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

# Prince George secondary suite and carriage house rules

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

**Short answer:** Yes, in most Prince George residential zones. A secondary suite is allowed in the AR, RS, RT and RM1 to RM8 zones, among others, and a carriage or cottage house in AR3, RS, RT, Z9 and Z14. You need a building permit, and a plumbing permit and water meter for a suite.

**Who handles it:** Municipal (City of Prince George, https://www.princegeorge.ca)  
**Cost:** $100 processing fee plus a permit fee. The fee schedule lists a unit value of $35 per ft² for a secondary suite but does not show how it becomes a fee; see the fees answer.  
**Where:**
- Email: Development Services (send applications here), devserv@princegeorge.ca
- Phone: Development Services, 250-561-7611
- Online: PGMap (zoning layer), https://maps.princegeorge.ca/vertigisstudio/web/?app=58b18b1ecbc242898e66839f9b7a7673

## Key facts

- **Secondary suite allowed:** Yes. A secondary suite is a secondary use in the AR, RS, RT and RM1 to RM8 zones, Z9, Z14, Z19 and some other zones, in some only within a single detached house. Not allowed with an agri-tourist accommodation, bed & breakfast, community care facility, or boarding or lodging house.
  - Source: [New Housing Legislation, Bill 44: Residential Development (web page)](https://www.princegeorge.ca/business-development/housing/2024-housing-legislation)
  - Official wording: "RS1/RS1m: Suburban Residential" … "RS4: Urban Residential" … "Secondary suites in single detached dwellings or duplexes;"
  - Source: [City of Prince George Zoning Bylaw No. 7850, 2007 (consolidated October 5, 2026), s. 5.7.6](https://www.princegeorge.ca/sites/default/files/2026-10/BL7850_CONSOLIDATED_2026-10-05.pdf)
  - Official wording: "A secondary suite is not permitted in conjunction with an agri-tourist accommodation, bed & breakfast, community care facility, boarding or lodging house."
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06
- **Coach house or garden suite allowed:** Yes: a carriage house (above a detached garage) or one-storey cottage house, on the same lot as the main dwelling. The City's guide lists AR3, RS, RT, Z9 and Z14 as the main eligible zones, and asks about existing suites, other accommodation uses, accessory buildings (90 m² combined) and parking.
  - Source: [Information Guide, Secondary Dwellings, Information Guide: Secondary Dwellings](https://www.princegeorge.ca/sites/default/files/2026-02/2026%20Secondary%20Dwellings%20Circular.pdf)
  - Official wording: "A secondary dwelling is a self contained building that is detached from the principal dwelling." … "AR3, RS, RT, Z9, or Z14" … "Is the combined gross floor area less than 90 m2?" … "Can adequate parking be provided for the secondary dwelling?"
  - Source: [City of Prince George Zoning Bylaw No. 7850, 2007 (consolidated October 5, 2026), s. 5.6.3](https://www.princegeorge.ca/sites/default/files/2026-10/BL7850_CONSOLIDATED_2026-10-05.pdf)
  - Official wording: "The principal and secondary dwelling shall be located on the same lot."
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06
- **Limits:** Where small-scale multi-unit housing applies: 3 dwelling units on a parcel of 280 m² or less, 4 on a larger parcel. Where exempt: one main dwelling plus one suite or secondary dwelling. A secondary dwelling is up to 100 m² ground floor and 8.0 m high, on top of the accessory-building limit. No suite size or owner-occupancy rule found.
  - Source: [City of Prince George Zoning Bylaw No. 7850, 2007 (consolidated October 5, 2026), s. 10.1.6, s. 10.1.5](https://www.princegeorge.ca/sites/default/files/2026-10/BL7850_CONSOLIDATED_2026-10-05.pdf)
  - Official wording: "In addition to 10.1.6 1., the maximum ground floor area is 100.0 m2." … "The maximum height is 8.0 m." … "except where Small-Scale Multi-Unit Housing densities are exempt by Section 5.18, the maximum residential density is one principal dwelling and one secondary suite or dwelling." … "The maximum residential density is three (3) dwelling units on a parcel 280 m2 or less, or four (4) dwelling units on a parcel greater than 280 m2"
