Reference
Garden Suite Rules by Municipality
Every Lower Mainland and Vancouver Island municipality regulates garden suites, laneway homes, and detached ADUs a little differently. This page collects each city's official rules page in one place — the same sources we check before every build.
BC’s small-scale multi-unit housing legislation (Bill 44) pushed most municipalities to allow detached suites, but eligibility, siting, parking, and permits are still decided locally — and the details change often. That is why this page links the official sources rather than copying their numbers: always confirm current requirements on your municipality’s page or with their planning department before making decisions. When we build a garden suite, verifying the current rules for your specific lot is part of the job.
Lower Mainland
Metro Vancouver & Fraser Valley
Official garden suite, coach house, and laneway home pages for Lower Mainland municipalities.
Vancouver (City)
The City's laneway house and secondary suite program page, with a companion guide on applying to build a laneway house.
Official rules — Laneway housing — City of Vancouver (opens in a new tab)How to apply (opens in a new tab)Garden suites here
Surrey
Surrey's coach house and garden suite page: definitions, where they are permitted, and building-permit submission requirements.
Official rules — Coach Houses & Garden Suites — City of Surrey (opens in a new tab)Garden suites here
Burnaby
Burnaby's laneway home page, covering how laneway homes fit within the city's small-scale multi-unit housing zoning.
Official rules — Laneway Homes — City of Burnaby (opens in a new tab)Garden suites here
Richmond
Richmond has no dedicated garden suite page; this is the city's page on implementing the provincial housing legislation, including coach houses and granny flats.
Official rules — Provincial Housing Legislation Changes — City of Richmond (opens in a new tab)Garden suites here
Delta
Delta's coach house and garden suite page, including the city's ADU concierge service for guidance through the process.
Official rules — Coach Houses and Garden Suites — City of Delta (opens in a new tab)Garden suites here
Langley (Township)
The Township's SSMUH page covering detached garden suites and ADUs, eligibility, and development-permit requirements; a separate page covers secondary suites.
Official rules — Small-Scale, Multi-Unit Housing — Township of Langley (opens in a new tab)Secondary suites (opens in a new tab)Garden suites here
North Vancouver (District)
The District's coach house page, covering rules and the permit path. (The City of North Vancouver publishes its own separate coach house page.)
Official rules — Build a coach house — District of North Vancouver (opens in a new tab)City of North Vancouver (opens in a new tab)We build here
Coquitlam
Coquitlam's SSMUH page covering carriage houses and garden cottages under the city's updated residential zoning, with application checklists.
Official rules — Small-Scale Multi-Unit Housing in Coquitlam (opens in a new tab)Garden suites here
Maple Ridge
Maple Ridge's detached garden suite page: what qualifies, siting restrictions, and permit requirements.
Official rules — Detached Garden Suites — City of Maple Ridge (opens in a new tab)We build here
New Westminster
New Westminster's laneway and carriage house program page, with uses, restrictions, and energy requirements, plus FAQ sub-pages.
Official rules — Laneway and Carriage Houses — City of New Westminster (opens in a new tab)We build here
Vancouver Island
Greater Victoria & Island Communities
Official garden suite, carriage house, and ADU pages for Island municipalities.
Victoria
Victoria's residential infill page covering garden suites — legal, detached, ground-oriented backyard suites — and the development-permit process.
Official rules — Residential Infill & Suites — City of Victoria (opens in a new tab)Garden suites here
Saanich (District)
Saanich's garden suite program page: which properties qualify and how the application process works.
Official rules — Garden Suites — District of Saanich (opens in a new tab)Garden suites here
Langford
Langford covers garden and carriage suites within its planning and zoning page, including a process guide, application form, and an SSMUH flow chart.
Official rules — Planning and Zoning — City of Langford (opens in a new tab)Garden suites here
Nanaimo
Nanaimo's carriage house (detached suite) permit page, with a companion page covering attached secondary suites.
Official rules — Carriage House Permit — City of Nanaimo (opens in a new tab)Secondary suites (opens in a new tab)Garden suites here
Courtenay
Courtenay's ADU guide: eligibility, permits, converting existing buildings, and application steps.
Official rules — Accessory dwelling unit (ADU) — City of Courtenay (opens in a new tab)We build here
Province-Wide
Provincial Resources
The legislation behind the municipal changes, and BC Housing's suite program.
Small-scale, multi-unit housing (SSMUH) — Province of BC
The provincial legislation page for Bill 44: what small-scale multi-unit housing requirements mean for municipalities, with the policy manual and regulations. Per this page, implementation deadlines for some communities were extended to June 30, 2026 under Bill 25.
Visit resource (opens in a new tab)Secondary Suite Incentive Program — BC Housing
BC Housing's secondary suite program page. Note: the program closed to new applications on March 31, 2025; previously approved applications continue.
Visit resource (opens in a new tab)
Links collected August 2026 from official municipal and provincial websites. Rules and pages change; if a link has moved, the municipality’s planning or building department is the authoritative source. Planning a build? Start with our Garden Suite Construction Guide.
Not sure how these rules apply to your lot?
Send us your address and we'll check your municipality's current rules against your property — free, no obligation, and you get a straight answer on what's possible.