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

# Princeton secondary suite and carriage house rules

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

**Short answer:** Yes, in Princeton. A secondary suite is allowed inside a single detached dwelling or half duplex in the FG, RC, RS1, RS2, RD, RM2 and RM3 zones. A carriage house is allowed in FG, RC, RS1, RS2 and RM2. You need a building permit and the suite must meet the BC Building Code.

**Who handles it:** Municipal (Town of Princeton, https://www.princeton.ca)  
**Cost:** Building permit fees apply (see the building-permit-fees answer). No suite-specific fee found.  
**How long:** Not stated.  
**Where:**
- Email: Planning Department, planning@princeton.ca
- Email: Building Department, building@princeton.ca
- Phone: Town Hall, 250-295-3135

## Key facts

- **Secondary suite allowed:** Yes, in the FG, RC, RS1, RS2, RD, RM2 and RM3 zones, subject to the suite rules in ss. 6.30 to 6.32. It must be inside a single detached dwelling or half duplex.
  - Source: [Zoning Bylaw Number 880, 2013, s. 9.1.12, 10.1.10, 11.1.4, 12.1.3, 14.1.4, 15.1.4, 16.1.3](https://princeton.civicweb.net/document/11311/)
  - Official wording: "Secondary suite, subject to Sections 6.30, 6.31, and 6.32" … "secondary suite, subject to Section 6.30, 6.31, and 6.32;" … "home occupation, minor; .4 secondary suite."
  - Source: [Zoning Bylaw Number 880, 2013, s. 6.30.1](https://princeton.civicweb.net/document/11311/)
  - Official wording: "A secondary suite shall be entirely contained within a single detached dwelling or"
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-08
- **Coach house or garden suite allowed:** A carriage house (detached dwelling unit in an accessory building) is allowed in the FG, RC, RS1, RS2 and RM2 zones (RM2 only on a parcel with a single detached dwelling), subject to s. 6.7.
  - Source: [Zoning Bylaw Number 880, 2013, s. 9.1.3, 10.1.4, 11.1.3, 12.1.2, 15.1.3](https://princeton.civicweb.net/document/11311/)
  - Official wording: "carriage house subject to Section 6.7;" … "carriage house, subject to Section 6.7;" … "carriage house, on a parcel with a single detached dwelling, subject to Section 6.7;" … "carriage house;"
  - Source: [Zoning Bylaw Number 880, 2013, s. 4 (definition)](https://princeton.civicweb.net/document/11311/)
  - Official wording: "“CARRIAGE HOUSE” means an accessory building located on a residential parcel, that is"
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-08
- **Limits:** Suite: one per dwelling, not together with a carriage house on the same lot; 32 m² minimum; 125 m² maximum or 40% of the main dwelling's floor area, whichever is less. Carriage house: one per parcel; 100 m² maximum or 15% of parcel area, whichever is less.
  - Source: [Zoning Bylaw Number 880, 2013, s. 6.31.1, 6.32.1-6.32.2](https://princeton.civicweb.net/document/11311/)
  - Official wording: "Only one secondary suite is permitted per dwelling unit and shall not be allowed in" … "The Maximum Gross Floor Area is 125 m2 (1345 sq. ft.) or 40% of the total gross" … "The Minimum Gross Floor Area is 32 m2 (344 sq. ft.)"
  - Source: [Zoning Bylaw Number 880, 2013, s. 6.7.1-6.7.4 and 6.7.8](https://princeton.civicweb.net/document/11311/)
  - Official wording: "not more than one carriage house shall be permitted on any parcel of land;" … "The maximum gross floor area for carriage houses is 100 m2 (1075 sq. ft.) or 15% of the" … "The distance between a principal dwelling and a carriage house in any zone shall be 3.0m or"
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-08
- **Parking:** One additional parking space for the suite (and one additional space for a carriage house), with at least one space for each unit having direct access to the street.
  - Source: [Zoning Bylaw Number 880, 2013, s. 6.32.4](https://princeton.civicweb.net/document/11311/)
  - Official wording: "One additional parking space is required for the secondary suite on the subject"
  - Source: [Zoning Bylaw Number 880, 2013, s. 6.7.11](https://princeton.civicweb.net/document/11311/)
  - Official wording: "One additional parking space is required for the carriage house on the subject property."
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-08
- **Permits:** A building permit is needed before building or altering a building or changing its use or occupancy, and a suite must meet the BC Building Code. A development permit is needed first if the property is in a development permit area.
  - Source: [Building Bylaw No. 976, 2020, s. 7.1 and s. 10.1(a)](https://princeton.civicweb.net/document/38942/)
  - Official wording: "changing the use or occupancy of a building or real property unless the works are" … "the owner must apply for and obtain a development permit if the building or structure is in an area designated by the Town of Princeton Official Community"
  - Source: [Zoning Bylaw Number 880, 2013, s. 4 (definition of Secondary Suite)](https://princeton.civicweb.net/document/11311/)
  - Official wording: "is meeting all the applicable requirements from the BC Building Code."
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-08
- **Bylaw:** Town of Princeton Zoning Bylaw Number 880, 2013 (ss. 6.7, 6.30 to 6.32, as amended by Bylaw No. 1022, 2022); Building Bylaw No. 976, 2020.
  - Source: [Zoning Bylaw Number 880, 2013, s. 1.1](https://princeton.civicweb.net/document/11311/)
  - Official wording: "Town of Princeton Zoning Bylaw Number 880, 2013"
  - Source: [Zoning Bylaw Number 880, 2013, cover page](https://princeton.civicweb.net/document/11311/)
  - Official wording: "(Including Amending bylaws up to and including Bylaw No. 1032, 2022)"
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-08

