A secondary suite in the City of Vancouver needs a development and building permit, and older houses are converted under the Vancouver Building By-law’s own table. Here’s the City’s process, the zoning rules, the 2026 fees, the building upgrades and each step to a legal suite, with two short videos.
This guide covers adding a secondary suite to a house in the City of Vancouver, or legalizing one that was built without permits. The City says a development and building permit is required to carry out the upgrading work and formally change the use of your house to include a secondary suite (City of Vancouver, create or legalize a secondary suite). The zoning rules come from the Zoning and Development By-law and your district schedule. The building rules come from the Vancouver Building By-law 2025 (VBBL), Vancouver’s own building code, which has a table of alternatives for converting older houses (Table 11.2.3.1). Every figure below was checked on September 30, 2026 against the City’s pages and by-law PDFs listed under Sources.
Don’t rely on the City’s 2022 suite guide for parking or ceiling height. Its on-site parking figures predate Council’s June 26, 2024 decision to eliminate minimum parking requirements citywide, and its ceiling-height figure doesn’t match the headroom in the current VBBL table (1,950 mm over 80% of the suite, 1,850 mm elsewhere). Both are covered below.
Vancouver Secondary Suite Permit: Zoning, Plans, Fees & Inspections, Step by Step (2026)
A step-by-step walkthrough of the City of Vancouver secondary suite permit, checked against the current Zoning and Development By-law, the Vancouver Building By-law 2025 and the 2026 fee schedule. Adding or legalizing a secondary suite in the City of Vancouver? You need a development and building permit to do the upgrade work and formally change the use of your house to include a suite. This walkthrough covers what counts as a secondary suite, the zoning rules (minimum size, how far below grade, window glazing, parking), which building by-law rules apply to older houses, the optional special inspection for existing suites, the floor and site plans the City asks for, applying and paying fees, the 2026 fees, trade permits and inspections, and renting the suite out.
Download the video (MP4) · Watch on YouTube (BC Trades & Permits)
Narration uses a synthetic (AI-generated) voice.
Is my project allowed? Zoning decides setbacks, height, lot coverage and whether a suite is allowed on your lot. Check it before you draw or apply for the permit: look up your address on the map, then read your zone in the bylaw.
Checked October 26, 2026 (City of Vancouver): digital zoning map · Zoning and Development By-law and district schedules
Building the suite as part of a new house? The City points you to its steps for building a new house instead (source).
Start with your property’s zoning district on the City’s zoning map (linked from the Zoning and Development By-law page), then read that district schedule. If your suite is or will be in a duplex or two-family dwelling, the City says to confirm suites are allowed in your area, and to contact the Development and Building Services Centre if your district schedule shows two-family dwellings aren’t an approved use, since “you may still have options” (source). R1-1 is used below as the example.
Other zones have their own schedules and numbers. Find yours in the by-law before you design.
Plans must be drawn to scale and clearly labelled, and staff may ask for more on a case-by-case basis. The City posts a sample of an acceptable drawing package (PDF) (source).
By-law time limits (VBBL 2025 Book I, Division C; Volume 1, PDF): an application lapses if it isn’t completed within 6 months of receipt (1.6.2.8.); a permit expires if work doesn’t start within 6 months of issue, isn’t continuously and actively carried out, or is substantially discontinued for 6 months (1.6.7.1.). Starting work before the permit is issued means applying and paying double the Fee Schedule fee, to a maximum of $20,000 but not less than $500 (1.6.1.2.).
