Craig Johnston Personal Real Estate Corporation · Brokerage: Royal LePage Elite West
Tri-Cities · Zoning, suites & multiplexes
What you can add or build on a typical single-detached lot in each Tri-Cities city, where each city is still updating its rules, and the costs and title issues that decide whether “permitted” ever becomes a project. Every city rule below was checked against that city’s own pages on October 17, 2026.
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What can I build on a single-detached lot in the Tri-Cities?
Under the Province’s small-scale, multi-unit housing rules, most single-detached lots in Coquitlam, Port Coquitlam and Port Moody are now zoned for up to three units (lots of 280 m² or less) or four units (larger lots up to 4,050 m²), built as some mix of houses, secondary suites, laneway or garden homes and small multiplexes. Port Coquitlam and Port Moody also allow up to six units on qualifying lots within 400 m of a frequent bus stop; Coquitlam says none of its stops currently qualify. Lots inside Transit-Oriented Areas, lots over 4,050 m² and titles with a valid building scheme are treated differently. “Permitted” is not “buildable”: development and building permits, servicing upgrades, charges and title restrictions still apply, so check the exact address before you pay for potential. Craig Johnston, Top 1% Team — Greater Vancouver REALTORS®, 2023–2025 and 47+ year Tri-Cities resident, can walk you through how this affects a specific home. A free strategy call ends with a written one-page plan within 24 hours.
The provincial baseline
In late 2023 the Province passed the Housing Statutes (Residential Development) Amendment Act — usually called Bill 44 — and required municipalities to update their zoning for small-scale, multi-unit housing (SSMUH) by June 30, 2024. In 2025 it followed with Bill 25, the Housing and Municipal Affairs Statutes Amendment Act, 2025, which received Royal Assent on November 27, 2025. Bill 25 widened what counts as a “restricted zone” (any zone with a lot restricted to a single detached home and/or duplex now has to meet the minimums on all its lots) and gave local governments until June 30, 2026 to bring their bylaws into line, unless an extension was granted.
The reference document cities work from is the Province’s Provincial Policy Manual and Site Standards: Small-Scale, Multi-Unit Housing, currently Revision 5, dated January 20, 2026. Here is the baseline it sets.
Lots of 280 m² (about 3,014 sq ft) or smaller in restricted single-family or duplex zones must allow at least three housing units.
Lots over 280 m² must allow at least four units, unless the zone already allowed three or more. Parcels larger than 4,050 m² (about one acre) are exempt from the minimums.
Lots over 280 m² within 400 m of a prescribed bus stop must allow six units. A stop qualifies if at least one route stops every 15 minutes on average, 7 a.m.–7 p.m. on weekdays and 10 a.m.–6 p.m. on weekends. Cities cannot require off-street residential parking for the units needed to reach six.
Lots not connected to both a municipal water and sewer system, parcels over 4,050 m², land inside a designated Transit-Oriented Area, certain protected heritage properties, and hazardous lands where a qualified professional certifies the added risk can’t practically be mitigated.
The manual says development permits can still be required, and SSMUH units must be built to the BC Building Code for the type of building. Cities also cannot use servicing requirements to block the permitted density.
Existing section 219 covenants are not affected, and a valid statutory building scheme that limits a property to one dwelling takes precedence over the new zoning densities.
City by city
I checked each city’s own housing, zoning and permit pages on October 17, 2026. Zoning is amended often, and each city words things differently, so treat this as your starting point and confirm the exact address with the city before you rely on it.
Status: Council adopted the small-scale zoning changes on June 9, 2025 (after the Province extended Coquitlam’s deadline to June 30, 2025) and further amendments on June 23, 2025. A set of small-scale text amendments, Bylaw No. 5547, 2026, went to Council on June 22, 2026. Read the current consolidated Zoning Bylaw, not an older summary.
Status: SSMUH is permitted on lots zoned RS1 to RS4 (the City’s staff report is dated May 28, 2024). The City pages I checked do not say whether further Bill 25 changes have been made, so confirm with Planning before you count on a unit number.
