{"title":"Port Clements secondary suite and carriage house rules","question":"Can I add a secondary suite or a carriage house in Port Clements?","slug":"secondary-suite","place":{"path":"ca/bc/port-clements","name":"Port Clements","region":{"code":"bc","name":"British Columbia"},"country":{"code":"ca","name":"Canada"}},"category":{"slug":"building-and-renovating","name":"Building, renovating and your property"},"owner":"municipal","owner_label":"Municipal","owner_body":{"name":"Village of Port Clements","url":"https://portclements.ca"},"short_answer":"In Port Clements a secondary suite is permitted, one per parcel, in the R-1, R-2 and A-1 zones. It needs its own outside entrance and may be no more than 40% of the house's floor area. A detached accessory dwelling unit is allowed on municipal sewer in some zones.","aliases":["secondary suite port clements","basement suite port clements","carriage house port clements","accessory dwelling unit port clements"],"cost":"Not stated on the Village's website.","how_long":"Not stated on the Village's website.","where":[{"type":"in_person","label":"Village Office","value":"36 Cedar Avenue West, Port Clements, BC V0T 1R0","note":"Monday to Friday, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m."},{"type":"phone","label":"Village Office","value":"250-557-4295"},{"type":"email","label":"Village Office","value":"office@portclements.ca"}],"documents":[],"forms":[{"title":"Zoning Bylaw No. 444, 2024, as reproduced in the February 17, 2026 council agenda package (PDF), Village of Port Clements","url":"https://portclements.ca/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/February-17-2026-Regular-Council-Meeting-Agenda-Package.pdf"}],"related":[{"slug":"zoning-lookup","title":"Port Clements zoning: find your zone and what it allows","url":"https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/port-clements/zoning-lookup/"},{"slug":"short-term-rental","title":"Port Clements short-term rental rules (Airbnb, Vrbo)","url":"https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/port-clements/short-term-rental/"}],"nearby":[{"place":"ca/bc/masset","name":"Masset","url":"https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/masset/secondary-suite/"},{"place":"ca/bc/daajing-giids","name":"Daajing Giids","url":"https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/daajing-giids/secondary-suite/"},{"place":"ca/bc/prince-rupert","name":"Prince Rupert","url":"https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/prince-rupert/secondary-suite/"},{"place":"ca/bc/port-edward","name":"Port Edward","url":"https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/port-edward/secondary-suite/"},{"place":"ca/bc/kitimat","name":"Kitimat","url":"https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/kitimat/secondary-suite/"},{"place":"ca/bc/terrace","name":"Terrace","url":"https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/terrace/secondary-suite/"}],"topic":{"title":"Secondary suite and carriage house rules in British Columbia, by municipality","url":"https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/secondary-suite/"},"facts":{"suite_allowed":{"label":"Secondary suite allowed","value":"Permitted (1 per parcel) in the Residential Urban (R-1), Rural Residential (R-2) and Agricultural (A-1) zones. A secondary suite is a self-contained unit within a single family dwelling.","short":"Yes, one per parcel in R-1, R-2 and A-1 zones","status":"stated","sources":[{"url":"https://portclements.ca/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/February-17-2026-Regular-Council-Meeting-Agenda-Package.pdf","title":"Zoning Bylaw No. 444, 2024, as reproduced in the February 17, 2026 council agenda package (PDF), Village of Port Clements","section":"s. 7.3.1 R-1, B","quotes":["46.5 m2 and is not located within 5.0 m of any property line; (i) secondary suite (1); (j) short term rental (1);"]},{"url":"https://portclements.ca/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/February-17-2026-Regular-Council-Meeting-Agenda-Package.pdf","title":"Zoning Bylaw No. 444, 2024, as reproduced in the February 17, 2026 council agenda package (PDF), Village of Port Clements","section":"s. 7.3.2 R-2, B","quotes":["(i) secondary suite (1);"]},{"url":"https://portclements.ca/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/February-17-2026-Regular-Council-Meeting-Agenda-Package.pdf","title":"Zoning Bylaw No. 444, 2024, as reproduced in the February 17, 2026 council agenda package (PDF), Village of Port Clements","section":"s. 7.3.14 A-1, B","quotes":["secondary suite (1); and"]},{"url":"https://portclements.ca/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/February-17-2026-Regular-Council-Meeting-Agenda-Package.pdf","title":"Zoning Bylaw No. 444, 2024, as reproduced in the February 17, 2026 council agenda package (PDF), Village of Port Clements","section":"s. 1.3 Definitions","quotes":["means a self -contained living unit that is contained within, and forms","part of a single family dwelling;"]}],"check":{"result":"matched","text_date":"2026-11-08"}},"detached_allowed":{"label":"Coach house or garden suite allowed","value":"An accessory dwelling unit (1) is permitted in R-1, R-2, C-1 and C-2 on parcels serviced by the municipal