  - Source: [Information Guide, Secondary Dwellings, Eligibility chart](https://www.princegeorge.ca/sites/default/files/2026-02/2026%20Secondary%20Dwellings%20Circular.pdf)
  - Official wording: "Is the combined gross floor area less than 90 m2?"
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06
- **Parking:** Parking must follow the Zoning Bylaw (s. 5.7.5). Table 7.4 requires 1 space per dwelling for single detached, two-unit and four-plex housing.
  - Source: [City of Prince George Zoning Bylaw No. 7850, 2007 (consolidated October 5, 2026), s. 5.7.5; Table 7.4](https://www.princegeorge.ca/sites/default/files/2026-10/BL7850_CONSOLIDATED_2026-10-05.pdf)
  - Official wording: "Parking shall be in conformance with the regulations of this Bylaw." … "Single Detached Housing 1 per dwelling"
  - Source: [City of Prince George Zoning Bylaw No. 7850, 2007 (consolidated October 5, 2026), Definition: Dwelling Unit](https://www.princegeorge.ca/sites/default/files/2026-10/BL7850_CONSOLIDATED_2026-10-05.pdf)
  - Official wording: "A secondary suite and a secondary dwelling are each considered a dwelling unit."
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06
- **Permits:** A building permit (the residential package covers secondary suites). A plumbing permit and water meter are needed when adding a secondary suite. A secondary dwelling may also need a Small Scale Residential development permit, only if it does not meet the guidelines.
  - Source: [Building Permits, Applying for a permit; Projects that require a plumbing permit (web page)](https://www.princegeorge.ca/business-development/building-permits)
  - Official wording: "Residential - Single-family dwelling, duplex, carriage and cottage houses, secondary suites" … "A water meter is required if you are adding three or more plumbing fixtures, making substantial changes to the plumbing system, or adding a secondary suite."
  - Source: [Information Guide, Secondary Dwellings, Information Guide: Secondary Dwellings](https://www.princegeorge.ca/sites/default/files/2026-02/2026%20Secondary%20Dwellings%20Circular.pdf)
  - Official wording: "Building a secondary dwelling requires a building permit (BP) and may require a Small Scale Residential Development Permit." … "A development permit is only required where the proposed development does not meet the overall intent of the Small Scale Residential DP guidelines."
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06
- **Bylaw:** City of Prince George Zoning Bylaw No. 7850, 2007 (ss. 5.6, 5.7, 5.18, zone sections); City of Prince George Building Bylaw No. 9482, 2024
  - Source: [City of Prince George Zoning Bylaw No. 7850, 2007 (consolidated October 5, 2026), ss. 5.6, 5.7, 5.18](https://www.princegeorge.ca/sites/default/files/2026-10/BL7850_CONSOLIDATED_2026-10-05.pdf)
  - Official wording: "City of Prince George Zoning Bylaw No. 7850, 2007 - CONSOLIDATED"
  - Source: [City of Prince George Building Bylaw No. 9482, 2024, s. 1](https://www.princegeorge.ca/sites/default/files/2024-09/BL9482_ADOPTED.pdf)
  - Official wording: "This Bylaw may be cited as the "City of Prince George Building Bylaw No. 9482, 2024"."
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06

## How it works

Bylaw 9466 (2024) changed the [Zoning Bylaw](https://www.princegeorge.ca/sites/default/files/2026-10/BL7850_CONSOLIDATED_2026-10-05.pdf) to meet provincial Bill 44.

**Secondary suite (inside the house):** a secondary use in the AR, RS, RT and RM1 to RM8 zones, Z9, Z14, Z19 and some other zones, in some of them only within a single detached house.

**Carriage house or cottage house:** a carriage house sits above a detached garage; a cottage house is one storey. Both go on the same lot as the main dwelling. The City's guide lists AR3, RS, RT, Z9 and Z14 as the main eligible zones. It also asks about existing suites, other accommodation uses, accessory buildings (90 m² combined) and parking.

None of these is allowed together with an agri-tourist accommodation, bed and breakfast, community care facility, or boarding or lodging house.

