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Surrey, BC suite & ADU rules

Permission first. Construction second.

Surrey requires a permit for a legal secondary suite. Its dedicated page lists the application form, title search, plans and fee/deposit information.

Main home
Secondary / ADU
One property · more than one approval layer

Municipal evidence update — October 13, 2026

Surrey states its SSMUH zoning amendments were adopted July 8, 2024. Council approved a comprehensive review of how those rules operate on July 27, 2026; that review is not itself adoption of a new unit-count or eligibility amendment. The City distinguishes renamed residential zones and thousands of site-specific CD lots.

Still to verify: Verify the current parcel zone or CD rules, existing legal restrictions, services, mapped frequent-transit eligibility and current building-permit requirements; do not assume six units from distance alone. No property-specific approval or comprehensive legal signoff.

Interactive property lookup

Enter your address and see what your property may allow.

Select a B.C. property to check the parcel, available zoning and suite-planning data.

Enter a house number and street name to see matching B.C. addresses.

No sign-up, name, phone number or email required.

Before relying on this result, verify the property details.

The automated checker cannot confirm all zoning amendments, overlays, lot restrictions, servicing or building permits. Free human property-review requests are currently paused.

See the official verification steps →
Can’t find your address?

Use the manual property check below.

Start with the municipality and parcel area. The manual check stays open here, but the questions are split into 4 short steps so you do not have to scroll through everything at once.

Manual property check

Check the lot using what you know.

Four short steps. Answer what you know and choose “Not sure” for anything you have not checked.

Step 1 of 4Property basics
Step 1: Property basics

Use the parcel area from your property record, assessment or municipal mapping tool.

This does not change the provincial unit-count math. It only tailors the next-step checklist in your result.

Step 2: Basic zoning checks

If you do not know the zoning, choose Not sure.

What does this mean?

If you have never checked this on a municipal map or plan, choose Not sure.

Why are we asking?

Think houses, duplexes or small multiplexes. If you only know the zone code, choose Not sure.

Step 3: Possible exceptions

This is about subdivision rules, not the size of your current lot. Choose Not sure unless you know.

A TOA is a special mapped area around major transit. If you have never checked the map, choose Not sure.

Choose Yes only if the municipality has specifically confirmed it. Otherwise choose Not sure.

Step 4: Frequent bus check

If you have not checked an official map, choose Not sure.

Private by default: the calculation runs in your browser. No name, phone number or email is required.

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Optional project planning

After the rule check: budget and contractor scope

Use these tools only after confirming the municipal path. Cost planning and contractor matching do not establish zoning, code compliance or permit approval.

1 · BudgetEstimate renovation costs in SurreyOpen the matching Home Cost Canada city page, then adjust the project and scope.Open cost planner →2 · ContractorFind a local BC contractorBC Quote is a separate contractor-matching service. Use it after the zoning and permit path are understood.Start contractor match →

Municipal zoning: verified research register

Governing municipal bylaw: Zoning Bylaw 12000; 2024 SSMUH amendments

Suite and ADU rules: Qualifying lots permit three or four units, or six in designated frequent-bus-stop areas. No minimum parking for qualifying frequent-bus-stop SSMUH parcels. Outside-area parking and detached-unit floor area: Requires manual municipal check.

Property-level determination: These figures are conditional on the current zoning district, lot servicing, and any overlays. Provincial housing legislation is background; the adopted local bylaw controls. Unverified requirements: Requires manual municipal check.

Municipal boundaries

Compare nearby municipalities

Suite and ADU rules can change across municipal boundaries. Open the guide for the jurisdiction that actually governs your property.

How this guide was verified

Guide verification: Targeted municipal-source claim check recorded. Selected citywide guidance or adoption facts were checked against an identified official page on October 12, 2026. This is not a complete current-bylaw, amendment-map or parcel certification.

Property confidence: Not assessed. City-wide guidance does not confirm permission for a particular parcel. Check official zoning, overlays and permits. How verification works →

Official Surrey sources

Surrey secondary suite permit ↗Surrey building/legalizing a suite ↗Surrey SSMUH zoning ↗B.C. Small-Scale Multi-Unit Housing ↗

Reviewed September 20, 2026. This is a planning summary, not a permit decision. Confirm the current zoning, registered title constraints, servicing and permit requirements for the specific property before design or construction.

V69.62 targeted primary-source review · October 12, 2026: Surrey requires zoning compliance, building permits, building-code compliance and fees; it permits at most one secondary suite per eligible single-family, semi-detached or duplex dwelling unit, and not within a coach or garden suite. Official municipal record ↗ Still unverified: Check legal title schemes/Land Use Contracts, actual zoning district, utility charges, occupancy and any 2026 amendments before a parcel conclusion. No comprehensive current-by-law signoff or parcel approval is claimed.