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

# Port Clements secondary suite and carriage house rules

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

**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.

**Who handles it:** Municipal (Village of Port Clements, https://portclements.ca)  
**Cost:** Not stated on the Village's website.  
**How long:** Not stated on the Village's website.  
**Where:**
- In person: Village Office, 36 Cedar Avenue West, Port Clements, BC V0T 1R0 (Monday to Friday, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.)
- Phone: Village Office, 250-557-4295
- Email: Village Office, office@portclements.ca

## Key facts

- **Secondary suite allowed:** 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.
  - Source: [Zoning Bylaw No. 444, 2024, as reproduced in the February 17, 2026 council agenda package, s. 7.3.1 R-1, B](https://portclements.ca/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/February-17-2026-Regular-Council-Meeting-Agenda-Package.pdf)
  - Official wording: "46.5 m2 and is not located within 5.0 m of any property line; (i) secondary suite (1); (j) short term rental (1);"
  - Source: [Zoning Bylaw No. 444, 2024, as reproduced in the February 17, 2026 council agenda package, s. 7.3.2 R-2, B](https://portclements.ca/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/February-17-2026-Regular-Council-Meeting-Agenda-Package.pdf)
  - Official wording: "(i) secondary suite (1);"
  - Source: [Zoning Bylaw No. 444, 2024, as reproduced in the February 17, 2026 council agenda package, s. 7.3.14 A-1, B](https://portclements.ca/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/February-17-2026-Regular-Council-Meeting-Agenda-Package.pdf)
  - Official wording: "secondary suite (1); and"
  - Source: [Zoning Bylaw No. 444, 2024, as reproduced in the February 17, 2026 council agenda package, s. 1.3 Definitions](https://portclements.ca/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/February-17-2026-Regular-Council-Meeting-Agenda-Package.pdf)
  - Official wording: "means a self -contained living unit that is contained within, and forms" … "part of a single family dwelling;"
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-08
- **Coach house or garden suite allowed:** 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.
  - Source: [Zoning Bylaw No. 444, 2024, as reproduced in the February 17, 2026 council agenda package, s. 7.3.1 R-1, B](https://portclements.ca/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/February-17-2026-Regular-Council-Meeting-Agenda-Package.pdf)
  - Official wording: "accessory dwelling unit (1) on parcels serviced by the municipal sewer system;"
  - Source: [Zoning Bylaw No. 444, 2024, as reproduced in the February 17, 2026 council agenda package, s. 4.18(2)](https://portclements.ca/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/February-17-2026-Regular-Council-Meeting-Agenda-Package.pdf)
  - Official wording: "accessory dwelling units separate from the principal building are not."
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-08
- **Limits:** 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.
  - Source: [Zoning Bylaw No. 444, 2024, as reproduced in the February 17, 2026 council agenda package, s. 4.18(1)](https://portclements.ca/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/February-17-2026-Regular-Council-Meeting-Agenda-Package.pdf)
  - Official wording: "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: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-08
- **Parking:** 1 off-street parking space per secondary suite.
  - Source: [Zoning Bylaw No. 444, 2024, as reproduced in the February 17, 2026 council agenda package, s. 6.4 parking table](https://portclements.ca/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/February-17-2026-Regular-Council-Meeting-Agenda-Package.pdf)
  - Official wording: "Secondary suite" … "1 per secondary suite"
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-08
- **Permits:** Not confirmed. The Village's website does not state a building permit requirement for suites.
- **Bylaw:** Village of Port Clements Zoning Bylaw No. 444, 2024 (adopted February 17, 2026), s. 4.18
  - Source: [Zoning Bylaw No. 444, 2024, as reproduced in the February 17, 2026 council agenda package, Bylaw adoption](https://portclements.ca/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/February-17-2026-Regular-Council-Meeting-Agenda-Package.pdf)
  - Official wording: "RECONSIDERED AND ADOPTED THIS 17TH DAY OF FEBRUARY 2026"
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-08

## How it works

[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.

## Steps

1. Find your zone (see the zoning-lookup answer).
2. 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.
3. Call the Village Office at 250-557-4295 to ask what permits apply.

## Good to know

- **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.
- The website does not state a building permit requirement for suites.

## Official forms and pages

- [Zoning Bylaw No. 444, 2024, as reproduced in the February 17, 2026 council agenda package (PDF), Village of Port Clements](https://portclements.ca/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/February-17-2026-Regular-Council-Meeting-Agenda-Package.pdf)

## Related questions

- [Port Clements zoning: find your zone and what it allows](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/port-clements/zoning-lookup.md)
- [Port Clements short-term rental rules (Airbnb, Vrbo)](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/port-clements/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)
- [Masset](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/masset/secondary-suite.md)
- [Daajing Giids](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/daajing-giids/secondary-suite.md)
- [Prince Rupert](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/prince-rupert/secondary-suite.md)
- [Port Edward](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/port-edward/secondary-suite.md)
- [Kitimat](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/kitimat/secondary-suite.md)
- [Terrace](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/terrace/secondary-suite.md)

## Sources

- [Zoning Bylaw No. 444, 2024, as reproduced in the February 17, 2026 council agenda package (PDF), Village of Port Clements](https://portclements.ca/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/February-17-2026-Regular-Council-Meeting-Agenda-Package.pdf) (read 2026-11-08)
- [Contact Us, Village of Port Clements](https://portclements.ca/contact-us/) (read 2026-11-08)

_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. Gov Handbook is an independent guide, not affiliated with Village of Port Clements. How answers are checked: https://govhandbook.com/methods/ · Canonical page: https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/port-clements/secondary-suite/_