Status: Initial SSMUH zoning was adopted June 25, 2024, followed by further amendment bylaws in 2025 (No. 3506, and No. 3523, which adds several comprehensive development zones). The City’s SSMUH page was last updated July 2025, so confirm the current bylaw for your zone.
For the city-wide context behind these rules, see my Coquitlam, Port Coquitlam and Port Moody guides.
Read the fine print
A zone that allows four units tells you the ceiling, not what your lot will actually support. These are the issues that most often shrink or stop a project after the zoning looks promising.
Expect a development permit for most multi-unit projects, then a building permit. Coquitlam’s guide notes BC Building Code separation distances between buildings can be stricter than the zoning setbacks.
New units may need new service lines, separate metering, or water, sanitary or electrical upgrades. Port Coquitlam’s worked example of offsite works on a single lot totals more than $100,000, before natural gas.
Coquitlam requires a Small-Scale Residential Fire Flow Requirements Form with the building permit. Port Coquitlam sets path, travel-distance and hydrant limits for laneway homes.
Floor area ratio, lot coverage, height and setbacks limit the total square footage. Four units on a lot does not mean four large units.
Unit counts are tied to lot area, so confirm it from a survey or the title plan, not a listing. Narrow, irregular or steep lots may not fit the buildings the zone allows.
Port Coquitlam may require an arborist report and tree-cutting permit, and a watercourse permit within 15 m of a watercourse. Port Moody points watercourse lots to a Qualified Environmental Professional.
Port Coquitlam does not permit habitable rooms below the flood construction level in the floodplain. Check the floodplain layer on PoCoMap before you plan a basement suite.
Coquitlam flags that homes built before 1990 may need an asbestos assessment before renovation, and asks owners of pre-1945 houses to contact the City before applying.
Costs, in general terms
Development cost charges (DCCs) are one-time charges a city collects when you add units, to pay for growth-related infrastructure such as water, sewer, drainage, roads and parks. Amenity cost charges (ACCs) are a newer tool the Province created in 2023 so cities can collect for amenities such as community centres and libraries. On top of the city’s own charges, Metro Vancouver, TransLink and School District 43 charges can apply when units are added.
How each city treats small projects differs:
Add permit fees, securities and consultants — Port Moody’s guide lists a civil engineer for both permits, plus architects, structural and geotechnical engineers, an energy advisor and an arborist depending on the project. I don’t quote totals here because they depend on the lot, the number of units and the rate bylaws in force when you apply. Get the current figures from the city and a written estimate from a designer before you price a lot as a multiplex site.
Title and strata
The new zoning changes what the city allows. It does not clean up the title. Three things to check:
You can order a current title and copies of the registered charges through the Land Title and Survey Authority. If added units are part of why you are buying, make the offer subject to a lawyer reviewing the title and charges.
Due diligence
Buying a home with a suite
A “mortgage helper” in a listing tells you there is a second kitchen. It does not tell you the suite was permitted. Coquitlam’s FAQ is blunt: all secondary suites require building permits to be legal, and a homeowner found with an illegal suite will be required to legalize or remove it, with fines possible. Port Coquitlam’s permit fee doubles if work started before a permit was issued.
Before you rely on suite income, ask for:
I cover suite layouts, rent-offset math and what to inspect in more depth on Suite-Friendly Homes in Coquitlam, and owner-occupier strategies on House Hacking in Coquitlam.
Resale value
Multiplex zoning gives a lot options. It does not automatically make the lot worth more, because buyers pay for what is realistically buildable, financeable and sellable — and the costs above can eat the upside on the wrong lot.
In practice, the things that make added-unit potential credible to a buyer are concrete: a documented lot area, lane access, flat ground, services that don’t need major upgrades, no title restriction, and a city that has confirmed in writing what it will accept. A legal, permitted suite with records is a different asset from a basement that was finished without permits.
When I price a home, I start from comparable sales and then look at whether its suite or added-unit potential is documented and practical. If you are selling a lot that suits a laneway home or a small multiplex, the strongest step is to gather the evidence — survey, title search, zoning summary, any city correspondence — before you list. If you’re weighing a sale, a 20-minute home-evaluation (Equity Map) call is the place to start.
