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

# Pouce Coupe secondary suite and carriage house rules

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

**Short answer:** Yes. Pouce Coupe's Zoning Bylaw permits a secondary suite in A-1, R-1 and R-2 zones on a parcel with a single-detached or duplex home, and a detached accessory dwelling unit (a carriage house) in several zones. You need a building permit to build a suite.

**Who handles it:** Municipal (Village of Pouce Coupe, https://www.poucecoupe.ca)  
**Cost:** See the building-permit-fees answer. No separate suite fee is stated.  
**How long:** No fixed time; the Village says building permit review depends on the time of year and the size of the project.  
**Where:**
- In person: Village Office, 5011 49th Avenue, Pouce Coupe, BC (Monday to Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.)
- Phone: Village Office, 250-786-5794
- Email: Village Office, info@poucecoupe.ca

## Key facts

- **Secondary suite allowed:** Secondary suites are permitted accessory uses in the A-1, R-1 and R-2 zones, but only on a parcel with a single-detached or duplex dwelling. Not allowed on a parcel with a mobile home.
  - Source: [Zoning Bylaw No. 1093, 2026, s. 4, Suites, items 2-3](https://poucecoupe.civicweb.net/document/52625/)
  - Official wording: "Suites shall be considered an accessory use to a single-detached or duplex dwelling and are only permitted on parcels containing a single-detached or duplex dwelling." … "Suites are not permitted on a parcel containing a mobile home."
  - Source: [Zoning Bylaw No. 1093, 2026, s. 7, R-1 zone](https://poucecoupe.civicweb.net/document/52625/)
  - Official wording: "v. Bee keeping vi. Daycare vii. Home occupation viii. Secondary suite ix. Short-term rental accommodation Regulations On a parcel located in an area zoned R-1, no building or structure shall be constructed, located or altered,"
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-08
- **Coach house or garden suite allowed:** An accessory dwelling unit (detached suite) is an accessory use in A-1, R-1, C-1, C-2, M-1 and P-1 (not R-2). It needs rear lane access or a side parcel setback of 3.0 m or more, 3.0 m from the rear of the house, not in the front yard, at most 8.0 m high (single storey). R-1 needs a 550 m² parcel.
  - Source: [Zoning Bylaw No. 1093, 2026, s. 4, Suites, Accessory Dwelling Units](https://poucecoupe.civicweb.net/document/52625/)
  - Official wording: "Must be located on a parcel that has rear lane access or that contains a side parcel setback of 3.0 m or greater." … "Shall be set back a minimum of 3.0 m from rear of the principal building." … "Shall not exceed a height of 8.0 m when the accessory dwelling unit is located in a single storey accessory building." … "is on the same parcel within residential, commercial, industrial, and institutional zones"
  - Source: [Zoning Bylaw No. 1093, 2026, s. 7, R-1 zone](https://poucecoupe.civicweb.net/document/52625/)
  - Official wording: "iv. Single-detached dwelling with accessory dwelling unit 550.0 m2"
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-08
- **Limits:** A secondary suite and an accessory dwelling unit may both be on one parcel. Suites cannot be subdivided or strata titled and must meet the BC Building Code. R-1: at most 3 dwelling units per parcel; a house with a secondary suite needs a 440 m² parcel.
  - Source: [Zoning Bylaw No. 1093, 2026, s. 4, Suites, items 4, 6, 7](https://poucecoupe.civicweb.net/document/52625/)
  - Official wording: "A secondary suite and an accessory dwelling unit are permitted on the same parcel." … "All suites must meet BC Building Code requirements, which may be amended from time to time." … "Suites shall not be subdivided or strata titled."
  - Source: [Zoning Bylaw No. 1093, 2026, s. 7, R-1 zone](https://poucecoupe.civicweb.net/document/52625/)
  - Official wording: "8. Maximum dwelling units per parcel 3" … "iii. Single-detached dwelling (with or without secondary suite) 440.0 m2"
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-08
- **Parking:** Conflict inside the bylaw: Section 4 says one additional off-street parking space on site for each suite or accessory dwelling unit; the parking table (Table 3) says 2 spaces per dwelling unit for a secondary suite or accessory dwelling unit, in addition to the principal dwelling's requirement. (Sources differ: Both are in Zoning Bylaw 1093, 2026; ask the Village which applies. Spaces are 5.5 m x 2.7 m (s. 5).)
  - Source: [Zoning Bylaw No. 1093, 2026, s. 4, Suites, item 5](https://poucecoupe.civicweb.net/document/52625/)
  - Official wording: "One additional off-street parking space must be provided on-site for each suite or accessory dwelling unit."
  - Source: [Zoning Bylaw No. 1093, 2026, s. 5, Table 3](https://poucecoupe.civicweb.net/document/52625/)
  - Official wording: "Secondary Suite 2 spaces per dwelling unit in addition to principal"
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-08
- **Permits:** A building permit is required to construct a secondary suite. The Village building page does not mention a development permit for suites.
  - Source: [Building Permits and Development, A building permit is required for...](https://poucecoupe.ca/government/building-development/)
  - Official wording: "Construction of an secondary suite"
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-08
- **Bylaw:** Zoning Bylaw No. 1093, 2026 (Section 4, Suites; Section 7, Zones); Building Regulation Bylaw No. 916, 2008.
  - Source: [Zoning Bylaw No. 1093, 2026, Bylaw cover](https://poucecoupe.civicweb.net/document/52625/)
  - Official wording: "Village of Pouce Coupe Zoning Bylaw No. 1093 2026"
  - Source: [Building Regulation Bylaw No. 916, Title](https://poucecoupe.civicweb.net/document/2022/)
  - Official wording: "BYLAW NO. 916, 2008"
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-08

