---
title: Salt Spring Island secondary suite and carriage house rules
question: "Can I add a secondary suite, cottage, or accessory dwelling?"
place: Salt Spring Island, British Columbia, Canada
place_path: ca/bc/salt-spring-island
category: Building, renovating and your property
owner: other
sources_read: 2026-11-05
review: machine_checked
canonical: "https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/salt-spring-island/secondary-suite/"
json: "https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/salt-spring-island/secondary-suite.json"
---

# Salt Spring Island secondary suite and carriage house rules

**Question:** Can I add a secondary suite, cottage, or accessory dwelling?

**Short answer:** On Salt Spring Island, the Islands Trust allows one secondary suite per lot, up to 90 m², but only on lots in the shaded area of its Schedule I map or on Agriculture 1 or 2 land in the Agricultural Land Reserve. The owner must live on site. A suite also needs a Capital Regional District (CRD) building permit.

**Who handles it:** Another public body  
**Cost:** CRD building permit: $300 application fee plus 1.4% of construction value. No suite-specific fee was found; Islands Trust fees are in its Fees Bylaw No. 527.  
**Where:**
- Phone: Islands Trust Salt Spring office, 250-537-9144 (Unit 4, 121 McPhillips Avenue, V8K 2T6.)
- Email: Islands Trust Salt Spring office, ssiinfo@islandstrust.bc.ca
- Phone: CRD Building Inspection, Salt Spring, 250-360-3230

## Key facts

- **Secondary suite allowed:** Allowed on lots within or partly within the shaded area of the Land Use Bylaw's Schedule I (Secondary Suites Map), and on lots zoned Agriculture 1 or Agriculture 2 in the ALR. The dwelling or suite must be lived in by the owner, or by a person responsible for managing the property.
  - Source: [Salt Spring Island Land Use Bylaw No. 355, sections 3.14 to 3.16 and Table 3, s. 3.16.1](https://islandstrust.bc.ca/document/ssi-ltc-bylaw-no-355/)
  - Official wording: "Secondary suites are permitted on lots that are within or partially within the" … "shaded area on Schedule “I” to this Bylaw." … "Secondary suites are also permitted on lots within the Agricultural Land" … "Reserve, zoned Agriculture 1 and Agriculture 2 by this Bylaw."
  - Source: [Salt Spring Island Land Use Bylaw No. 355, sections 3.14 to 3.16 and Table 3, s. 3.16.2](https://islandstrust.bc.ca/document/ssi-ltc-bylaw-no-355/)
  - Official wording: "the dwelling unit or the secondary suite is occupied by the owner of the" … "dwelling; or"
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06
- **Coach house or garden suite allowed:** Not as a secondary suite: it must be inside the main building (s. 3.16.4). A detached full-time rental cottage is allowed only where a zone variation permits it (R7(a), R(f), RU1(f)), on lots 1.2 ha or more, up to 56 m² (lots under 2 ha) or 90 m² (2 ha or more).
  - Source: [Salt Spring Island Land Use Bylaw No. 355, sections 3.14 to 3.16 and Table 3, s. 3.15.1-3.15.3](https://islandstrust.bc.ca/document/ssi-ltc-bylaw-no-355/)
  - Official wording: "No full-time rental cottage may be constructed or occupied on a lot less than 1.2" … "ha in area." … "A full-time rental cottage may not exceed 56 square metres in floor area on a lot" … "less than 2 hectares in area, or 90 square metres in floor area on lots with an" … "A full-time rental cottage is to be physically detached from any other building or" … "Instead of a seasonal cottage, the following accessory use is permitted:" … "A seasonal cottage subject to Section 3.14 or a full-time rental cottage subject to"
  - Source: [Salt Spring Island Land Use Bylaw No. 355, sections 3.14 to 3.16 and Table 3, s. 3.16.4](https://islandstrust.bc.ca/document/ssi-ltc-bylaw-no-355/)
  - Official wording: "A secondary suite must be contained within the walls of the building that"
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06
- **Limits:** One suite per lot, inside the walls of the building with the main dwelling, with a separate outside entrance, up to 90 m². The owner, or a person responsible for managing the property, must live in the dwelling or the suite. A suite cannot be subdivided or stratified. Lots on groundwater need enough water.
  - Source: [Salt Spring Island Land Use Bylaw No. 355, sections 3.14 to 3.16 and Table 3, s. 3.16.3-3.16.8](https://islandstrust.bc.ca/document/ssi-ltc-bylaw-no-355/)
  - Official wording: "There is a maximum of one secondary suite permitted per lot." … "The maximum floor area for a secondary suite is 90m2 (968 ft2)." … "The entrance to a secondary suite from the exterior of the building must be" … "A secondary suite must not be subdivided from the principal dwelling unit under" … "Where a lot is supplied by groundwater, a building containing a secondary suite" … "the dwelling unit or the secondary suite is occupied by the owner of the dwelling; or"
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06
- **Parking:** One space per suite, in addition to the 2 spaces for the single-family dwelling (spaces for each use are added together).
  - Source: [Salt Spring Island Land Use Bylaw No. 355, sections 3.14 to 3.16 and Table 3](https://islandstrust.bc.ca/document/ssi-ltc-bylaw-no-355/)
  - Official wording: "Single-family dwelling 2 per unit 0 0" … "Seasonal Cottage or Secondary" … "1 per unit 0 0"
  - Source: [Salt Spring Island Land Use Bylaw No. 355, sections 3.14 to 3.16 and Table 3, s. 7.1.3](https://islandstrust.bc.ca/document/ssi-ltc-bylaw-no-355/)
  - Official wording: "total number of parking and loading spaces is to be the sum of"
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06
- **Permits:** A CRD building permit is needed to fully legalize a suite; Islands Trust must confirm land-use compliance first (Building Permit Review Response Form). The CRD requires proof of potable water and septic capacity. A development permit may also be needed if the lot is in a development permit area.
  - Source: [Salt Spring Island Land Use Bylaw No. 355, sections 3.14 to 3.16 and Table 3, s. 3.16.1 Information Note](https://islandstrust.bc.ca/document/ssi-ltc-bylaw-no-355/)
  - Official wording: "require a building permit from the Capital Regional District Building Inspection" … "Office to be fully legalized."
  - Source: [Salt Spring Island Land Use Bylaw No. 355, sections 3.14 to 3.16 and Table 3, s. 3.16.8 Information Note](https://islandstrust.bc.ca/document/ssi-ltc-bylaw-no-355/)
  - Official wording: "District requires specific amounts of potable water be demonstrated, and proof of adequate septic capacity be provided,"
  - Source: [CRD Building Permit Guide, Other Documents, item 12](https://www.crd.ca/media/file/building_permit_guide)
  - Official wording: "MUST INCLUDE a Building Permit Review Response Form confirming that the Site Plan and"
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06
- **Bylaw:** Salt Spring Island Land Use Bylaw No. 355 (1999), s. 3.16 Secondary Suites and Schedule I; CRD Building Regulation Bylaw No. 3741 for the building permit.
  - Source: [Salt Spring Island Land Use Bylaw No. 355, sections 3.14 to 3.16 and Table 3, s. 3.16](https://islandstrust.bc.ca/document/ssi-ltc-bylaw-no-355/)
  - Official wording: "will be made a condition of permit applications deemed to be land use compliant. 3.16 SECONDARY SUITES BL461 (05/13) 3.16.1 Secondary suites are permitted on lots that are within or partially within the" … "Local Trust Committee Bylaw No. 355 Salt Spring Island"
  - Source: [Salt Spring Island Land Use Bylaw No. 355, sections 3.14 to 3.16 and Table 3, s. 2.1.1](https://islandstrust.bc.ca/document/ssi-ltc-bylaw-no-355/)
  - Official wording: "The provisions of this Bylaw apply to that portion of Salt Spring Island Local Trust" … "Area that lies within Electoral Area “F” of the Capital Regional District"
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06