If you are looking at combining lots rather than adding units to one, see land assembly in the Tri-Cities. For income-property math, see the Coquitlam Investment Property Guide and Multi-Family Investing in Coquitlam.
Keep reading
Sources & methodology
Every rule on this page comes from the Province of B.C. or from the City of Coquitlam, City of Port Coquitlam or City of Port Moody, checked on October 17, 2026. Where a city page did not answer a question, I say so rather than fill the gap. This is general information, not legal, planning or tax advice; zoning bylaws, charges and transit service change, and the city’s current bylaw always governs.
I’m Craig Johnston, a REALTOR® with Royal LePage Elite West, and I’ve lived in the Tri-Cities for 47+ years. On a free 20-minute strategy call we’ll go through the specific address — zoning, title, suite records and comparable sales — and you’ll get a written one-page plan within 24 hours. I respond the same day. Top 1% Team — Greater Vancouver REALTORS®, 2023–2025 (team award).
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On most former single-family lots, yes in principle. Coquitlam’s small-scale zones allow up to four units on lots over 280 m² and under 4,050 m², and the City says rezoning is usually unnecessary. You still need a development permit for most projects, a building permit, and a design that fits the zone’s floor area, lot coverage, height, setback and parking rules. If the house was built before 1945, there is a creek or steep slope on or next to the lot, or the lot is in a Transit-Oriented Area, talk to the City first.
Yes, in two of the three cities. Port Coquitlam and Port Moody allow up to six units on qualifying lots over 280 m² within 400 m of frequent bus service; Port Coquitlam says those lots are generally along Lougheed Highway. Coquitlam says none of its bus stops currently meet the provincial frequent-service test, so the six-unit rule does not apply there right now. Bus service can change, so check the city’s map for the exact address.
Generally no. Coquitlam says secondary suites and accessory dwelling units cannot be stratified or subdivided, Port Coquitlam says accessory dwelling units may not be strata subdivided, and Port Moody says suites cannot be stratified. Separately saleable units come from building two or more principal units, such as a duplex or triplex, and then going through the city’s strata approval process.
Not automatically. The Province’s policy manual says existing section 219 covenants are not affected, and a valid building scheme limiting a lot to one dwelling takes precedence over the new zoning densities. Port Moody says it cannot process an SSMUH application on a lot with a building scheme until a court order discharges it, and Port Coquitlam says covenants that prohibit suites or accessory dwellings must be discharged first. Have a lawyer review the title before you buy for added-unit potential.
Port Coquitlam’s accessory dwelling unit rules allow up to 90 m² (968 sq ft) and two storeys, with a maximum of 8.5 m to the roof peak for a 9:12 or steeper roof and 7.5 m otherwise. It must sit at least 6 m from the main house, have one independently accessible parking space and 15 m² of private outdoor space, be sprinklered, and meet fire-access distances to the street and a hydrant. It needs a development permit before the building permit.
Ask the seller for the building permit and final inspection records for the suite, then confirm them with the city’s building department. In Coquitlam, all secondary suites require building permits to be legal, and the Building Division can be asked about past permits at permits@coquitlam.ca. A suite built without permits may need upgrades or removal, so make your offer subject to reviewing the permit records before you rely on the rent.
It depends on the city. Port Coquitlam says its development cost charges are not applied to new secondary suites or accessory buildings, and its 2026 Amenity Cost Charge Bylaw defines a dwelling unit as excluding them. Coquitlam says development cost charges apply to all new small-scale multi-unit development and amenity cost charges may apply. Port Moody says development cost charges apply to small-scale multi-unit projects. Get current figures from the city for your specific plan.
No. Zoning gives a lot options, but buyers pay for what is realistically buildable and financeable. Lot area and shape, lane access, servicing costs, trees, slopes, fire access, title restrictions and construction costs all decide whether extra units make sense. When I price a home, I start from comparable sales and then look at whether its added-unit potential is documented and practical.
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