## How it works

The Town of Princeton's [Zoning Bylaw](https://princeton.civicweb.net/document/11311/) allows one secondary suite inside a single detached dwelling or half duplex in the FG, RC, RS1, RS2, RD, RM2 and RM3 zones (ss. 6.30 to 6.32). A carriage house (a dwelling unit in an accessory building) is allowed in the FG, RC, RS1, RS2 and RM2 zones; in RM2 only on a parcel with a single detached dwelling (s. 6.7). It is not listed in RD, RM3 or the commercial zones.

## Steps

1. Confirm your zone with Planning (see zoning-lookup).
2. If the property is in a development permit area, get that permit first.
3. Apply for a building permit before building, altering or changing the use of a building.
4. The suite must meet the BC Building Code.

## Good to know

- Suite: one per dwelling, not together with a carriage house on the same lot; 32 m² minimum; 125 m² maximum or 40% of the main dwelling's floor area, whichever is less.
- Carriage house: one per parcel; 100 m² maximum or 15% of parcel area, whichever is less. It must be 3.0 m from the rear line (1.5 m if on a lane) and connected to town sewer and water when available.
- Each of the main dwelling and the suite or carriage house needs 15 m² of private amenity space.
- Parking: one additional space for the suite (and one more for a carriage house), with at least one space for each unit having direct access to the street.
- The bylaw read sets no owner-occupancy requirement.

## Official forms and pages

- [Zoning Bylaw Number 880, 2013 (PDF)](https://princeton.civicweb.net/document/11311/)
- [Building Bylaw No. 976, 2020 (PDF)](https://princeton.civicweb.net/document/38942/)

## Related questions

- [Princeton building permits: when you need one and how to apply](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/princeton/building-permit.md)
- [Princeton building permit fees](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/princeton/building-permit-fees.md)
- [Princeton zoning: find your zone and what it allows](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/princeton/zoning-lookup.md)
- [Princeton permits for decks, sheds, carports and garages](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/princeton/deck-shed-garage-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)
- [Keremeos](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/keremeos/secondary-suite.md)
- [Summerland](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/summerland/secondary-suite.md)
- [Hope](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/hope/secondary-suite.md)
- [Penticton](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/penticton/secondary-suite.md)
- [Peachland](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/peachland/secondary-suite.md)
- [Oliver](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/oliver/secondary-suite.md)

## Sources

- [Zoning Bylaw Number 880, 2013 (PDF), Town of Princeton](https://princeton.civicweb.net/document/11311/) (read 2026-11-08)
- [Building Bylaw No. 976, 2020 (PDF), Town of Princeton](https://princeton.civicweb.net/document/38942/) (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 Town of Princeton. How answers are checked: https://govhandbook.com/methods/ · Canonical page: https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/princeton/secondary-suite/_