## Steps

1. Check your lot's zone and size in PGMap.
2. Confirm no exemption applies (see below).
3. Choose the type: suite inside the house, carriage house or cottage house.
4. Fill out the residential building permit application and email it to devserv@princegeorge.ca.
5. Get a plumbing permit and water meter for a suite. A carriage or cottage house may also need a Small Scale Residential development permit if it does not meet the guidelines.

## Good to know

- Where small-scale multi-unit housing applies, a parcel of 280 m² or less may have 3 dwelling units and a larger parcel 4.
- Exemptions include parcels over 4,050 m², lots with no City water or sewer, land outside the Urban Area, heritage-protected land, transit-oriented areas, and AG, AF, AR1, AR2 and AR4 zones. Then the limit is one main dwelling plus one suite or secondary dwelling.
- A secondary dwelling may have up to 100 m² of ground floor and be 8.0 m high, on top of the accessory-building limit.
- Parking must follow the Zoning Bylaw. Table 7.4 requires 1 space per dwelling for single detached, two-unit and four-plex housing, with no separate line for a suite. Confirm with Development Services.
- We found no rule on suite size or owner occupancy.

## Official forms and pages

- [New Housing Legislation (Bill 44 and Small-Scale Multi-Unit Housing)](https://www.princegeorge.ca/business-development/housing/2024-housing-legislation)
- [Information Guide, Secondary Dwellings (PDF)](https://www.princegeorge.ca/sites/default/files/2026-02/2026%20Secondary%20Dwellings%20Circular.pdf)
- [Residential building permit application (includes carriage and cottage houses, secondary suites)](https://www.princegeorge.ca/city-services/permits-applications/residential-building-permit-package-single-family-duplex-other)
- [Zoning Bylaw 7850 (PDF)](https://www.princegeorge.ca/sites/default/files/2026-10/BL7850_CONSOLIDATED_2026-10-05.pdf)

## Related questions

- [Prince George building permits: when you need one and how to apply](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/prince-george/building-permit.md)
- [Prince George building permit fees](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/prince-george/building-permit-fees.md)
- [Prince George zoning: find your zone and what it allows](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/prince-george/zoning-lookup.md)

## The same question elsewhere

- [Secondary suite and carriage house rules in British Columbia, by municipality](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/secondary-suite.md)
- [Vanderhoof](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/vanderhoof/secondary-suite.md)
- [Quesnel](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/quesnel/secondary-suite.md)
- [Fort St James](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/fort-st-james/secondary-suite.md)
- [Fraser Lake](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/fraser-lake/secondary-suite.md)
- [Mackenzie](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/mackenzie/secondary-suite.md)
- [Tumbler Ridge](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/tumbler-ridge/secondary-suite.md)

## Sources

- [New Housing Legislation, City of Prince George](https://www.princegeorge.ca/business-development/housing/2024-housing-legislation) (read 2026-11-05)
- [Information Guide, Secondary Dwellings, City of Prince George (PDF)](https://www.princegeorge.ca/sites/default/files/2026-02/2026%20Secondary%20Dwellings%20Circular.pdf) (read 2026-11-05)
- [City of Prince George Zoning Bylaw No. 7850, 2007 (consolidated October 5, 2026) (PDF)](https://www.princegeorge.ca/sites/default/files/2026-10/BL7850_CONSOLIDATED_2026-10-05.pdf) (read 2026-11-05)
- [Building Permits, City of Prince George](https://www.princegeorge.ca/business-development/building-permits) (read 2026-11-05)
- [City of Prince George Building Bylaw No. 9482, 2024 (PDF)](https://www.princegeorge.ca/sites/default/files/2024-09/BL9482_ADOPTED.pdf) (read 2026-11-05)
- [Comprehensive Fees and Charges Bylaw No. 7557, 2004, Schedule A-1 (PDF)](https://www.princegeorge.ca/sites/default/files/2025-12/BL7557_CONSOLIDATED_2025-12-15.pdf) (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 Prince George. How answers are checked: https://govhandbook.com/methods/ · Canonical page: https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/prince-george/secondary-suite/_