--- title: Stewart secondary suite and carriage house rules question: "Can I add a secondary suite or a carriage house?" place: Stewart, British Columbia, Canada place_path: ca/bc/stewart category: Building, renovating and your property owner: municipal owner_body: District of Stewart sources_read: 2026-11-08 review: machine_checked canonical: "https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/stewart/secondary-suite/" json: "https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/stewart/secondary-suite.json" --- # Stewart secondary suite and carriage house rules **Question:** Can I add a secondary suite or a carriage house? **Short answer:** In Stewart a secondary suite is allowed in the R1, R2 and FD zones, one per parcel. A detached suite (carriage house) is allowed in R1 and R2 only, one per parcel. Both must be rented for at least one month and need one parking space each. **Who handles it:** Municipal (District of Stewart, https://districtofstewart.com) **Cost:** A permit review fee based on construction value; the rate is not stated in the readable text. See the building-permit-fees answer. **How long:** The District does not state a processing time. **Where:** - In person: District office, 705 Brightwell Street, Stewart, BC (Monday to Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.) - Phone: District office, 250-636-2251 - Email: Clerk, clerk@districtofstewart.com - Email: CAO, cao@districtofstewart.com ## Key facts - **Secondary suite allowed:** A secondary suite is a permitted use in the R1 and R2 zones and, since Bylaw 1023, 2024, in the FD (Future Development) zone. One per parcel. - Source: [Zoning Bylaw No. 881, 2014, s. 5.1 (R1)](https://districtofstewart.civicweb.net/document/928/) - Official wording: "The following uses and no others are permitted in the R1 zone:" … "Secondary suite; and" - Source: [Zoning Bylaw No. 881, 2014, s. 6.1 (R2)](https://districtofstewart.civicweb.net/document/928/) - Official wording: "The following uses and no others are permitted in the R2 zone:" … "Secondary suite;" - Source: [Zoning Amending Bylaw No. 1023, 2024, s. 3.54.1](https://districtofstewart.civicweb.net/document/32025/) - Official wording: "Only one secondary suite is permitted per parcel in those residential" … "ADDING to section 20.1 the following:" … ".3 Secondary suite" - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-08 - **Coach house or garden suite allowed:** A detached suite (a dwelling in the rear yard or above a garage) is permitted as an accessory building in the R1 and R2 zones only; maximum one per parcel. - Source: [Zoning Amending Bylaw No. 1023, 2024, s. 3.53.1 to 3.53.2](https://districtofstewart.civicweb.net/document/32025/) - Official wording: "A detached Suite is permitted as an accessory building in the R1 and R2" … "There shall be a maximum of one detached Suite per parcel in the R1" - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-08 - **Limits:** Secondary suite: must not alter the exterior character of the house; meet the BC Building Code; not be subdivided or strata titled; residential use only, rented for at least one month. Detached suite: max height 7.5 m, floor area less than the principal building, at least 3.0 m from the principal building, rear setback 1.5 m, interior side 1.2 m, exterior side 2.0 m, 2 m unobstructed street access, not subdivided or strata titled, rented at least one month. - Source: [Zoning Amending Bylaw No. 1023, 2024, s. 3.54](https://districtofstewart.civicweb.net/document/32025/) - Official wording: "A secondary suite shall not alter the exterior character of the principal" … "The secondary suite must meet current BC BuildingCode regulations" … "Secondary suites shall not be subdivided or strata titled." … "be rented for periods of not less than one month." - Source: [Zoning Amending Bylaw No. 1023, 2024, s. 3.53](https://districtofstewart.civicweb.net/document/32025/) - Official wording: "The maximum height of a building containing a detached suite is 7.5 m." … "Detached suites shall be located at least 3.0 m away from any principal" - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-08 - **Parking:** One off-street parking space per suite. - Source: [Zoning Bylaw No. 881, 2014, Table 21.1](https://districtofstewart.civicweb.net/document/928/) - Official wording: "Secondary suite, garden suite" … "1 per suite" - Source: [Zoning Amending Bylaw No. 1023, 2024, Amendment j](https://districtofstewart.civicweb.net/document/32025/) - Official wording: "Secondary suite, detached