Secondary (Legal) Suites
A secondary (or legal) suite is a complete living unit with its own kitchen, sleeping area, and washroom facilities contained within another dwelling. The two dwelling units (the primary residence and the secondary suite) and any common spaces make up a single real estate entity that cannot be stratified or otherwise legally separated from the other.
Secondary suites are permitted in most single detached and some side-by-side attached homes across British Columbia and come with many benefits such as providing homes for aging parents, adult children or other family members, helping to pay a mortgage or investing in existing property and contributing to more long-term rental housing in communities.
Local government zoning and planning requirements, as well as certain building codes, and building permit requirements would dictate if a secondary suite can be built on a property and what building codes would apply. In the City of Vancouver (municipality), the Vancouver Building By-laws (VBBL) will apply. Elsewhere in BC, the British Columbia Building Codes (BCBC) is applicable.
There are very rigid building code and building permit requirements for converting an existing space into a secondary (or legal) suite. The newer the single-family dwelling containing the space for conversion, the easier it may be to do so. The older the single-family dwelling, the greater the number of requirements. There are also different types of secondary suites as shown in the graphic below.
Types of Secondary Suites
Secondary Suites in Coquitlam – What Actually Applies
Coquitlam follows the BC Building Code rather than the Vancouver Building By-Laws, and it runs one of the more homeowner-friendly permit processes in the Tri-Cities.
Where suites are permitted: in single family dwellings, one per dwelling. Most single-family homes and single-family-zoned lots in Coquitlam qualify. Suite size is limited relative to the floor area of the house, and an additional parking space is required.
Older homes usually need new bedroom windows. This is the most commonly underestimated cost on a Coquitlam suite conversion. Bedroom windows form part of the exit requirements, and if your home predates the current code you may need to replace some or all of them to meet minimum egress dimensions. On a Maillardville or Austin Heights character home that can mean structural work to enlarge openings.
Use the City’s pre-application advice. Coquitlam’s Building Division provides technical advice and plans examination before you submit, and will flag non-compliance so it can be resolved rather than rejected. Used properly this shortens the process considerably, and we take advantage of it on every Coquitlam file.
Permits and ownership. All secondary suites require a building permit to be legal. Applications are submitted online, and the applicant must be the property owner or hold a signed Agent Authorization Form. A completed Secondary Suite Permit Checklist forms part of the package.
Enforcement is complaint-driven. If a complaint is made, the City will investigate, and an owner found with an illegal suite must legalize or remove it and may face a bylaw compliance fine.
Construction hours are regulated: Monday to Friday 7am to 8pm and Saturday 9am to 6pm. Sunday and holiday work is restricted. We schedule around this so your project timeline reflects reality rather than optimism.
We work throughout Burke Mountain, Westwood Plateau, Maillardville, Austin Heights and Coquitlam Centre.
For Comparison – The Stricter Vancouver Requirements
Homeowners often ask how Coquitlam compares to Vancouver. The City of Vancouver applies the VBBL, whose basic guidelines for creating a secondary occupancy include, but are not limited to, the following:
- Bedroom windows: at least 3.77 sq. ft. of unobstructed opening, with no bars, so every bedroom offers a way out.
- Doors and paths: self-closing solid-core doors between suite and house, exit doors that are never locked or blocked from outside, and a 3′-wide hard-surface path from the street for emergency crews.
- Alarms and separation: interconnected, hard-wired smoke and carbon monoxide alarms with battery back-up in each bedroom, and 1/2″ gypsum board or sound plaster between the two units.
- Floor area and height: one suite per home, 400 sq. ft. or more but smaller than the main dwelling, with 6′-6″ of headroom over exit routes and 80% of the floor and the floor no more than 6′ below grade.
- Mechanical and electrical: a service sized for both units, the required outlets and GFCI protection near water, code-compliant plumbing and gas venting, and a strapped hot water tank.
- Approvals and parking: development, building and trade permits, and on-site parking for the house and suite together.
As a general rule, Coquitlam follows the BC Building Code, which is less restrictive than the VBBL on several of these points. On older Coquitlam homes, though, bedroom window size is the requirement most likely to add cost, since undersized openings may need structural work to enlarge. Specifics will vary with the age and layout of the house, so we check yours before design begins.
The graphic below shows a pictorial summary of the different code requirements for secondary suites (and legal basements).
Summary of the different code requirements for secondary suites.