## How it works

In Pouce Coupe, [Zoning Bylaw No. 1093](https://poucecoupe.civicweb.net/document/52625/) allows two kinds of extra home.

**Secondary suite** (inside the house): an accessory use in the A-1, R-1 and R-2 zones, only on a parcel with a single-detached or duplex dwelling, not a mobile home. In R-1 a house with a suite needs a 440 m² parcel and the parcel may hold at most 3 dwelling units. In the ALR (A-1), at most three dwelling units including the suite.

**Detached suite** (the bylaw calls it an accessory dwelling unit; "coach house" and "garden suite" are not used): allowed in A-1, R-1, C-1, C-2, M-1 and P-1, not R-2. It needs rear lane access or a side parcel setback of 3.0 m or more, 3.0 m from the rear of the house, not in the front yard, and at most 8.0 m high (single storey). R-1 needs a 550 m² parcel. A second-storey unit is limited to a 7.0 m ceiling height. It must connect to the principal building's water and sewer.

## Steps

1. Ask the Village Office to confirm your zone and parcel size.
2. Apply for a building permit. See the building-permit answer.
3. If you need to vary setbacks or parking, a development variance permit is required.

## Good to know

- A secondary suite and a detached unit may both be on one parcel. Suites cannot be subdivided or strata titled and must meet the BC Building Code.
- Parking: Section 4 of the bylaw says one extra off-street space per suite; its parking table says 2 spaces per suite, in addition to the main home. Ask the Village which applies. Spaces are 5.5 m by 2.7 m.
- The bylaw states no owner-occupancy rule and no maximum suite size.

## Official forms and pages

- [Zoning Bylaw No. 1093, 2026 (PDF)](https://poucecoupe.civicweb.net/document/52625/)
- [Building Permits and Development, Village of Pouce Coupe](https://poucecoupe.ca/government/building-development/)

## Related questions

- [Pouce Coupe building permits: when you need one and how to apply](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/pouce-coupe/building-permit.md)
- [Pouce Coupe zoning: find your zone and what it allows](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/pouce-coupe/zoning-lookup.md)
- [Pouce Coupe short-term rental rules (Airbnb, Vrbo)](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/pouce-coupe/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)
- [Dawson Creek](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/dawson-creek/secondary-suite.md)
- [Taylor](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/taylor/secondary-suite.md)
- [Fort St. John](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/fort-st-john/secondary-suite.md)
- [Chetwynd](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/chetwynd/secondary-suite.md)
- [Tumbler Ridge](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/tumbler-ridge/secondary-suite.md)
- [Hudson's Hope](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/hudsons-hope/secondary-suite.md)

## Sources

- [Zoning Bylaw No. 1093, 2026 (PDF), Village of Pouce Coupe](https://poucecoupe.civicweb.net/document/52625/) (read 2026-11-08)
- [Building Regulation Bylaw No. 916 (PDF), Village of Pouce Coupe](https://poucecoupe.civicweb.net/document/2022/) (read 2026-11-08)
- [Building Permits and Development, Village of Pouce Coupe](https://poucecoupe.ca/government/building-development/) (read 2026-11-08)
- [Contact, Village of Pouce Coupe](https://poucecoupe.ca/contact/) (read 2026-11-08)

_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 Village of Pouce Coupe. How answers are checked: https://govhandbook.com/methods/ · Canonical page: https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/pouce-coupe/secondary-suite/_