What can I build on my lot?
Since June 2024, BC requires most municipalities to allow three to six homes on a single-family lot. Vancouver, Burnaby, Coquitlam, and Surrey did. The North Shore did not, or not fully. This table is what each municipality actually allows today, verified against its own bylaw rather than the provincial rule.
Last verified
| Municipality | Typical lot | Near frequent transit | Coach house | Where it stands |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| City of North VancouverBuilding here | Up to 4 homes | Not adopted. A six-home bylaw was drafted, then sent back to staff in May 2026. | Allowed on most lots as one of the four homes. | Bylaw 9137 (December 2025) allows up to four homes on most single-family lots. The six-home expansion near transit is on hold. |
| District of North VancouverBuilding here | Up to 4 homes on eligible lots | Not adopted. Council voted 4 to 3 on April 13, 2026 against the six-home rule. | Allowed. A house, a legal suite, and a coach house is the most common three-home layout in the District. | Ground-oriented housing rules adopted December 2025 allow up to four homes on more than 4,000 eligible properties. The District has not adopted the provincial six-home rule, and the Province has said it may impose zoning by order. |
| West VancouverBuilding here | Bylaw not yet adopted | Proposed, not adopted. | Coach houses and suites remain the established route while the bylaw is settled. | West Vancouver missed the June 30, 2026 provincial deadline. Council scheduled readings of its amendment bylaw for September 2026. We check the current status before any lot review. |
| City of VancouverBuilding here | Up to 6 homes on most R1-1 lots | Yes, six homes near frequent transit. | Laneway houses continue under the City's laneway program, and count toward the total. | Compliant. Vancouver's R1-1 zoning already allowed multiplexes before the provincial rule. Homes can be stratified for sale or held as rentals. Permits run 12 to 18 months. |
| BurnabyBuilding here | Up to 6 homes in R1 SSMUH zones | Yes, near Frequent Transit Network stops. | Allowed, and counts toward the total. | Compliant. Burnaby removed its floor space ratio caps for small-scale multi-unit housing and allows fee-simple rowhomes without a rear lane. |
| CoquitlamBuilding here | Up to 6 homes | Yes, with Evergreen Line transit overlays in effect. | Coach houses and secondary suites allowed on most single-family lots. | Compliant. The City identified more than 22,000 eligible lots when it adopted its bylaw. |
| Surrey | Up to 6 homes | Yes, along SkyTrain and frequent bus routes. | Coach houses allowed on most single-family lots. | Compliant through a city-wide rezoning. Surrey reviews off-site servicing closely, which is the main driver of approval speed. |
City of North Vancouver
- Typical lot
- Up to 4 homes
- Near frequent transit
- Not adopted. A six-home bylaw was drafted, then sent back to staff in May 2026.
- Coach house
- Allowed on most lots as one of the four homes.
- Where it stands
- Bylaw 9137 (December 2025) allows up to four homes on most single-family lots. The six-home expansion near transit is on hold.
District of North Vancouver
- Typical lot
- Up to 4 homes on eligible lots
- Near frequent transit
- Not adopted. Council voted 4 to 3 on April 13, 2026 against the six-home rule.
- Coach house
- Allowed. A house, a legal suite, and a coach house is the most common three-home layout in the District.
- Where it stands
- Ground-oriented housing rules adopted December 2025 allow up to four homes on more than 4,000 eligible properties. The District has not adopted the provincial six-home rule, and the Province has said it may impose zoning by order.
West Vancouver
- Typical lot
- Bylaw not yet adopted
- Near frequent transit
- Proposed, not adopted.
- Coach house
- Coach houses and suites remain the established route while the bylaw is settled.
- Where it stands
- West Vancouver missed the June 30, 2026 provincial deadline. Council scheduled readings of its amendment bylaw for September 2026. We check the current status before any lot review.
City of Vancouver
- Typical lot
- Up to 6 homes on most R1-1 lots
- Near frequent transit
- Yes, six homes near frequent transit.
- Coach house
- Laneway houses continue under the City's laneway program, and count toward the total.
- Where it stands
- Compliant. Vancouver's R1-1 zoning already allowed multiplexes before the provincial rule. Homes can be stratified for sale or held as rentals. Permits run 12 to 18 months.
Burnaby
- Typical lot
- Up to 6 homes in R1 SSMUH zones
- Near frequent transit
- Yes, near Frequent Transit Network stops.
- Coach house
- Allowed, and counts toward the total.
- Where it stands
- Compliant. Burnaby removed its floor space ratio caps for small-scale multi-unit housing and allows fee-simple rowhomes without a rear lane.
Coquitlam
- Typical lot
- Up to 6 homes
- Near frequent transit
- Yes, with Evergreen Line transit overlays in effect.
- Coach house
- Coach houses and secondary suites allowed on most single-family lots.
- Where it stands
- Compliant. The City identified more than 22,000 eligible lots when it adopted its bylaw.
Surrey
- Typical lot
- Up to 6 homes
- Near frequent transit
- Yes, along SkyTrain and frequent bus routes.