The City’s 2026 fee schedule (effective January 1, 2026) says it is a listing of the more frequently used fees “intended as a guide only; in the case of a discrepancy, Council-approved by-laws will be the authoritative source”, and that fees are subject to change (2026 Schedule of Fees, PDF). Ask the City which fees apply to your project.
| Fee | 2026 amount | Where it comes from |
|---|---|---|
| Development permit: conversion of a single detached house to a single detached house with secondary suite | $1,080.00 | Zoning and Development Fee By-law, Schedule 1, section 1B |
| Building permit, estimated cost of work up to $5,000 (or the first $5,000) | $217.00 | Building By-law fees, Part A 1(a) |
| Building permit, each $1,000 or part thereof over $5,000 up to $50,000 | $13.90 | Part A 1(a) |
| Building permit, each $1,000 or part thereof over $50,000 | $7.04 | Part A 1(a) |
| Reinspection made necessary by faulty work or materials, or incomplete work | $282.00 | Part A 2(d) |
| Secondary suite special inspection: within 60 days of the notification date / more than 60 days after | $282.00 / $849.00 | Secondary Suite Inspection Fee By-law, section 3 |
Our own arithmetic, not a City quote: for $60,000 of estimated work, the building permit fee by these rates is $217 + 45 × $13.90 + 10 × $7.04 = $912.90. Add the $1,080 development permit fee and the total is $1,992.90, before plumbing, electrical, gas or sprinkler permits, which are separate. Projects that add floor area or need relaxations fall under other lines of Schedule 1.
Building a Secondary Suite in Vancouver, BC: Fire Separation, Exits, Alarms & Headroom (2026)
What the Vancouver Building By-law 2025 asks for when an existing house is converted to include a secondary suite, item by item from its conversion table (Table 11.2.3.1). Converting part of a house into a secondary suite in the City of Vancouver? This walkthrough covers the building upgrades in the Vancouver Building By-law 2025: which rules apply to your house (permit date before or after June 22, 2004), the fire separation between the units, doors, exits and bedroom egress windows, window wells, fire department access, smoke and CO alarms, when sprinklers aren’t required, furnace rooms, stairs, handrails and guards, headroom and doorways, electrical receptacles and panels, sound separation and the final inspection.
Download the video (MP4) · Watch on YouTube (BC Trades & Permits)
Narration uses a synthetic (AI-generated) voice.
For a house built under a permit issued before June 22, 2004, Table 11.2.3.1 sets these alternatives for existing conditions. They are summaries of VBBL 2025 Book I, Division C, Article 11.2.3.1 and Table 11.2.3.1 (Volume 1, PDF), not the by-law wording. New work must meet the requirements for new construction.
| Item | What the table allows or requires |
|---|---|
| Existing windows and doors | Original unaltered windows, doors and other openings may remain. |
| Fire separation between the main home and the suite | Existing lath and plaster in good condition, or 12.7 mm gypsum board on wood studs at most 450 mm o.c., where the finish was in place before the suite. Except where existing conditions create unreasonable hardship, new walls get 15.9 mm Type X or 12.7 mm Type C gypsum board on studs at most 600 mm o.c., with the cavity filled with at least 89 mm of mineral wool, caulked joints where floor and ceiling assemblies meet, and resilient acoustic channels on at least one side. |
| Shared ducts | No fire dampers if sheet metal ducting extends at least 1,800 mm beyond the suite separation and the opening is fire-caulked. Acoustic insulation inside the duct for at least 1,500 mm on each side. |
| Plastic plumbing and sprinkler pipes through separations | Tightly fitted, cast in place, or caulked as per the product listing. |
| Suite entry doors between the units | Existing solid core doors and frames, with or without wired glass, in good condition, with positive latching hardware and self-closing devices. Solid blocking for forced-entry resistance may be omitted where the wall finish beside the door was in place before the suite. |
| Exits | At least one conforming exit from the main dwelling and one from the suite, together with the bedroom egress window rules (9.9.10.1.). |
| Windows and doors next to exits | No requirements where the suite is sprinklered, provided with a closure, or provided with intervening construction extending out at least 600 mm. |
| Fire department access | An existing path designated for the fire department is permitted to be at least 860 mm wide. |
| Flame-spread rating | Exits: not more than 150. Remainder of building: no requirement. |
