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

# Montrose secondary suite and carriage house rules

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

**Short answer:** In Montrose a secondary suite (a complete unit inside a single family dwelling) is allowed in all R1 and RD zones and as a permitted use in the RU zone, one per dwelling. Detached units such as garden suites, laneway homes and carriage houses are prohibited, except at 620-12th Avenue.

**Who handles it:** Municipal (Village of Montrose, https://www.montrose.ca)  
**Cost:** Not stated; see the building-permit-fees answer for building permit fees.  
**How long:** Not stated.  
**Where:**
- In person: Village Office, 565 11th Ave., Montrose, BC V0G 1P0 (Monday to Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. and 1:00 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. (closed statutory holidays))
- Phone: Village Office, 250-367-7234
- Email: Village Office, admin@montrose.ca

## Key facts

- **Secondary suite allowed:** Secondary suites (a complete unit with its own kitchen, sleeping area and washroom inside another dwelling) are permitted in all R1 and RD zones, and are a permitted use in the RU (Rural) zone. They are prohibited at 620-12th Avenue.
  - Source: [Zoning Amendment Bylaw No. 783, 2024, new s. 3.15; s. 4.9.2](https://www.montrose.ca/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Bylaw-783-Zoning-Amendment-Bylaw.pdf)
  - Official wording: "Secondary Suites are permitted in all Rl and RD zones provided" … "b) Secondary suites are prohibited at 620-12th Avenue." … "Add 4.9.2 b) Secondary suites;"
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-08
- **Coach house or garden suite allowed:** Accessory dwelling units (garden suite, laneway home, carriage house, garage suite) are prohibited in all R1 and RD zones, except 620-12th Avenue, which may have one.
  - Source: [Zoning Amendment Bylaw No. 783, 2024, new s. 3.15.1](https://www.montrose.ca/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Bylaw-783-Zoning-Amendment-Bylaw.pdf)
  - Official wording: "Accessory Dwelling Units are prohibited in all Rl and RD" … "a) 620-12th Avenue is permitted to have one (1)"
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-08
- **Limits:** One secondary suite per single family dwelling.
  - Source: [Zoning Amendment Bylaw No. 783, 2024, new s. 3.15(a)](https://www.montrose.ca/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Bylaw-783-Zoning-Amendment-Bylaw.pdf)
  - Official wording: "A maximum of one (1) secondary suite is permitted per single"
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-08
- **Parking:** One parking space for a secondary suite (and one for an accessory dwelling unit), on top of the 2 spaces for the main dwelling.
  - Source: [Zoning Amendment Bylaw No. 783, 2024, s. 3.9](https://www.montrose.ca/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Bylaw-783-Zoning-Amendment-Bylaw.pdf)
  - Official wording: "Add - "Secondary Suite" 1 parking space" … "Add - "Accessory Dwelling Unit" 1 parking space"
  - Source: [Zoning Bylaw No. 771, 2022, s. 3.9](https://www.montrose.ca/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/771-Zoning-Bylaw.pdf)
  - Official wording: "2 spaces per dwelling unit."
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-08
- **Permits:** Not stated for suites. The Building Bylaw requires a building permit before constructing or altering a building or structure; the suite definition says building code standards apply.
  - Source: [Building Bylaw (2005-1) No. 633, s. 8.1.1](https://www.montrose.ca/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/633_Building.pdf)
  - Official wording: "building permit before constructing or altering a building or"
  - Source: [Zoning Amendment Bylaw No. 783, 2024, definition](https://www.montrose.ca/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Bylaw-783-Zoning-Amendment-Bylaw.pdf)
  - Official wording: "Specific planning rules and building code standards exist for the development of secondary suites"
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-08
- **Bylaw:** Zoning Bylaw #771, 2022, as amended by Zoning Amendment Bylaw #783, 2024
  - Source: [Zoning Bylaw No. 771, 2022, s. 1.1](https://www.montrose.ca/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/771-Zoning-Bylaw.pdf)
  - Official wording: "Zoning Bylaw #771, 2022"
  - Source: [Zoning Amendment Bylaw No. 783, 2024, title](https://www.montrose.ca/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Bylaw-783-Zoning-Amendment-Bylaw.pdf)
  - Official wording: "ZONING AMENDMENT BYLAW #783,2024"
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-08

