---
title: Trail secondary suite and carriage house rules
question: "Can I add a secondary suite or a carriage house?"
place: Trail, British Columbia, Canada
place_path: ca/bc/trail
category: Building, renovating and your property
owner: municipal
owner_body: City of Trail
sources_read: 2026-11-06
review: machine_checked
canonical: "https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/trail/secondary-suite/"
json: "https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/trail/secondary-suite.json"
---

# Trail secondary suite and carriage house rules

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

**Short answer:** Yes. In the City of Trail's R1 and R3 residential zones a secondary suite (inside the home) and an accessory suite (such as a carriage house or garage suite) are permitted uses. Secondary suites are also allowed in some other zones. A building permit is required.

**Who handles it:** Municipal (City of Trail, https://www.trail.ca)  
**Cost:** Building permit fees apply (see building-permit-fees); the Zoning Bylaw lists no suite fee.  
**Where:**
- Email: Development Services, Planning@Trail.ca
- Phone: Manager of Planning and Climate Action, 250-364-0864

## Key facts

- **Secondary suite allowed:** Yes. A secondary suite is a permitted use in R1 and R3, and also in R4 (townhome buildings), R6 (row houses and town houses), C2 (single and two family dwellings), C6 (single family dwellings) and A1 (single family dwellings). It must be in a single detached, semi-detached or townhouse dwelling, not a duplex.
  - Source: [City of Trail Zoning Bylaw No. 2503, 2002, ss. 6(1)(g), 7(1)(i)](https://trail.ca/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/Zoning-Bylaw.pdf)
  - Official wording: "(g) secondary suites; (h) accessory suites;" … "(i) secondary suites;" … "It may accommodate a secondary suite in a semi-attached dwelling, but not in a duplex dwelling."
  - Source: [City of Trail Zoning Bylaw No. 2503, 2002, ss. 8(1)(h), 9(1)(h), 14(1)(t), 18(1)(q), 28(1)(i)](https://trail.ca/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/Zoning-Bylaw.pdf)
  - Official wording: "secondary suite, in three family and four family dwelling townhome buildings;" … "secondary suite, in row houses and town houses;" … "secondary suite, in single and two family dwellings;" … "secondary suite, in single family dwellngs;" … "secondary suite, in single family dwellings;"
  - Source: [City of Trail Zoning Bylaw No. 2503, 2002, s. 3(17)(a)(i)](https://trail.ca/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/Zoning-Bylaw.pdf)
  - Official wording: "A secondary suite shall only be permitted within a single detached, two unit or townhouse dwelling."
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06
- **Coach house or garden suite allowed:** Yes. An accessory suite (garden suite, laneway home, carriage house or garage suite) is a permitted use in the R1 and R3 zones, only with a single detached, two-unit or townhouse dwelling. It must be at least 3 m from the principal building.
  - Source: [City of Trail Zoning Bylaw No. 2503, 2002, s. 1(2) definition](https://trail.ca/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/Zoning-Bylaw.pdf)
  - Official wording: "means a self-contained accessory dwelling unit, such as a garden suite," … "laneway home, carriage house or garage suite, located on the same legal lot as an associated"
  - Source: [City of Trail Zoning Bylaw No. 2503, 2002, ss. 6(1)(h), 7(1)(j), 3(18)(a)(i), (xii)](https://trail.ca/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/Zoning-Bylaw.pdf)
  - Official wording: "(g) secondary suites; (h) accessory suites;" … "(j) accessory suites;" … "An accessory suite shall only be permitted with a single detached, two unit or" … "An accessory suite must be located a minimum of 3 m from the principal building."
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06
- **Limits:** Secondary suite: at most 50% of the principal building's total floor area, a separate exterior entrance, full fire separation, shared utility connections, no strata subdivision, and no bed and breakfast in the same building. Accessory suite: floor area no more than the principal dwelling unit's. Lots 280 m² or smaller: up to 3 accessory dwelling units; larger lots: the greater of 4 or 1 per principal dwelling unit.
  - Source: [City of Trail Zoning Bylaw No. 2503, 2002, s. 3(17)(a)(iv)-(xiii)](https://trail.ca/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/Zoning-Bylaw.pdf)
  - Official wording: "The maximum floor area of a secondary suite shall not exceed 50% of the total floor area of the principal building." … "A secondary suite must have an entrance from the exterior of a building which is separate from the main entrance of the principal use." … "Secondary suites must share common utility connections with the principal building." … "A secondary suite cannot be strata subdivided from the principal dwelling" … "A secondary suite shall not be permitted in the same building that has a bed and"
  - Source: [City of Trail Zoning Bylaw No. 2503, 2002, s. 3(18)(a)(v), Table 1](https://trail.ca/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/Zoning-Bylaw.pdf)
  - Official wording: "The maximum floor area of an accessory suite must not exceed the floor area of the associated principal dwelling unit." … "Table 1: Maximum Accessory Dwelling Units Permitted on a Lot" … "Up to 280 m 3 units" … "Greater of 4 units or 1 per principal dwelling unit"
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06
- **Parking:** Parking Table 2: for accessory dwelling units, 1 parking space where there are 2 or fewer units, and 0.5 per unit for each additional unit.
  - Source: [City of Trail Zoning Bylaw No. 2503, 2002, Part VII, Table 2](https://trail.ca/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/Zoning-Bylaw.pdf)
  - Official wording: "Accessory dwelling unit" … "2 or fewer units: 1 parking" … "space; For each additional" … "unit, 0.5 per unit"
  - Source: [City of Trail Zoning Bylaw No. 2503, 2002, s. 3(17)(a)(viii)](https://trail.ca/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/Zoning-Bylaw.pdf)
  - Official wording: "Off-street parking shall be in conformance with the regulations in Part VII of this"
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06
- **Permits:** A building permit is required to establish a secondary suite or an accessory suite, and the suite must meet the BC Building Code. A development permit is also needed if the lot is in a development permit area designated in the Official Community Plan.
  - Source: [City of Trail Zoning Bylaw No. 2503, 2002, ss. 3(17)(a)(x), 3(18)(a)(viii)](https://trail.ca/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/Zoning-Bylaw.pdf)
  - Official wording: "The establishment of a secondary suite requires a building permit." … "The establishment of an accessory suite requires a building permit."
  - Source: [City of Trail Zoning Bylaw No. 2503, 2002, s. 4(2)](https://trail.ca/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/Zoning-Bylaw.pdf)
  - Official wording: "All owners of land within the development permit areas designated in the City of Trail Official"
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06
- **Bylaw:** City of Trail Zoning Bylaw No. 2503, 2002 (ss. 3(17), 3(18), Table 1); City of Trail Building Bylaw No. 2548, 2003
  - Source: [City of Trail Zoning Bylaw No. 2503, 2002, Title page](https://trail.ca/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/Zoning-Bylaw.pdf)
  - Official wording: "ZONING BYLAW NO. 2503, 2002"
  - Source: [City of Trail Building Bylaw No. 2548, 2003, Title page](https://trail.ca/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/Building-Bylaw.pdf)
  - Official wording: "BUILDING BYLAW NO. 2548, 2003"
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06

