Heating and cooling is an important part of making your home a healthy and comfortable environment to live in. We often rely on exterior heating and cooling equipment and heat pumps to modify the temperature of air and water and distribute it throughout the home in an efficient manner. All mechanical equipment creates noise, and while manufacturers strive to improve efficiency and reduce noise levels, from time to time this equipment may be disruptive in residential areas. Therefore, it is important that exterior mechanical equipment is located in areas that have minimal impact on the quality of life of all residents.
New Bylaw Regulates Location of Exterior Mechanical Equipment
The City of Coquitlam Zoning Bylaw Number 3000, 1996 has been amended to update its policies to limit the siting of exterior mechanical equipment and vent terminations for central heating/cooling equipment in residential interior side yards in order to minimize the disruptive impacts that mechanical equipment may have on adjacent residents.
As of January 29, 2019 Section 514 of the Zoning Bylaw (PDF) stipulates the siting exceptions for one-family residential, two-family residential, triplex residential, quadruples residential and street-oriented village home residential uses that exterior heating and cooling equipment and associated venting terminations; heat pumps; ancillary swimming pool heating and filtering equipment; and
- Emergency generators must be located in the front, rear or exterior side yard and an additional 1.0 metre from the interior side lot line that the building or structure the equipment serves
- Venting terminations for central heating and cooling equipment must be located such that it does not vent into the area of a lot bounded by an interior side lot line
- Ancillary swimming pool heating and filtering equipment is restricted to maximum height of 1.3 metres above grade
This amendment to the Zoning Bylaw will apply to Building applications received on January 29, 2019 and after.
Building applicants prior to January 29, 2019 or replacement of existing equipment should please consider the placement of mechanical equipment to help reduce the impacts of noise from these types of equipment on neighbouring properties.
Guide to Placement of Mechanical Equipment
Read through this useful guide (PDF) to assist you with the process of installing new mechanical equipment.
Additional Information
For more information on the bylaw and regulations and how the new rules may affect you, contact the Building Permits Division at 604-927-3441 or visit us on the main floor of City Hall.