North Vancouver secondary suite and carriage house rules

Can I add a secondary suite or a carriage house?

North Vancouver, British ColumbiaChecked against official textSources read 2026-11-05

Short answer

Yes. The City of North Vancouver allows one secondary suite inside a one-unit house, and a coach house, in most residential zones when the owner lives on the property. Both need a building permit, and a coach house also needs a development permit. The Ground Oriented zone has its own process.

Key facts

Secondary suite allowed	Yes: one secondary suite inside a one-unit house where the owner lives on the property, in the RS-1, RS-2, RT-1, RT-2, RG, RM-1 and RH-1 zones; two-unit lots get an accessory dwelling unit in each unit (s. 507(14)). The Ground Oriented zone also allows a new single-detached home with a secondary suite and/or coach house.Zoning Bylaw, 1995, No. 6700 (PDF, consolidated March 2, 2026), ss. 501(1)(a), 502(1)(a), 507(11); Ground Oriented Housing, Ground Oriented Housing page · Wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06 Official wording Accessory Secondary Suite Use, subject to Section 507(11) of this shall be permitted where the owner resides on the property. others shall be permitted in the RG-Ground-Oriented Apartment Residential others shall be permitted in the RM-1 and RH-1 zones: On a Lot containing an approved Two-Unit Residential Use, an Accessory New single-detached home with or without a secondary suite and/or coach house
Coach house or garden suite allowed	Yes: one coach house (a detached, non-stratified unit) is allowed as an accessory to a one-unit residential use in the RS-1, RS-2, RT-1, RT-2 and RG zones, where the owner lives on the property. It is limited to 92.9 m² of floor area and 6.7 m in overall height, and cannot be stratified.Zoning Bylaw, 1995, No. 6700 (PDF, consolidated March 2, 2026), ss. 501(1)(g), 507(13), 509(2)(c), 509(6)(b); Coach House, Coach House page · Wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06 Official wording Accessory Coach House Use, subject to Section 507(13) of this shall be permitted where the owner resides on the property; shall not be stratified as per the Strata Property Act. shall not exceed 92.9 square metres (1,000 square feet); shall not exceed a maximum overall Building Height of 6.7 metres others shall be permitted in the RG-Ground-Oriented Apartment Residential they cannot be stratified
Limits	Suite must be entirely inside the house, at least 37.16 m² (400 sq. ft.) and no more than the lesser of 90 m² (969 sq. ft.) or 40% of the total gross floor area. Only one suite per house, and the owner must live on the property.Zoning Bylaw, 1995, No. 6700 (PDF, consolidated March 2, 2026), s. 507(11) · Wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06 Official wording shall be completely Enclosed within the Principal Building; shall not be less than 37.16 square metres (400 square feet) in shall be limited to one Accessory Secondary Suite Use within a shall be permitted where the owner resides on the property.
Parking	RS/RT zones: 1 parking space for a secondary suite, a coach house, or both together, in addition to 1 space per dwelling unit for the house. Ground Oriented zone: 0.5 space per dwelling unit (fractions of 0.5 or more round up to 1).Zoning Bylaw, 1995, No. 6700 (PDF, consolidated March 2, 2026), s. 908, Figure 9-3; Zoning Bylaw, 1995, No. 6700 (PDF, consolidated March 2, 2026), s. 581(1) (Ground Oriented zone) · Wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06 Official wording Accessory Coach House Use, 1 space or both Accessory Coach House Use and One-Unit Use, or a Two-Unit Use, or an 1 space per Dwelling Unit A minimum of 0.5 Parking Spaces shall be required for each When the calculation of parking requirements results in a fraction of
Permits	A building permit is required to legalize, renovate or install a secondary suite (included in the main permit for a new house). A coach house needs a development permit and a building permit, submitted together; the Coach House Development Permit fee is $1,301.76.Accessory Secondary Suite - Zoning Bylaw Requirements, page 2; Secondary Suites, Secondary Suites page; Coach House, Application & Submission Process; Fees and Charges Bylaw, 2024, No. 9000, Schedule D, Schedule D, Development Permit · Wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06 Official wording Legalizing, renovating, or installing a new Accessory Secondary Suite requires a Secondary suites being installed in new dwelling units is included in the main dwellings building permit application. all development permit and building permit documentation outlined in the checklist should be submitted simultaneously to the City. Coach House Development Permit $ 1,301.76
Bylaw	Zoning Bylaw, 1995, No. 6700 (ss. 501, 502, 507(11), 507(13), 509, 908; Part 5B Ground Oriented zone); Construction Regulation Bylaw, 2003, No. 7390Zoning Bylaw, 1995, No. 6700 (PDF, consolidated March 2, 2026), s. 507(11); Construction Regulation Bylaw, 2003, No. 7390 (consolidated June 15, 2026), title page · Wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06 Official wording Accessory Secondary Suite Use CONSOLIDATED FOR CONVENIENCE – MARCH 2, 2026 Construction Regulation Bylaw, 2003, No. 7390

How it works

Rules depend on your zone, so check yours in CityMap first. Under the City of North Vancouver's Zoning Bylaw:

Secondary suite: one suite, entirely inside a one-unit house, where the owner lives on the property. Allowed in RS-1, RS-2, RT-1, RT-2, RG, RM-1 and RH-1 zones. Two-unit lots get an accessory dwelling unit in each unit.
Coach house: a detached unit, allowed as an accessory to a one-unit home in RS-1, RS-2, RT-1, RT-2 and RG zones, where the owner lives on the property. It is limited to 92.9 m² of floor area and 6.7 m in height, cannot be stratified (sold separately), and must follow the Accessory Coach House Development Permit Guidelines. The City says one suite may be combined with a coach house.
Ground Oriented zone: allows a new single-detached home with a secondary suite and/or coach house. The suite and coach house pages say they do not apply there, and a separate process applies (permitinquiry@cnv.org).

Steps

Confirm your zone in CityMap.
Suite in an existing house: apply for a building permit. A suite in a new house is part of the main permit.
Coach house: submit the development permit and building permit documents together, using the coach house checklist.
Email the package to permitapplications@cnv.org.

Good to know

Suite size (RS and RT zones): at least 37.16 m² (400 sq. ft.) and no more than the lesser of 90 m² (969 sq. ft.) or 40% of the total gross floor area.
Parking in RS and RT zones: 1 space for a suite, a coach house, or both, on top of 1 space per dwelling unit for the house. Ground Oriented zone: 0.5 space per dwelling unit (fractions of 0.5 or more round up).
Legalizing, renovating or installing a suite needs a building permit.

What you'll need

Building Permit Application Form and Interior Renovation Checklist (existing house), or the Coach House checklist
Supplementary Dwelling Unit Information Form
Registered Owners Authorization Form, if you are not the owner

Official forms and pages

The same question in other places

District of North Vancouver · Belcarra · Port Moody · West Vancouver · Vancouver · Burnaby

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

Sources

Secondary Suites, City of North Vancouver (read 2026-11-05)
Coach House, City of North Vancouver (read 2026-11-05)
Accessory Secondary Suite - Zoning Bylaw Requirements (PDF) (read 2026-11-05)
Ground Oriented Housing, City of North Vancouver (read 2026-11-05)
Zoning Bylaw, 1995, No. 6700 (PDF, consolidated March 2, 2026) (read 2026-11-05)
Fees and Charges Bylaw, 2024, No. 9000 (PDF), Schedule D (read 2026-11-05)
Construction Regulation Bylaw, 2003, No. 7390 (consolidated June 15, 2026) (read 2026-11-05)

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.