Salt Spring Island secondary suite and carriage house rules

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

Salt Spring Island, British ColumbiaChecked against official textSources read 2026-11-05

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.

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.Salt Spring Island Land Use Bylaw No. 355, sections 3.14 to 3.16 and Table 3, s. 3.16.1; Salt Spring Island Land Use Bylaw No. 355, sections 3.14 to 3.16 and Table 3, s. 3.16.2 · Wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06 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. the dwelling unit or the secondary suite is occupied by the owner of the dwelling; or
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).Salt Spring Island Land Use Bylaw No. 355, sections 3.14 to 3.16 and Table 3, s. 3.15.1-3.15.3; Salt Spring Island Land Use Bylaw No. 355, sections 3.14 to 3.16 and Table 3, s. 3.16.4 · Wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06 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 A secondary suite must be contained within the walls of the building that
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.Salt Spring Island Land Use Bylaw No. 355, sections 3.14 to 3.16 and Table 3, s. 3.16.3-3.16.8 · Wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06 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
Parking	One space per suite, in addition to the 2 spaces for the single-family dwelling (spaces for each use are added together).Salt Spring Island Land Use Bylaw No. 355, sections 3.14 to 3.16 and Table 3; Salt Spring Island Land Use Bylaw No. 355, sections 3.14 to 3.16 and Table 3, s. 7.1.3 · Wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06 Official wording Single-family dwelling 2 per unit 0 0 Seasonal Cottage or Secondary 1 per unit 0 0 total number of parking and loading spaces is to be the sum of
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.Salt Spring Island Land Use Bylaw No. 355, sections 3.14 to 3.16 and Table 3, s. 3.16.1 Information Note; Salt Spring Island Land Use Bylaw No. 355, sections 3.14 to 3.16 and Table 3, s. 3.16.8 Information Note; CRD Building Permit Guide, Other Documents, item 12 · Wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06 Official wording require a building permit from the Capital Regional District Building Inspection Office to be fully legalized. District requires specific amounts of potable water be demonstrated, and proof of adequate septic capacity be provided, MUST INCLUDE a Building Permit Review Response Form confirming that the Site Plan and
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.Salt Spring Island Land Use Bylaw No. 355, sections 3.14 to 3.16 and Table 3, s. 3.16; Salt Spring Island Land Use Bylaw No. 355, sections 3.14 to 3.16 and Table 3, s. 2.1.1 · Wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06 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 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

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, 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

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.
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.
Plan parking: one space per suite, in addition to the 2 spaces for the single-family dwelling.
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.
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

The same question in other places

Secondary suite and carriage house rules in British Columbia, by municipality →

Sources

Salt Spring Island Land Use Bylaw No. 355 (PDF), sections 3.14 to 3.16 and Table 3 (read 2026-11-05)
Schedule I Secondary Suites Map, Land Use Bylaw 355 (read 2026-11-05)
CRD Building Permit Guide (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. How answers are checked.