Port McNeill secondary suite and carriage house rules

Can I add a secondary suite or a carriage house in Port McNeill?

Port McNeill, British ColumbiaChecked against official textSources read 2026-11-08

Short answer

In Port McNeill a secondary suite is allowed as an accessory use in the R-1, R-2, R-4 and CD-1 zones, one per parcel, up to 90 m², with at most two bedrooms. A separate cottage is allowed only in the CD-1 zone. No zone lists a carriage house.

Key facts

Secondary suite allowed	A secondary suite is allowed as an accessory use in the R-1, R-2, R-4 and CD-1 zones. Only one secondary or caretaker suite is allowed per parcel.Zoning Bylaw No. 705, 2021 (PDF, Town's posted final copy), s. 8.1.1 R-1 Zone; Zoning Bylaw No. 705, 2021 (PDF, Town's posted final copy), s. 8.2.1 R-2 Zone; Zoning Bylaw No. 705, 2021 (PDF, Town's posted final copy), s. 8.4.1 R-4 Zone; Zoning Bylaw No. 705, 2021 (PDF, Town's posted final copy), s. 8.9.1 CD-1 Zone; Zoning Bylaw No. 705, 2021 (PDF, Town's posted final copy), s. 5.13.1 · Wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-08 Official wording Accessory uses: c) Bed and Breakfast d) Suite, Secondary 8.1.2 Lot Coverage: Buildings and structures shall not cover more than 35% of the site area. Accessory uses: a) Bed and Breakfast b) Suite, Secondary 8.2.2 Lot Coverage: Buildings and structures shall not cover more than 35% of the site area c) Dwelling, Townhouse or Row house Accessory uses: a) Suite, Secondary b) Bed and Breakfast 8.4.2 Lot Coverage: Accessory uses: a) Bed and Breakfast b) Suite, Secondary 8.2.2 Lot Coverage: Buildings and structures shall not cover more than 35% of the site area only one secondary or caretaker suite is permitted per parcel
Coach house or garden suite allowed	A cottage (separate dwelling up to 70 m² and 5.0 m high) is allowed only in the CD-1 zone, as an accessory use; lot area entry for a single-family dwelling with a cottage is 2,000 m². It must connect to municipal water and sewer and be separately metered.Zoning Bylaw No. 705, 2021 (PDF, Town's posted final copy), s. 8.9.1 CD-1 Zone; Zoning Bylaw No. 705, 2021 (PDF, Town's posted final copy), s. 8.9.4 Lot area; Zoning Bylaw No. 705, 2021 (PDF, Town's posted final copy), s. 8.9.7 Conditions of use · Wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-08 Official wording c) Cottage Dwelling, Single family with a cottage 2,000 m2 shall be separately metered and subject to utility billings Dwelling, Single family with a cottage 2,000 m2 The total floor area of the cottage must not be more that 70.0 m2 The cottage must be separate from the principal dwelling. shall be separately metered and subject to utility billings
Limits	Secondary suite: at most 90 m² and under 40% of the main building's habitable floor space; at most two bedrooms; in a building with only one other dwelling unit; one suite per parcel.Zoning Bylaw No. 705, 2021 (PDF, Town's posted final copy), s. 5.13.2 · Wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-08 Official wording a total floor area of not more than 90 m2 in area. a floor area less than 40% of the habitable floor space of the principal building. not more than two bedrooms. located within a building of residential occupancy containing only one other dwelling unit
Parking	3 off-street parking spaces for a single-family dwelling with a cottage or a secondary suite.Zoning Bylaw No. 705, 2021 (PDF, Town's posted final copy), s. 5.14.4 table · Wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-08 Official wording Single-family dwelling with a cottage or a 3 parking spaces
Permits	Not confirmed. The permits page and application form do not mention suites.
Bylaw	Town of Port McNeill Zoning Bylaw No. 705, 2021 (s. 5.13 and the zone sections).Zoning Bylaw No. 705, 2021 (PDF, Town's posted final copy), s. 1.1 Title · Wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-08 Official wording This bylaw may be cited for all purposes as the “Town of Port McNeill Zoning Bylaw No. 705, 2021”.

How it works

The Town of Port McNeill's Zoning Bylaw No. 705, 2021 allows a secondary suite as an accessory use in the R-1, R-2, R-4 and CD-1 zones. Only one secondary or caretaker suite is allowed per parcel. Check your zone with the Town (see the zoning-lookup answer).

A cottage, meaning a separate dwelling up to 70 m² and 5.0 m high, is allowed only in the CD-1 zone, as an accessory use. It must connect to municipal water and sewer and be separately metered. The bylaw defines "carriage house" but does not list it as a permitted use in any zone.

Good to know

Suite limits (section 5.13.2): at most 90 m² and under 40% of the main building's habitable floor space; at most two bedrooms; in a building with only one other dwelling unit.
Parking: 3 off-street spaces for a single-family dwelling with a cottage or a secondary suite.
No owner-occupancy requirement was found in the zoning bylaw.
The permits page and application form do not mention suites, and the zoning bylaw states no development permit for them. Ask the Town about building permit requirements: 250-956-3111 or reception@portmcneill.ca.

Official forms and pages

Zoning Bylaw No. 705, 2021 (PDF, Town's posted final copy)

The same question in other places

Port Hardy · Tahsis · Sayward · Gold River · Campbell River · Cumberland

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

Sources

Zoning Bylaw No. 705, 2021 (PDF, Town's posted final copy), Town of Port McNeill (read 2026-11-08)
Permits, Inspections and Variance, Town of Port McNeill (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. How answers are checked.