- Coach house
- Coach houses allowed on most single-family lots.
- Where it stands
- Compliant through a city-wide rezoning. Surrey reviews off-site servicing closely, which is the main driver of approval speed.
If you own in the City of North Vancouver
A house with a suite plus a coach house, a duplex with suites, or a fourplex are all live options. We confirm lot size, frontage, and lane access before quoting.
If you own in the District of North Vancouver
For most District owners the practical path is a new house with a legal suite and a coach house, or a duplex. Eligibility is lot by lot, so send the address and we check it.
If you own in West Vancouver
If you own in West Vancouver, the answer can change month to month. Ask us and we confirm what applies on the day you ask.
If you own in the City of Vancouver
The furthest along of any Metro Vancouver city. On a standard 33 by 122 foot lot the usual formats are a house with laneway and suite, a duplex with suites, or a multiplex of three to six homes.
If you own in Burnaby
Burnaby lots are often wider than Vancouver's, which makes side-by-side duplexes and rowhomes practical. Suite rules and tree bylaws are the usual constraints.
If you own in Coquitlam
Larger lots on Westwood Plateau and in central Coquitlam carry the most options. Slope and view corridor rules still apply on the plateau.
If you own in Surrey
Servicing decides the timeline in Surrey. We check water, sewer, and road frontage requirements before we quote a schedule.
The municipality sets the ceiling. The lot sets the answer.
Two lots on the same street can carry different numbers of homes. These six things decide it, and they are what we check when you send an address.
Lot size
The provincial rule applies above a minimum lot area. Smaller lots usually allow three homes rather than four. Municipalities can set their own minimums on top, and we read the parcel record before we answer.
Frontage and lane access
Side-by-side duplexes want width. Coach houses want a lane or a side yard wide enough for access. A 33 foot Vancouver lot and a 66 foot Burnaby lot support different layouts.
Transit distance
The six-home tier applies within 400 metres of a frequent transit stop, where the municipality has adopted it. Vancouver, Burnaby, Coquitlam, and Surrey have. The North Shore has not.
Servicing
Water, sewer, and storm capacity decide whether the extra homes can connect. Surrey reviews this closely; older North Shore streets sometimes need upgrades the owner pays for.
Trees, slope, and creeks
Tree protection bylaws, geotechnical requirements on slopes, and streamside setbacks all reduce the buildable area. They matter more on the North Shore than anywhere else in the region.
Heritage and exemptions
Heritage-designated properties, lots without municipal water and sewer, and some hazard areas are exempt from the provincial rule. We check the designation before anything else.
Send the address. We tell you what it can hold.
Seven questions. We pull the zoning for your municipality, check the lot against it, and call you with the formats it supports and a build budget range for each. Major Homes has built more than 150 homes across Metro Vancouver since 2002, most of them on the North Shore, and Rick Garcha is a licensed Realtor as well as a third-generation builder, so the lot review covers value as well as zoning.
See the duplex we are building in Central LonsdaleWhat can your lot become?
Seven quick questions. We check the zoning, lot dimensions, and servicing, then call you with what the property can hold and what each option costs to build.
Changes to this page
- Page published. All seven rows verified against current bylaw status. West Vancouver council readings scheduled for September 2026; the row will update after the vote.
Sources: municipal zoning bylaws and council minutes for each municipality, the Province of BC’s small-scale multi-unit housing policy manual, and Bills 44 and 25. This page is a builder’s summary, not legal advice. Confirm the current bylaw with the municipality before you buy or design.
Questions we get about lot rules
Small-scale multi-unit housing. It is the Province of BC's term for three to six homes on a lot that used to allow one: suites, coach houses, duplexes, triplexes, fourplexes, and small townhouse rows. Bill 44 made it mandatory for municipalities over 5,000 residents from June 30, 2024. Bill 25 in November 2025 widened where the six-home tier applies.
Because the City and District of North Vancouver adopted the four-home baseline but not the six-home transit tier, and West Vancouver has not adopted its bylaw at all. The District voted against the six-home rule in April 2026. The Province has said it may impose zoning by ministerial order, so the position can change. We verify each row after every council vote.
Yes. A house, a legal suite, and a coach house is the most common three-home layout in the District and the format its current rules favour. Lot size, access, and servicing decide eligibility, so we check the specific address.
In a compliant municipality, yes. The homes are permitted outright under the zoning bylaw, so you apply for a development or building permit rather than a rezoning. That removes the public hearing and shortens the timeline, though permits still run several months to over a year depending on the city.
It depends on size, site, and finish level, and the per-home cost lands below two separate detached builds because the homes share a foundation, roof, and party wall. You receive a budget range for your lot on the assessment call and an itemized estimate before you commit to anything.
In most municipalities, yes. A duplex or multiplex can be stratified into separately titled homes. Vancouver allows stratified sales outright. We plan the strata from the design stage so the titles are ready when the homes are.
Send us the address. We pull the zoning for your municipality, check lot size, frontage, lane access, and servicing against it, and call you with the formats the lot supports and a build budget range for each. There is no charge for the check.