sewer system. On parcels under one hectare not on municipal sewer, detached accessory dwelling units are not permitted.","short":"Yes, in R-1, R-2, C-1, C-2 on municipal sewer","status":"stated","sources":[{"url":"https://portclements.ca/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/February-17-2026-Regular-Council-Meeting-Agenda-Package.pdf","title":"Zoning Bylaw No. 444, 2024, as reproduced in the February 17, 2026 council agenda package (PDF), Village of Port Clements","section":"s. 7.3.1 R-1, B","quotes":["accessory dwelling unit (1) on parcels serviced by the municipal sewer system;"]},{"url":"https://portclements.ca/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/February-17-2026-Regular-Council-Meeting-Agenda-Package.pdf","title":"Zoning Bylaw No. 444, 2024, as reproduced in the February 17, 2026 council agenda package (PDF), Village of Port Clements","section":"s. 4.18(2)","quotes":["accessory dwelling units separate from the principal building are not."]}],"check":{"result":"matched","text_date":"2026-11-08"}},"limits":{"label":"Limits","value":"A secondary suite must have a separate external entry and its gross floor area may not exceed 40% of the single family dwelling's gross floor area.","status":"stated","sources":[{"url":"https://portclements.ca/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/February-17-2026-Regular-Council-Meeting-Agenda-Package.pdf","title":"Zoning Bylaw No. 444, 2024, as reproduced in the February 17, 2026 council agenda package (PDF), Village of Port Clements","section":"s. 4.18(1)","quotes":["Secondary suites shall have a separate external entry and the gross floor area shall","not exceed 40 % of the gross floor area of the single family dwelling."]}],"check":{"result":"matched","text_date":"2026-11-08"}},"parking":{"label":"Parking","value":"1 off-street parking space per secondary suite.","short":"1 space per suite","status":"stated","sources":[{"url":"https://portclements.ca/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/February-17-2026-Regular-Council-Meeting-Agenda-Package.pdf","title":"Zoning Bylaw No. 444, 2024, as reproduced in the February 17, 2026 council agenda package (PDF), Village of Port Clements","section":"s. 6.4 parking table","quotes":["Secondary suite","1 per secondary suite"]}],"check":{"result":"matched","text_date":"2026-11-08"}},"permits":{"label":"Permits","value":null,"status":"unknown","reason":"not_published","note":"The Village's website does not state a building permit requirement for suites.","sources":[]},"bylaw":{"label":"Bylaw","value":"Village of Port Clements Zoning Bylaw No. 444, 2024 (adopted February 17, 2026), s. 4.18","status":"stated","sources":[{"url":"https://portclements.ca/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/February-17-2026-Regular-Council-Meeting-Agenda-Package.pdf","title":"Zoning Bylaw No. 444, 2024, as reproduced in the February 17, 2026 council agenda package (PDF), Village of Port Clements","section":"Bylaw adoption","quotes":["RECONSIDERED AND ADOPTED THIS 17TH DAY OF FEBRUARY 2026"]}],"check":{"result":"matched","text_date":"2026-11-08"}}},"facts_summary":{"total":6,"stated":5,"matched":5,"none":0,"unknown":1},"body_markdown":"## How it works\n\n[Zoning Bylaw No. 444](https://portclements.ca/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/February-17-2026-Regular-Council-Meeting-Agenda-Package.pdf) permits one secondary suite per parcel in the Residential Urban (R-1), Rural Residential (R-2) and Agricultural (A-1) zones. A secondary suite is a self-contained unit within a single family dwelling. It is not listed in the RM-1 or MH-2 zones.\n\n## Steps\n\n1. Find your zone (see the zoning-lookup answer).\n2. Plan for a separate external entry, a gross floor area of no more than 40% of the house, and 1 off-street parking space for the suite.\n3. Call the Village Office at 250-557-4295 to ask what permits apply.\n\n## Good to know\n\n- **Carriage house or detached unit:** one accessory dwelling unit is permitted in R-1, R-2, C-1 and C-2 on parcels serviced by the municipal sewer system. On parcels under one hectare that are not on municipal sewer, detached units are not permitted.\n- The website does not state a building permit requirement for suites.","sources":[{"url":"https://portclements.ca/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/February-17-2026-Regular-Council-Meeting-Agenda-Package.pdf","title":"Zoning Bylaw No. 444, 2024, as reproduced in the February 17, 2026 council agenda package (PDF), Village of Port Clements","accessed":"2026-11-08"},{"url":"https://portclements.ca/contact-us/","title":"Contact Us, Village of Port Clements","accessed":"2026-11-08"}],"sources_read":"2026-11-08","review":{"status":"machine_checked","badge":"Checked against official text","label":"Checked by script, not yet by a person: the official wording behind 5 of 6 facts was matched to the official text; 1 could not be confirmed."},"urls":{"html":"https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/port-clements/secondary-suite/","markdown":"https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/port-clements/secondary-suite.md","json":"https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/port-clements/secondary-suite.json"}}