---
title: District of North Vancouver secondary suite and carriage house rules
question: "Can I add a secondary suite or a coach house in the District of North Vancouver?"
place: District of North Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
place_path: ca/bc/north-vancouver-district
category: Building, renovating and your property
owner: municipal
owner_body: District of North Vancouver
sources_read: 2026-11-06
review: machine_checked
canonical: "https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/north-vancouver-district/secondary-suite/"
json: "https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/north-vancouver-district/secondary-suite.json"
---

# District of North Vancouver secondary suite and carriage house rules

**Question:** Can I add a secondary suite or a coach house in the District of North Vancouver?

**Short answer:** In the District of North Vancouver (not the City), a secondary suite is allowed in the R1 and R2 zones and the older single-family zones, one per lot, and needs a building permit. A coach house is allowed in R2 (one per lot) but is not a listed use in R1.

**Who handles it:** Municipal (District of North Vancouver, https://www.dnv.org)  
**Cost:** Building permit fees apply; see the building-permit-fees answer.  
**How long:** The processing time is not stated in the District documents we could read.  
**Where:**
- Phone: Building Department, 604-990-2480 (Monday to Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., closed statutory holidays; permit inquiries by appointment)
- Email: Building Department email, building@dnv.org
- Phone: Planning Department, 604-990-2387
- In person: Municipal Hall, 355 West Queens Road, North Vancouver, BC V7N 4N5

## Key facts

- **Secondary suite allowed:** Yes, as an accessory use in the R1 and R2 detached residential zones and in the older single-family (RS) zones. R2 requires the suite to be in the principal building. Only one suite per lot.
  - Source: [Section 525 to Zoning Bylaw 3210, R1 and R2 zones, R1/R2 s. 2, 3](https://docs.dnv.org/documents/zoning-guide-section-525.pdf)
  - Official wording: "A Secondary Suite is only permitted when it is:" … "Located in the Principal Building; and"
  - Source: [Zoning Bylaw 3210, s. 501.1(b)(iii)](https://docs.dnv.org/documents/bylaw-3210.pdf)
  - Official wording: "secondary suites are permitted only in single-family" … "only one secondary suite dwelling unit is permitted on a single-family"
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06
- **Coach house or garden suite allowed:** Coach house: yes in R2 (one per lot, with or without a suite, max 130.1 m²); not a listed use in R1. In RS zones, coach houses are not permitted outside the Urban Containment Boundary.
  - Source: [Section 525 to Zoning Bylaw 3210, R1 and R2 zones, R2 s. 4](https://docs.dnv.org/documents/zoning-guide-section-525.pdf)
  - Official wording: "A maximum of one (1) Principal Dwelling Unit, one (1) Secondary Suite, and one (1) Coach House are permitted per Lot." … "130.1 m2 (1,400 ft2)"
  - Source: [Section 525 to Zoning Bylaw 3210, R1 and R2 zones, R1 s. 4](https://docs.dnv.org/documents/zoning-guide-section-525.pdf)
  - Official wording: "A maximum of one (1) Principal Dwelling Unit and one (1) Secondary Suite are permitted per Lot."
  - Source: [Zoning Bylaw 3210, s. 501.1(b)(vi)](https://docs.dnv.org/documents/bylaw-3210.pdf)
  - Official wording: "coach houses are not permitted outside the Urban Containment Boundary"
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06
- **Limits:** R1/R2: suite no larger than 49% of the principal building's gross floor area; one suite per lot. RS zones: lesser of 130 m² or 49% of net floor area (minimum 90 m²), and the owner must live in the suite or the main dwelling.
  - Source: [Section 525 to Zoning Bylaw 3210, R1 and R2 zones, R1 s. 3](https://docs.dnv.org/documents/zoning-guide-section-525.pdf)
  - Official wording: "A Secondary Suite is only permitted when it is no larger than 49% of the Principal Building"
  - Source: [Zoning Bylaw 3210, s. 501.1(b)(iii)(d)](https://docs.dnv.org/documents/bylaw-3210.pdf)
  - Official wording: "the owner of a single-family residential building containing a secondary suite dwelling unit shall be a resident of either the"
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06
- **Parking:** Single-family house: 2 spaces. With a secondary suite or a coach house, 1 more (3 in total). With both a suite and a coach house the table also adds only 1 (3 in total); the District's coach house guide also asks for 3 spaces.
  - Source: [Zoning Bylaw 3210, s. 1001](https://docs.dnv.org/documents/bylaw-3210.pdf)
  - Official wording: "1. Base Rate 2 per dwelling unit" … "2. Single family residential building with" … "1 space in addition to the Base Rate"
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06
- **Permits:** A building permit is required to create a secondary suite. If the property is in a development permit area (check geoweb.dnv.org), that development permit must be completed before applying for the building permit.
  - Source: [Zoning guide, single-family residential RS1-5, Section A](https://docs.dnv.org/documents/zoning-guide-single-family-residential-1-5.pdf)
  - Official wording: "creating a Secondary Suite (see bulletin)" … "Please check the online maps at www.geoweb.dnv.org to see if your property falls within"
  - Source: [Construction Bylaw 8271, 2017, s. 4.7.2](https://docs.dnv.org/documents/Bylaw%208271.pdf)
  - Official wording: "change the use, occupancy, or both, of a building or structure or part of a building"
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06
- **Bylaw:** Zoning Bylaw 3210 (Bylaw 3210, 1965), s. 501 and Section 525 (R1, R2); Construction Bylaw 8271, 2017
  - Source: [Zoning Bylaw 3210, s. 501](https://docs.dnv.org/documents/bylaw-3210.pdf)
  - Official wording: "Uses in Single-Family Residential Zones (RS)"
  - Source: [Section 525 to Zoning Bylaw 3210, R1 and R2 zones, title](https://docs.dnv.org/documents/zoning-guide-section-525.pdf)
  - Official wording: "Section 525 to Bylaw 3210: Zoning Bylaw (Bylaw 8799)"
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06

