Creating or legalizing a secondary suite requires a permit path that includes zoning review, a building permit, related trade permits and inspections. The suite is not legal until the final inspection is passed.
Select a B.C. property to check the parcel, available zoning and suite-planning data.
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 →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.
Four short steps. Answer what you know and choose “Not sure” for anything you have not checked.
Vancouver is the exception to the provincial BC Building Code layer: the Vancouver Building By-law 2025 governs building-code requirements inside the City. The page now says that explicitly instead of applying BCBC 9.10/9.36 as if Vancouver were another municipality.
Yes. A new secondary suite or detached dwelling needs the applicable Vancouver approvals and building permit before construction/occupancy. Existing work may require a legalization or existing-building review rather than simply a new-build permit.
Long-term rental of an approved secondary suite requires a City business licence. An unapproved suite is not eligible for short- or long-term licences.
No. Vancouver states that an unapproved secondary suite is not a legal dwelling unit, and a buyer becomes responsible for unpermitted work. Use City permit records / an approved-use letter to verify status.
Potentially where the zoning district permits both forms and the total dwelling-unit rules are met. Check the current district schedule before relying on a general Vancouver-wide assumption.
Use these tools only after confirming the municipal path. Cost planning and contractor matching do not establish zoning, code compliance or permit approval.
Suite and ADU rules can change across municipal boundaries. Open the guide for the jurisdiction that actually governs your property.
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 →
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: City states a third secondary suite is not allowed, a duplex may contain two suites (one per main dwelling) where the district permits them, and suite legalization needs municipal permits. Official municipal record ↗ Still unverified: Verify the specific district schedule, permits, inspections, title and which building bylaws apply at the subject address. No comprehensive current-by-law signoff or parcel approval is claimed.