---
title: Port Moody secondary suite and carriage house rules
question: "Can I add a secondary suite or a carriage house?"
place: Port Moody, British Columbia, Canada
place_path: ca/bc/port-moody
category: Building, renovating and your property
owner: municipal
owner_body: City of Port Moody
sources_read: 2026-11-05
review: machine_checked
canonical: "https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/port-moody/secondary-suite/"
json: "https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/port-moody/secondary-suite.json"
---

# Port Moody secondary suite and carriage house rules

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

**Short answer:** Port Moody allows one secondary suite inside a single detached home or legal duplex, with a building permit. A detached unit such as a laneway or coach house is a different use, an Additional Dwelling Unit, allowed in single detached zones such as RS1 if it meets the zoning rules.

**Who handles it:** Municipal (City of Port Moody, https://www.portmoody.ca)  
**Cost:** Building permit fees apply (see the building-permit-fees answer). After final inspection the City creates a no-fee ($0) business licence for the suite.  
**Where:**
- Phone: Building Division, 604-469-4534
- Email: Building Permits, buildingpermits@portmoody.ca
- Phone: Bylaw and Licensing (to decommission a suite), 604-469-4541

## Key facts

- **Secondary suite allowed:** Yes. One secondary suite is allowed in a single detached home or legal duplex. Zoning lists Secondary Suite as a permitted use in single detached zones such as RS1. The suite must be in the same building and stay one real estate entity (no stratifying).
  - Source: [A Guide to Secondary Suites in Port Moody, FAQ](https://www.portmoody.ca/eDocs/get?docnumber=632150)
  - Official wording: "If you have a single detached home or legal duplex, you are allowed to have one secondary suite." … "secondary suite may not be stratified."
  - Source: [Secondary Suites, Overview](https://www.portmoody.ca/home-and-property/housing/secondary-suites/)
  - Official wording: "allow secondary suites in all single detached residential zones"
  - Source: [Zoning Bylaw, 2018, No. 2937 (consolidated), s. 5.2.7](https://portmoody-edocs.ghdcdn.com/v1/eDocs/PortMoody?docnumber=461917)
  - Official wording: "be located within a building or a portion of a building where both dwelling units constitute a single real estate entity"
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06
- **Coach house or garden suite allowed:** Yes, as an Additional Dwelling Unit (a self-contained unit that may be stratified) in single detached zones such as RS1. The City says laneway, coach house and accessory dwelling units are allowed if they meet the RS1 zoning rules, with no lane access needed.
  - Source: [Zoning Bylaw, 2018, No. 2937 (consolidated), s. 8.4.2 (RS1)](https://portmoody-edocs.ghdcdn.com/v1/eDocs/PortMoody?docnumber=461917)
  - Official wording: "Additional Dwelling Unit" … "self-contained Dwelling Unit of only residential occupancy and may be stratified."
  - Source: [Small-Scale, Multi-Unit Housing (SSMUH), FAQ](https://www.portmoody.ca/home-and-property/housing/provincial-housing-legislation/small-scale-multi-unit-housing-ssmuh/)
  - Official wording: "Yes, as long as the laneway, coach house or accessory dwelling unit meets the SSMUH - RS1 zoning requirements." … "There is no requirement for lane access in SSMUH."
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06
- **Limits:** One secondary suite per home (the unit shares a single real estate entity); no maximum suite size since 2018. In SSMUH areas total units per lot: 3 on lots 280 m² or less; 4 on lots over 280 m² (to 4,050 m²) outside the 400 m bus stop radius; 6 on such lots within it. No owner-occupancy rule found.
  - Source: [A Guide to Secondary Suites in Port Moody, FAQ and history](https://www.portmoody.ca/eDocs/get?docnumber=632150)
  - Official wording: "Multiple secondary suites, or secondary suites in a" … "separate building on your property, are not" … "and also remove the restriction on maximum size."
  - Source: [Zoning Bylaw, 2018, No. 2937 (consolidated), s. 5.5.2-5.5.4](https://portmoody-edocs.ghdcdn.com/v1/eDocs/PortMoody?docnumber=461917)
  - Official wording: "up to an overall maximum of three Dwelling Units per Lot" … "up to an overall maximum of four Dwelling Units per Lot" … "up to an overall maximum of six"
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06
- **Parking:** One extra off-street space for the suite's exclusive use, on the property and independently accessible, in addition to the house's two spaces. SSMUH housing has separate parking rules (none required within 400 m of frequent bus stops).
  - Source: [Zoning Bylaw, 2018, No. 2937 (consolidated), s. 6.3.1](https://portmoody-edocs.ghdcdn.com/v1/eDocs/PortMoody?docnumber=461917)
  - Official wording: "Secondary Suite 1 space for exclusive use of the Secondary Suite." … "Single Detached 2 spaces per principal Dwelling Unit."
  - Source: [A Guide to Secondary Suites in Port Moody, Parking](https://www.portmoody.ca/eDocs/get?docnumber=632150)
  - Official wording: "One additional off-street parking space for" … "the secondary suite must be provided in addition to the" … "The extra space must also be independently accessible."
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06
- **Permits:** A building permit with an electronic floor plan (plumbing permit if fixtures change). Gas and electrical permits come from Technical Safety BC. After final inspection the City creates a no-fee business licence for the suite.
  - Source: [A Guide to Secondary Suites in Port Moody, How does the approval process work](https://www.portmoody.ca/eDocs/get?docnumber=632150)
  - Official wording: "Apply for your building permits" … "A no fee business license will then be created by our Licensing department for your suite." … "Gas and Electric permits are" … "required for any alterations to the respective systems."
  - Source: [Fees Bylaw, 2025, No. 3524 (consolidated), Business Licence: Nature of Business](https://www.portmoody.ca/eDocs/Get?docnumber=669753)
  - Official wording: "Secondary Suite or Detached Accessory Dwelling Unit 0.00" … "A licence is required, but there is no charge for this licence."
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06
- **Bylaw:** City of Port Moody Zoning Bylaw, 2018, No. 2937 (s. 5.2.7, 6.3, 5.5); City of Port Moody Building Bylaw, 2019, No. 3200
  - Source: [Zoning Bylaw, 2018, No. 2937 (consolidated), s. 5.2.7](https://portmoody-edocs.ghdcdn.com/v1/eDocs/PortMoody?docnumber=461917)
  - Official wording: "City of Port Moody Zoning Bylaw, 2018, No. 2937"
  - Source: [Building Bylaw, 2019, No. 3200 (consolidated), s. 1.1](https://www.portmoody.ca/eDocs/Get?docnumber=506778)
  - Official wording: "City of Port Moody Building Bylaw, 2019, No. 3200"
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06