## How it works

In the Village of Montrose, [Zoning Bylaw 771](https://www.montrose.ca/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/771-Zoning-Bylaw.pdf) as amended by [Zoning Amendment Bylaw 783](https://www.montrose.ca/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Bylaw-783-Zoning-Amendment-Bylaw.pdf) (2024) allows secondary suites. A secondary suite is a complete unit with its own kitchen, sleeping area and washroom inside another dwelling. Before 2024 only "in-law suites" for relatives of the owner were allowed.

- **Where:** all R1 and RD zones, and as a permitted use in the RU (Rural) zone. They are prohibited at 620-12th Avenue.
- **How many:** one secondary suite per single family dwelling.
- **Detached units:** accessory dwelling units (garden suite, laneway home, carriage house, garage suite) are prohibited in all R1 and RD zones, except 620-12th Avenue, which may have one.
- **Parking:** one parking space for the suite, on top of the 2 spaces for the main dwelling.

## Good to know

- A suite cannot be stratified or separated from the main house.
- The new rules list no owner-occupancy requirement or size limit.
- The suite definition says building code standards apply, and the Building Bylaw requires a building permit before constructing or altering a building. No separate suite permit is stated; the Village's website says the RDKB issues building permits, so confirm with the Village Office on 250-367-7234.

## Official forms and pages

- [Zoning Amendment Bylaw No. 783, 2024 (PDF), Village of Montrose](https://www.montrose.ca/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Bylaw-783-Zoning-Amendment-Bylaw.pdf)
- [Zoning Bylaw No. 771, 2022 (PDF), Village of Montrose](https://www.montrose.ca/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/771-Zoning-Bylaw.pdf)
- [Building Bylaw (2005-1) No. 633 (PDF), Village of Montrose](https://www.montrose.ca/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/633_Building.pdf)

## Related questions

- [Montrose building permits: when you need one and how to apply](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/montrose/building-permit.md)
- [Montrose building permit fees](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/montrose/building-permit-fees.md)
- [Montrose zoning: find your zone and what it allows](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/montrose/zoning-lookup.md)

## The same question elsewhere

- [Secondary suite and carriage house rules in British Columbia, by municipality](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/secondary-suite.md)
- [Fruitvale](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/fruitvale/secondary-suite.md)
- [Trail](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/trail/secondary-suite.md)
- [Warfield](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/warfield/secondary-suite.md)
- [Rossland](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/rossland/secondary-suite.md)
- [Castlegar](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/castlegar/secondary-suite.md)
- [Salmo](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/salmo/secondary-suite.md)

## Sources

- [Zoning Amendment Bylaw No. 783, 2024 (PDF), Village of Montrose](https://www.montrose.ca/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Bylaw-783-Zoning-Amendment-Bylaw.pdf) (read 2026-11-08)
- [Zoning Bylaw No. 771, 2022 (PDF), Village of Montrose](https://www.montrose.ca/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/771-Zoning-Bylaw.pdf) (read 2026-11-08)
- [Building Bylaw (2005-1) No. 633 (PDF), Village of Montrose](https://www.montrose.ca/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/633_Building.pdf) (read 2026-11-08)
- [Permits and Licenses, Village of Montrose](https://www.montrose.ca/permits-and-licenses/) (read 2026-11-08)
- [Contacts, Village of Montrose](https://www.montrose.ca/contacts/) (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 Montrose. How answers are checked: https://govhandbook.com/methods/ · Canonical page: https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/montrose/secondary-suite/_