dwelling.
Coach house or garden suite allowed	Yes: one secondary detached dwelling per lot in the R.1, R.2, R.7, Small Holding and Country Residential zones (s. 412). Not allowed on a lot with a boarding, lodging, rooming house or bed and breakfast use. On septic the lot must be at least 1 ha (2.47 acres).Zoning Bylaw No. 750, 2012, consolidated, s. 412.1, 412.3, 412.11; s. 1201.1.h; Zoning Amendment Bylaw No. 895, 2024, s. 1.b · Wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-08 Official wording No more than one (1) secondary detached dwelling shall be permitted per lot. Secondary detached dwellings subject to the provisions of Section 412 A secondary detached dwelling is not permitted on a lot with a boarding house where the lot is serviced by an on-site septic tank effluent disposal system. Section 412.3 by replacing the words "2 ha" with "1 ha".
Limits	One suite per single family dwelling; no strata titling; must meet the BC Building Code. The suite floor-area limits (s. 410.3) were deleted by Bylaw 895, 2024. A detached dwelling: up to 90 m² (969 sq ft) floor area, up to 8 m high, at least 4.5 m from the front or exterior side lot line, 2 m from a side or rear line, and 3 m from other buildings.Zoning Bylaw No. 750, 2012, consolidated, s. 410.2, 410.5; s. 412.2; Zoning Amendment Bylaw No. 895, 2024, s. 1.a, 1.e · Wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-08 Official wording No more than one (1) secondary suite shall be permitted within a single family No strata titling will be permitted. 90 m2 (969 square feet) including the basement if applicable. 3 m (9.842 feet) from any other building or structure. Section 410.3 by deleting the section in its entirety. Section 412.9 by deleting the words "7 m" and replacing them with "8 m".
Parking	One off-street parking space for each secondary suite, not in tandem with another required space. Zoning Bylaw 601.3 was also reduced to 1 space for single and two family dwellings.Zoning Bylaw No. 750, 2012, consolidated, s. 410; Zoning Amendment Bylaw No. 895, 2024, s. 1.f · Wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-08 Official wording One (1) off-street parking space must be provided for each secondary suite. Section 601.3 by reducing the number of required parking spaces for single and two family
Permits	A building permit is required for every dwelling unit, including adding a suite within an existing dwelling. Development cost charges apply to additional dwelling units. Connections to municipal services should be discussed with Public Works.Planning and Building Inspection, Village planning page · Wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-08 Official wording Building Permits are required for all dwelling units which includes adding a suite within an existing dwelling. Development Cost Charges will apply to additional dwelling units in accordance with the applicable Development Cost Charge Bylaws. should be discussed with the Public Works Department.
Bylaw	Village of Lumby Zoning Bylaw No. 750, 2012, s. 410 (Secondary Suites) and s. 412 (Secondary Detached Dwellings), as amended by Bylaw No. 895, 2024Zoning Bylaw No. 750, 2012, consolidated, s. 410, 412 · Wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-08 Official wording 410 Secondary Suites 412 Secondary Detached Dwellings

How it works

The Zoning Bylaw No. 750, s. 410 (secondary suites) and s. 412 (secondary detached dwellings), as amended by Bylaw No. 895, 2024, sets the rules.

Suite inside a house: one secondary suite is allowed in a single family dwelling in the R.1, R.2, R.4, R.7, Small Holding and Country Residential zones. The Village says the 2024 amendments allow one single family dwelling with a secondary suite on all properties previously zoned only for a single family dwelling.
Detached dwelling: one per lot in the R.1, R.2, R.7, Small Holding and Country Residential zones. It is not allowed on a lot with a boarding, lodging, rooming house or bed and breakfast use. On septic the lot must be at least 1 ha (2.47 acres). No minimum lot area is stated for a lot on community sewer.

Limits: one suite per single family dwelling; no strata titling; the suite must meet the BC Building Code. Bylaw 895 deleted the suite floor-area limits (s. 410.3). A detached dwelling may be up to 90 m² (969 sq ft) and 8 m high, at least 4.5 m from the front or exterior side lot line, 2 m from a side or rear line, and 3 m from other buildings.

Parking: one off-street space for each secondary suite, not in tandem with another required space. A detached dwelling follows the general parking section 601 (s. 412.13).

Steps

Confirm your zone (see the zoning-lookup answer).
Check the limits above for a suite or a detached dwelling.
Talk to Public Works about connections to municipal services.
Apply for a building permit. One is required for every dwelling unit, including a suite within an existing dwelling.
Expect development cost charges for the additional unit.

Good to know

A development permit is not stated as needed for an R.1 suite, but the Official Community Plan's mapped environmental and hazard areas may apply to some lots. Ask RDNO planning (250-550-3700).
No owner-occupancy rule was found in s. 410 or s. 412.

Official forms and pages

The same question in other places

Coldstream · Vernon · Spallumcheen · Armstrong · Enderby · Lake Country

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

Sources

Zoning Bylaw No. 750, 2012, consolidated (PDF) (read 2026-11-08)
Zoning Amendment Bylaw No. 895, 2024 (PDF) (read 2026-11-08)
Planning and Building Inspection, Village of Lumby (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.