## How it works

Salt Spring Island is not a municipality. Secondary suites and cottages are regulated by the Islands Trust through [Land Use Bylaw No. 355](https://islandstrust.bc.ca/document/ssi-ltc-bylaw-no-355/), separately from the building permit, which the CRD issues.

A secondary suite is allowed on lots within or partly within the shaded area of the bylaw's Schedule I (Secondary Suites Map), and on lots zoned Agriculture 1 or Agriculture 2 in the Agricultural Land Reserve. The owner, or a person responsible for managing the property, must live in the dwelling or the suite.

## Steps

1. Check whether your lot is in the shaded area of Schedule I, or is zoned Agriculture 1 or 2 in the Agricultural Land Reserve. Ask the Islands Trust to confirm.
2. Check the suite limits: one suite per lot, inside the walls of the building with the main dwelling, with a separate outside entrance, up to 90 m². A suite cannot be subdivided or stratified. Lots on groundwater need enough water.
3. Plan parking: one space per suite, in addition to the 2 spaces for the single-family dwelling.
4. Get the Islands Trust to confirm land-use compliance (Building Permit Review Response Form). A development permit may also be needed if the lot is in a development permit area.
5. Apply to the CRD for a building permit to fully legalize the suite. The CRD requires proof of potable water and septic capacity.

## Good to know

- A detached suite is not allowed. A detached full-time rental cottage is allowed only where a zone variation permits it (R7(a), R(f), RU1(f)), on lots of 1.2 ha or more, up to 56 m² on lots under 2 ha or 90 m² on lots of 2 ha or more.
- Seasonal cottages cannot be lived in full time.
- The Schedule I map is an image. Ask the Trust if you cannot tell whether your lot is inside the shaded area.

## Official forms and pages

- [Land Use Bylaw 355, Schedule I Secondary Suites Map (PDF)](https://islandstrust.bc.ca/document/salt-spring-island-schedule-i-secondary-suites-map-lub-bylaw-355/)
- [Salt Spring Island Land Use Bylaw No. 355 (PDF)](https://islandstrust.bc.ca/document/ssi-ltc-bylaw-no-355/)

## Related questions

- [Salt Spring Island zoning: find your zone and what it allows](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/salt-spring-island/zoning-lookup.md)
- [Salt Spring Island building permits: when you need one and how to apply](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/salt-spring-island/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)

## Sources

- [Salt Spring Island Land Use Bylaw No. 355 (PDF), sections 3.14 to 3.16 and Table 3](https://islandstrust.bc.ca/document/ssi-ltc-bylaw-no-355/) (read 2026-11-05)
- [Schedule I Secondary Suites Map, Land Use Bylaw 355](https://islandstrust.bc.ca/document/salt-spring-island-schedule-i-secondary-suites-map-lub-bylaw-355/) (read 2026-11-05)
- [CRD Building Permit Guide (PDF)](https://www.crd.ca/media/file/building_permit_guide) (read 2026-11-05)

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