suite" - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-08 - **Permits:** The Building Permit Application Form has check boxes for 'Adding Suite' and 'Single Family Dwelling with Suite', so a building permit application covers suites. - Source: [Building Permit Application Form, Bylaw No. 926, 2018, Schedule A application form](https://districtofstewart.civicweb.net/document/4683/) - Official wording: "Adding Suite" … "Single Family Dwelling with Suite" - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-08 - **Bylaw:** Zoning Bylaw No. 881, 2014, as amended by Zoning Amending Bylaw No. 1023, 2024 - Source: [Zoning Amending Bylaw No. 1023, 2024, Title](https://districtofstewart.civicweb.net/document/32025/) - Official wording: "ZONING AMENDING BYLAW No. 1023, 2024" - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-08 ## How it works Under the District's [Zoning Bylaw No. 881](https://districtofstewart.civicweb.net/document/928/), as amended by [Bylaw No. 1023, 2024](https://districtofstewart.civicweb.net/document/32025/), a secondary suite is a permitted use in the R1 and R2 zones and in the FD (Future Development) zone, one per parcel. A detached suite, meaning a dwelling in the rear yard or above a garage, is permitted as an accessory building in the R1 and R2 zones only, with a maximum of one per parcel. Bylaw 1023 renamed the earlier "garden suite" a "detached suite". Secondary suite limits: it must not alter the exterior character of the house, must meet the BC Building Code, cannot be subdivided or strata titled, and is for residential use only, rented for at least one month. Detached suite limits: maximum height 7.5 m; floor area less than the principal building; at least 3.0 m from the principal building; rear setback 1.5 m; interior side 1.2 m; exterior side 2.0 m; 2 m of unobstructed street access; not subdivided or strata titled; rented for at least one month. ## Steps 1. Confirm your zone using the zoning-lookup answer. 2. Plan for one off-street parking space per suite. 3. Fill in the [Building Permit Application Form](https://districtofstewart.civicweb.net/document/4683/). It has check boxes for "Adding Suite" and "Single Family Dwelling with Suite". 4. Submit it as described in the building-permit answer. ## Good to know - No separate suite registration was found. - Because suites must be rented for at least one month, they cannot be used as nightly short-term rentals. - Confirm the current rules with the District, since the posted 2014 zoning text does not include the amendments. ## Official forms and pages - [Zoning Amending Bylaw No. 1023, 2024 (PDF)](https://districtofstewart.civicweb.net/document/32025/) - [Zoning Bylaw No. 881, 2014 (PDF)](https://districtofstewart.civicweb.net/document/928/) - [Building Permit Application Form, Bylaw No. 926, 2018 (PDF)](https://districtofstewart.civicweb.net/document/4683/) ## Related questions - [Stewart building permits: when you need one and how to apply](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/stewart/building-permit.md) - [Stewart zoning: find your zone and what it allows](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/stewart/zoning-lookup.md) - [Stewart short-term rental rules (Airbnb, Vrbo)](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/stewart/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) - [Hazelton](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/hazelton/secondary-suite.md) - [New Hazelton](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/new-hazelton/secondary-suite.md) - [Terrace](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/terrace/secondary-suite.md) - [Prince Rupert](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/prince-rupert/secondary-suite.md) - [Port Edward](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/port-edward/secondary-suite.md) - [Smithers](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/smithers/secondary-suite.md) ## Sources - [Zoning Amending Bylaw No. 1023, 2024 (PDF)](https://districtofstewart.civicweb.net/document/32025/) (read 2026-11-08) - [Zoning Bylaw No. 881, 2014 (PDF)](https://districtofstewart.civicweb.net/document/928/) (read 2026-11-08) - [Building Permit Application Form, Bylaw No. 926, 2018 (PDF)](https://districtofstewart.civicweb.net/document/4683/) (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 District of Stewart. How answers are checked: https://govhandbook.com/methods/ · Canonical page: https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/stewart/secondary-suite/_