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

# Oliver secondary suite and carriage house rules

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

**Short answer:** Oliver's Official Community Plan supports secondary suites and carriage homes on Low Density Residential land. Which zones allow them, and any size or parking limits, are in the zoning bylaw, which the Town's readable pages do not state. Converting a basement to a suite needs a building permit.

**Who handles it:** Municipal (Town of Oliver, https://www.oliver.ca)  
**Cost:** See the building-permit-fees answer: $150 application fee plus 1% of construction value.  
**How long:** The Town lists a target of about 1 week for converting a basement to a secondary suite, if nothing more is needed from you.  
**Where:**
- Email: Development Services (Building), planning@oliver.ca
- Phone: Development Services, 250-485-6250 (Pre-application meetings are encouraged.)
- In person: Town Hall, 6150 Main Street, PO Box 638, Oliver, BC V0H 1T0 (Monday to Friday, 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.)

## Key facts

- **Secondary suite allowed:** The Official Community Plan supports secondary suites on Low Density Residential (LR) lands and encourages them in residential areas. Which zones allow them is set in Zoning Bylaw 1423, which could not be read.
  - Source: [Official Community Plan Bylaw 1436, Schedule A, s. 3.2.16](https://www.oliver.ca/sites/3/files/2026-09/Official%20Community%20Plan%20Schedule%20A.pdf)
  - Official wording: "Encourages and supports affordable housing strategies, including provision for secondary suites and carriage houses in residential areas" … "for single-family dwellings, duplexes, secondary suites" … "triplexes, fourplexes, secondary suites, accessory suites, and complementary uses such as"
  - Source: [Small-Scale Multi-Unit Housing](https://www.oliver.ca/node/997/small-scale-multi-unit-housing-ssmuh)
  - Official wording: "most notably the Residential Low Density One (RS1)"
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06
- **Coach house or garden suite allowed:** The Official Community Plan supports carriage homes on Low Density Residential (LR) lands and encourages carriage houses in residential areas. Which zones allow detached suites is set in Zoning Bylaw 1423, which could not be read.
  - Source: [Official Community Plan Bylaw 1436, Schedule A, s. 3.2.16](https://www.oliver.ca/sites/3/files/2026-09/Official%20Community%20Plan%20Schedule%20A.pdf)
  - Official wording: "secondary suites and carriage houses in residential areas" … "and carriage homes, accessory structures, manufactured homes" … "suites and carriage houses in residential areas"
  - Source: [Small-Scale Multi-Unit Housing](https://www.oliver.ca/node/997/small-scale-multi-unit-housing-ssmuh)
  - Official wording: "townhomes, triplexes and laneway homes"
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06
- **Limits:** Not confirmed. Zoning Bylaw 1423, which holds these rules, could not be read.
- **Parking:** Not confirmed. Zoning Bylaw 1423, which holds these rules, could not be read.
- **Permits:** Converting a basement to a secondary suite is handled as a building permit (the Town lists a 1-week target). The Town has building bulletins on secondary suite conversions, including alternate compliance methods for existing buildings. Completing an unfinished area such as a basement needs a permit.
  - Source: [Building Permit Hub, Does My Project Require A Permit; What To Expect When Applying For A Permit](https://www.oliver.ca/building)
  - Official wording: "Completing an unfinished area in an existing building such as a basement" … "Conversion of Basement into Secondary Suite"
  - Source: [Alternate Compliance Methods for Alterations to Existing Buildings to Add a Secondary Suite, Table 1.1.1.1.(6)](https://www.oliver.ca/sites/3/files/2026-03/Alternate%20Compliance%20Methods.pdf)
  - Official wording: "Alternate Compliance Methods for Alterations to Existing Buildings to Add a Secondary Suite"
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06
- **Bylaw:** Zoning Bylaw 1423; Building Bylaw 1404.
  - Source: [Small-Scale Multi-Unit Housing](https://www.oliver.ca/node/997/small-scale-multi-unit-housing-ssmuh)
  - Official wording: "The Town of Oliver has adopted Zoning Bylaw 1423 which reflects the new legislation to deliver more small-scale, multi-unit housing for people, including townhomes, triplexes and laneway homes, and fix outdated zoning rules to help build more homes faster. Refer to Zoning Bylaw 1423 here, most notably the Residential Low Density One (RS1)."
  - Source: [https://www.oliver.ca/sites/3/files/2026-09/BP%20Application%20-%20Package%202026%20Oct%20V1.pdf, Page 1](https://www.oliver.ca/sites/3/files/2026-09/BP%20Application%20-%20Package%202026%20Oct%20V1.pdf)
  - Official wording: "Building Bylaw 1404 states that every owner must apply for and obtain a permit"
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06