## How it works

[Section 525](<https://docs.dnv.org/documents/zoning-guide-section-525.pdf>) of [Zoning Bylaw 3210](<https://docs.dnv.org/documents/bylaw-3210.pdf>) allows a secondary suite as an accessory use in the R1 and R2 detached residential zones, and the older single-family (RS) zones also allow one. This is the District of North Vancouver, not the City of North Vancouver.

- **Number:** only one suite per lot. In R2 the suite must be in the principal building.
- **Size:** in R1 and R2, no larger than 49% of the principal building's gross floor area. In RS zones, the lesser of 130 m² or 49% of the net floor area (minimum 90 m²), and the owner must live in the suite or the main dwelling. Owner-occupancy for R1 and R2 is not stated in Section 525.
- **Coach house:** allowed in R2 (one per lot, with or without a suite, maximum 130.1 m²). Not a listed use in R1. In RS zones, coach houses are not permitted outside the Urban Containment Boundary.
- **Parking:** 2 spaces for a house, plus 1 more with a secondary suite or a coach house (3 in total). The District's coach house guide also asks for 3 spaces.

## Steps

1. Check your zone (see zoning-lookup) and confirm that a suite or coach house is allowed.
2. If the property is in a development permit area (check geoweb.dnv.org), complete the development permit before applying for the building permit.
3. Apply for a building permit, which the [Construction Bylaw](<https://docs.dnv.org/documents/Bylaw%208271.pdf>) requires to create a secondary suite. See building-permit.

## Good to know

- Call Planning on 604-990-2387 or the Building Department on 604-990-2480 to confirm details for your lot.
- Short-term renting a suite has its own rules (see short-term-rental).

## Official forms and pages

- [Section 525 to Zoning Bylaw 3210, R1 and R2 zones (PDF)](https://docs.dnv.org/documents/zoning-guide-section-525.pdf)
- [Zoning Bylaw 3210 (PDF)](https://docs.dnv.org/documents/bylaw-3210.pdf)
- [Zoning guide, single-family residential RS1-5 (PDF)](https://docs.dnv.org/documents/zoning-guide-single-family-residential-1-5.pdf)
- [Construction Bylaw 8271, 2017 (PDF)](https://docs.dnv.org/documents/Bylaw%208271.pdf)

## Related questions

- [District of North Vancouver building permits: when you need one and how to apply](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/north-vancouver-district/building-permit.md)
- [District of North Vancouver building permit fees](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/north-vancouver-district/building-permit-fees.md)
- [District of North Vancouver zoning: find your zone and what it allows](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/north-vancouver-district/zoning-lookup.md)
- [District of North Vancouver short-term rental rules (Airbnb, Vrbo)](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/north-vancouver-district/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)
- [North Vancouver](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/north-vancouver/secondary-suite.md)
- [Belcarra](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/belcarra/secondary-suite.md)
- [West Vancouver](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/west-vancouver/secondary-suite.md)
- [Port Moody](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/port-moody/secondary-suite.md)
- [Vancouver](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/vancouver/secondary-suite.md)
- [Burnaby](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/burnaby/secondary-suite.md)

## Sources

- [Section 525 to Zoning Bylaw 3210, R1 and R2 zones (PDF)](https://docs.dnv.org/documents/zoning-guide-section-525.pdf) (read 2026-11-06)
- [Zoning Bylaw 3210 (PDF)](https://docs.dnv.org/documents/bylaw-3210.pdf) (read 2026-11-06)
- [Zoning guide, single-family residential RS1-5 (PDF)](https://docs.dnv.org/documents/zoning-guide-single-family-residential-1-5.pdf) (read 2026-11-06)
- [Construction Bylaw 8271, 2017 (PDF)](https://docs.dnv.org/documents/Bylaw%208271.pdf) (read 2026-11-06)

_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 District of North Vancouver. How answers are checked: https://govhandbook.com/methods/ · Canonical page: https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/north-vancouver-district/secondary-suite/_