Frequently Asked Questions

Considerations may include elements to reduce costs, construction time and inconvenience, as well as improve space and efficiency:

• Suite entrance: If you’re adding or moving the entrance, consider the location so it doesn’t disrupt privacy of the principal unit. Also, the BC Building Code requires the location be a safe exit in case of fire. Our staff can provide assistance regarding your suite’s entrance.
• Minimum bedroom window areas: Bedroom windows are an important part of the exiting requirements of a dwelling. If your house is older, you may have to replace some or all of the bedroom windows to meet the current BC Building Code minimum requirements.
• Fire and sound separations: The secondary suite must be separated from the main dwelling by walls, floors and ceilings that have a minimum required fire resistance rating and sound transmission rating. This will help you determine which walls will separate your suite from the rest of the space.
• Pipes and ducts penetrating fire separations: Metal pipes and sheet metal air ducts may pass through fire-rated ceilings and walls between the suite and the main dwelling as long as they are tightly fitted. Ducts must be fitted with fire dampers if they are part of a shared forced air-heating system.
• Heating: Homes with shared forced air systems will require heating and ventilation systems to be separated for health and safety reasons. If you want to control energy use in each unit separately, you must install separate heating and control systems.
• Laundry: It’s not compulsory to provide laundry amenities in a suite; however, most homeowners do because it’s a convenience most renters seek. You can provide either dedicated or shared laundry.
• Electrical and gas: Depending on your home’s age and its electrical wiring, an upgrade may be required. Electrical systems in older homes were not designed to power our modern needs, and the addition of a suite may cause serious interruptions or damage to your home. Contact the Technical Safety BC for suite requirements.
• Alarms: Is your home equipped with modern smoke alarms and carbon monoxide detectors? Modern alarms are required to be continuously powered and "talk to each other"; an alarm in one part of your home will activate all alarms throughout your home. These systems are easier to install before finished materials cover the wall and ceiling framing.

A secondary suite will generate additional usage of services. Here is what you can expect:

• Home without a secondary suite - Standard Utility Tax
• Home with an authorized secondary suite - Standard Utility Tax plus 40% surcharge
• Home with an unauthorized secondary suite - Standard Utility Tax plus 100% surcharge

• Technical Advice: We’ll answer your questions and provide information and guidance on such issues as: how to achieve a successful permit application, Zoning Bylaw and BC Building Code regulations, good building practices and what to look for in a contractor.
• Plans Examination: We will review your drawing submission and identify anything that does not comply with current regulations. Our staff will work with you or your designer to resolve these issues to ensure a successful application and permit.
• Inspections: You or your contractor will be responsible for ensuring the work is completed in accordance with the code and is ready for inspection, as well as booking inspections at specific stages of construction. Our inspectors will assess the work and identify work that does not meet standard regulations. Building and Plumbing Inspectors will answer your technical questions and provide an inspection report.

A secondary suite is a separate living area contained within a single-family dwelling and functions as a self-contained living unit complete with a kitchen, bathroom and at least one bedroom. It may share common space on the same floor with the primary residence, for example, a laundry room. The suite must also have at least one access door leading directly outside the dwelling.

A secondary suite is not a separate housing unit with its own Certificate of Title, nor can it be stratified similar to a duplex or townhouse unit. A suite will not be assigned a separate address by the City or be eligible for separate services, such as garbage and recycling.

Most single-family homes, or lots zoned for single-family dwellings would be permitted to have a secondary suite. A secondary suite may only be located in a single family dwelling. A single family dwelling may not contain more than one secondary suite. All secondary suites require building permits to be legal.

There are numerous advantages to legalizing a secondary suite in your home. Most relate to the protection of your financial investment, but more importantly, the safety of your home’s occupants - both your family and your tenants:

• Safety of occupants: You comply with a variety of safety standards designed to provide minimum levels of health and safety to occupants.
• Adequate property and home insurance coverage: You can obtain the proper insurance coverage that will protect you in cases of emergencies and/or disasters caused by either a tenant or a member of your family.
• Reduce neighbours’ complaints: You can provide adequately for your tenants so their impact on the neighbourhood is minimal; for example, providing parking (one space is a requirement) reduces street congestion.
• Maintain your home’s value with potential to increase it: Legalizing your suite is often perceived as a value-add since work undertaken has been completed and inspected, and gains potential for supplemental income.
• Avoid costly penalties: Upon complaint, the City will investigate whether a secondary suite is permissible and/or legal. A homeowner found with an illegal secondary suite will be required to legalize or remove the suite, and may be faced with bylaw compliance fine.

If your suite was built without building or plumbing permits and you do not want to legalize it, you can remove the suite and take advantage of this space for your own personal use. You may still require building and plumbing permits for any work that was done to your home after it was originally built. If you are unsure if your secondary suite or basement finish is legal, please email the Building Division. If you have a legal secondary suite and no longer wish to rent it out, you can decommission it. The benefits to you are the additional space available for your personal use and that you will no longer be charged the 40% tax surcharge that was added to your utility bill.

Important: Ensure fire safety standards in the bedroom or sleeping area of the decommissioned suite meet current standards. The requirement for smoke alarms is mandatory in homes built after December 1981, and is strongly recommended in all homes irrespective of age.

You must apply for suite removal by December 1 to qualify for an adjustment in the next year.

Options

Choose from one of the following options to remove a secondary suite:

• Option 1: Remove Cooking Facilities
  • This option involves removing all types of cooking facilities.
  • Obtain a gas or electrical permit from the Technical Safety BC (TSBC) for the removal of a stove.
  • Remove the stove and terminate all associated gas piping or wiring at the wall.
  • Call the Technical Safety BC Inspector for inspection.
  • Once approved by Technical Safety BC, fill out the Suite Removal Form (PDF), and submit it to Building Permits Counter at City Hall or email to Building Permits.
• Option 2: Remove Locks to Create One Dwelling
  • The unauthorized suite has to be permanently open and accessible to the rest of the house.
  • Remove the locks from doors between the suite and main dwelling. If a door does not connect the suite and the main dwelling unit, a passageway between the two units must be established.
  • Fill out the Suite Removal Form (PDF) and submit it to Building Permits Counter at City Hall or email Building Permits.

Before starting any construction work associated with your secondary suite, you will need a Building Permit. In order to apply for a Building Permit, you must be the owner of the property or produce a Agent Authorization Form For Permit Application or File Access (PDF) if you are not the owner. You will also need a completed Secondary Suite Permit Checklist (DOC).

Depending on the age of your home or building, for a fee, the Building Division may have a record of your plans and/or form survey. To enquire, please email Building Permits. Please note:

• Homeowners must provide proof of ownership.
• Non-home owners must provide a completed Agent Authorization Form.
• Realtors and prospective buyers must show a valid purchase agreement.