## How it works

The Town of Oliver's Official Community Plan supports secondary suites on Low Density Residential lands and encourages secondary suites and carriage houses in residential areas. That is policy, not the zone list. Zoning Bylaw 1423 sets which zones allow suites and detached suites, and it reflects the Province's small-scale multi-unit housing rules. Its zone-by-zone text could not be read, and the Town's other readable pages state no size limit, unit count, owner-occupancy rule or parking requirement for suites.

## Steps

1. Look up your zone (see the zoning-lookup answer) and ask Development Services (250-485-6250, planning@oliver.ca) whether a suite or carriage house is allowed on your lot.
2. Apply for a building permit (see the building-permit answer). Completing an unfinished area such as a basement needs a permit, and the Town handles a basement-to-suite conversion as a building permit.
3. Ask about the Town's building bulletin on secondary suites in existing buildings, which sets out alternate compliance methods.

## Good to know

- The Town's pages do not say whether a development permit is also needed.
- A carriage house is also a listed vacation rental dwelling type. See the short-term-rental answer.

## Official forms and pages

- [Building Permit Hub, Town of Oliver](https://www.oliver.ca/building)
- [Small-Scale Multi-Unit Housing, Town of Oliver](https://www.oliver.ca/node/997/small-scale-multi-unit-housing-ssmuh)
- [Alternate Compliance Methods for Alterations to Existing Buildings to Add a Secondary Suite (PDF), Town of Oliver](https://www.oliver.ca/sites/3/files/2026-03/Alternate%20Compliance%20Methods.pdf)

## Related questions

- [Oliver building permits: when you need one and how to apply](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/oliver/building-permit.md)
- [Oliver building permit fees](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/oliver/building-permit-fees.md)
- [Oliver zoning: find your zone and what it allows](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/oliver/zoning-lookup.md)
- [Oliver short-term rental rules (Airbnb, Vrbo)](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/oliver/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)
- [Osoyoos](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/osoyoos/secondary-suite.md)
- [Keremeos](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/keremeos/secondary-suite.md)
- [Penticton](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/penticton/secondary-suite.md)
- [Summerland](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/summerland/secondary-suite.md)
- [Greenwood](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/greenwood/secondary-suite.md)
- [Peachland](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/peachland/secondary-suite.md)

## Sources

- [Official Community Plan Bylaw 1436, Schedule A (PDF), Town of Oliver](https://www.oliver.ca/sites/3/files/2026-09/Official%20Community%20Plan%20Schedule%20A.pdf) (read 2026-11-06)
- [Small-Scale Multi-Unit Housing, Town of Oliver](https://www.oliver.ca/node/997/small-scale-multi-unit-housing-ssmuh) (read 2026-11-06)
- [Building Permit Hub, Town of Oliver](https://www.oliver.ca/building) (read 2026-11-06)
- [Alternate Compliance Methods for Alterations to Existing Buildings to Add a Secondary Suite (PDF), Town of Oliver](https://www.oliver.ca/sites/3/files/2026-03/Alternate%20Compliance%20Methods.pdf) (read 2026-11-06)
- [https://www.oliver.ca/sites/3/files/2026-09/BP%20Application%20-%20Package%202026%20Oct%20V1.pdf](https://www.oliver.ca/sites/3/files/2026-09/BP%20Application%20-%20Package%202026%20Oct%20V1.pdf) (read 2026-11-06)

_Checked by script, not yet by a person: the official wording behind 4 of 6 facts was matched to the official text; 2 could not be confirmed. Gov Handbook is an independent guide, not affiliated with Town of Oliver. How answers are checked: https://govhandbook.com/methods/ · Canonical page: https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/oliver/secondary-suite/_