## How it works

Under the City of Trail's [Zoning Bylaw](https://trail.ca/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/Zoning-Bylaw.pdf), a secondary suite is a permitted use in R1 and R3, and also in R4 (townhome buildings), R6 (row houses and town houses), C2 (single and two family dwellings), C6 (single family dwellings) and A1 (single family dwellings). It must be in a single detached, semi-detached or townhouse dwelling, not a duplex.

An accessory suite (garden suite, laneway home, carriage house or garage suite) is permitted only in R1 and R3, with a single detached, two-unit or townhouse dwelling. It must be at least 3 m from the principal building.

## Steps

1. Confirm your zone (see zoning-lookup).
2. Check the rules below against your plans with Development Services (Planning@Trail.ca).
3. Apply for a building permit. The suite must meet the BC Building Code.
4. If your lot is in a development permit area in the Official Community Plan, a development permit is also needed.

## Good to know

- Secondary suite: at most 50% of the principal building's total floor area, a separate exterior entrance, full fire separation, shared utility connections, no strata subdivision, and no bed and breakfast in the same building.
- Accessory suite: floor area no more than the principal dwelling unit's. Lots of 280 m2 or smaller may have up to 3 accessory dwelling units; larger lots, the greater of 4 or 1 per principal dwelling unit.
- Height: an accessory building with a suite may be 2 storeys (10 m) with the suite on one storey; a stand-alone suite building may be 1 storey (6.5 m).
- Parking: 1 space for accessory dwelling units where there are 2 or fewer units, and 0.5 per unit for each additional unit. The table does not say whether the main dwelling counts as a unit.
- We found no owner-occupancy requirement in the suite rules.

## Official forms and pages

- [Zoning Bylaw 2503, 2002, section 3(17) and 3(18) (PDF)](https://trail.ca/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/Zoning-Bylaw.pdf)
- [Building Permits, City of Trail](https://www.trail.ca/building-infrastructure/building-construction/building-permits/)

## Related questions

- [Trail zoning: find your zone and what it allows](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/trail/zoning-lookup.md)
- [Trail building permits: when you need one and how to apply](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/trail/building-permit.md)
- [Trail building permit fees](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/trail/building-permit-fees.md)
- [Trail short-term rental rules (Airbnb, Vrbo)](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/trail/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)
- [Warfield](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/warfield/secondary-suite.md)
- [Rossland](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/rossland/secondary-suite.md)
- [Montrose](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/montrose/secondary-suite.md)
- [Fruitvale](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/fruitvale/secondary-suite.md)
- [Castlegar](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/castlegar/secondary-suite.md)
- [Salmo](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/salmo/secondary-suite.md)

## Sources

- [City of Trail Zoning Bylaw No. 2503, 2002 (PDF)](https://trail.ca/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/Zoning-Bylaw.pdf) (read 2026-11-06)
- [Building Permits, City of Trail](https://www.trail.ca/building-infrastructure/building-construction/building-permits/) (read 2026-11-06)
- [City of Trail Building Bylaw No. 2548, 2003 (PDF)](https://trail.ca/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/Building-Bylaw.pdf) (read 2026-11-06)

_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 Trail. How answers are checked: https://govhandbook.com/methods/ · Canonical page: https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/trail/secondary-suite/_