## How it works

The [Zoning Bylaw 2937](https://portmoody-edocs.ghdcdn.com/v1/eDocs/PortMoody?docnumber=461917) lists Secondary Suite as a permitted use in single detached zones such as RS1, and the City's guide says one suite is allowed in a single detached home or legal duplex. The suite must be in the same building and stay one real estate entity, so it cannot be stratified. The City's guide sets no maximum suite size since 2018, and no owner-occupancy rule was found.

A detached laneway, coach house or accessory dwelling unit is an Additional Dwelling Unit, a separate use that may be stratified. The City says it is allowed if it meets the RS1 zoning rules, with no lane access needed. In RS1 it is limited to 6.71 m high, 1.5 m from the rear lot line and 6.0 m from the principal building. Other zones differ.

## Steps

1. Apply for a building permit with an electronic floor plan (plus a plumbing permit if fixtures change).
2. Get gas and electrical permits from Technical Safety BC.
3. Book inspections as work proceeds. After final inspection the City creates a no-fee business licence for the suite.

## Good to know

- Parking: one extra off-street space for the suite's exclusive use, on the property and independently accessible, in addition to the house's two spaces. Small-scale multi-unit housing has separate parking rules (none required within 400 m of frequent bus stops).
- Under the small-scale multi-unit housing rules, total units per lot are 3 on lots 280 m² or less, and on larger lots (to 4,050 m²) 4 outside the 400 m bus stop radius or 6 within it.
- Such projects may also need a form and character development permit.
- Questions: Building Division, 604-469-4534 or buildingpermits@portmoody.ca.

## Official forms and pages

- [Secondary Suites, City of Port Moody](https://www.portmoody.ca/home-and-property/housing/secondary-suites/)
- [A Guide to Secondary Suites in Port Moody (PDF)](https://www.portmoody.ca/eDocs/get?docnumber=632150)

## Related questions

- [Port Moody building permits: when you need one and how to apply](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/port-moody/building-permit.md)

## The same question elsewhere

- [Secondary suite and carriage house rules in British Columbia, by municipality](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/secondary-suite.md)
- [Belcarra](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/belcarra/secondary-suite.md)
- [Anmore](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/anmore/secondary-suite.md)
- [Coquitlam](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/coquitlam/secondary-suite.md)
- [New Westminster](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/new-westminster/secondary-suite.md)
- [Port Coquitlam](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/port-coquitlam/secondary-suite.md)
- [Burnaby](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/burnaby/secondary-suite.md)

## Sources

- [Secondary Suites, City of Port Moody](https://www.portmoody.ca/home-and-property/housing/secondary-suites/) (read 2026-11-05)
- [A Guide to Secondary Suites in Port Moody (PDF)](https://www.portmoody.ca/eDocs/get?docnumber=632150) (read 2026-11-05)
- [Small-Scale, Multi-Unit Housing (SSMUH), City of Port Moody](https://www.portmoody.ca/home-and-property/housing/provincial-housing-legislation/small-scale-multi-unit-housing-ssmuh/) (read 2026-11-05)
- [Zoning Bylaw, 2018, No. 2937 (consolidated)](https://portmoody-edocs.ghdcdn.com/v1/eDocs/PortMoody?docnumber=461917) (read 2026-11-05)
- [Building Bylaw, 2019, No. 3200 (consolidated) (PDF)](https://www.portmoody.ca/eDocs/Get?docnumber=506778) (read 2026-11-05)
- [Fees Bylaw, 2025, No. 3524 (consolidated) (PDF)](https://www.portmoody.ca/eDocs/Get?docnumber=669753) (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. Gov Handbook is an independent guide, not affiliated with City of Port Moody. How answers are checked: https://govhandbook.com/methods/ · Canonical page: https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/port-moody/secondary-suite/_