| Sprinklers | Not required where the construction value of the alteration doesn’t exceed $255,000 or 50% of the existing building’s replacement value. The by-law’s note says replacement value is similar to insurable value. |
| Furnace room | No separation required, but proper combustion air and the required clearances from all equipment. The table notes that the Gas Code restricts locating gas furnaces next to sleeping rooms or bathrooms. |
| Smoke alarms (entire building) | Interconnected alarms on each storey including basements, in each sleeping room, and between the sleeping rooms and the rest of the storey (in the hallway if one serves the sleeping rooms). Permanently connected to an electrical circuit, with battery backup and manual silencing. The note to the table says interconnected alarms must be powered off the same (main) electrical panel. |
| Carbon monoxide alarms | Provided per Article 9.32.4.2. of Book II. For example, where a fuel-burning appliance is in a suite, a CO alarm goes inside each bedroom or within 5 m of each bedroom door (9.32.4.2.(4)), and in a house with a secondary suite the CO alarms must be interconnected (9.32.4.2.(7); Volume 2, PDF). |
| Stairs and handrails (entire building) | Existing stairs comply with Section 9.8 except these dimensions: tread depth 235–355 mm, rise 125–200 mm, run 210–355 mm, unless the Chief Building Official considers them unsafe. Every existing stair has at least one handrail conforming to Subsection 9.8.7. |
| Guards (entire building) | Existing guards may stay if structurally sound, non-climbable and at least 900 mm high. |
| Headroom | May be reduced to 1,950 mm over 80% of the suite area and all egress routes. The clear height under the rest of the suite must be at least 1,850 mm, except public corridors and exits (at least 2,000 mm). |
| Doorways | Doorway openings within the suite may be reduced to not less than 1,890 mm high. Other than exit doors and doors serving public and exit corridors, doorway openings are designed to fit swing-type and folding doors at least 1,980 mm high. |
| Sound separation | Not required where the wall finish was in place before the suite. In new construction, fill the separation cavities in walls and floors with mineral wool. |
| Unsafe conditions | Any condition that could cause undue hazard must be corrected as the Chief Building Official directs. |
| Electrical (11.2.3.1.(4)–(5)) | At least two kitchen counter duplex receptacles on two appliance circuits; two duplex receptacles on different walls in each bedroom; three on different walls in the living area. A single existing panel board in a common area accessible to all occupants may supply both units, with range and equipment loads calculated using demand factors. |
Bedroom egress windows (VBBL Book II, 9.9.10.1.): unless the suite is sprinklered, each bedroom needs at least one outside window or exterior door openable from the inside without keys, tools or special knowledge. The window must give an unobstructed opening of at least 0.35 m² with no dimension less than 380 mm. If it opens into a window well, leave at least 760 mm of clearance in front of it, and any protective enclosure over the well must open from the inside without keys, tools or special knowledge (Volume 2, PDF).
Related: Secondary suite permit how-to (BC) · Victoria secondary suite permit guide · Nanaimo secondary suite permit guide · Duncan secondary suite permit guide · Vancouver building permit guide · Vancouver deck permit and build guide · 30-second permit quiz
Most houses, suites, decks and garages fall under Part 9 of the BC Building Code 2024: buildings of 3 storeys or less, up to 600 m², with residential or certain other uses (Division A, 1.3.3.3). Bigger buildings fall under Part 3, which always needs registered professionals and Letters of Assurance (Division C, 2.2.7.1).
On a Part 9 project, the Code requires a registered professional (an engineer or architect who seals drawings and signs Letters of Assurance) only for parts outside Part 9. Examples are beams with point loads, girder trusses, engineered products, soil or foundation conditions beyond Part 9, and retaining walls that support a foundation. The province also recommends professional design for other retaining walls over 1.2 m. For the rest, the Code doesn’t say who must draw the plans. The city sets the drawing standard.
Vancouver’s Building By-law 2025 adds more cases that need registered professionals, including some Part 9 buildings (see the provincial guide). Ask the city which apply to your suite.
Checked October 26, 2026: BC Building Code 2024 (PDF) · Guide to Letters of Assurance (PDF) · Letters of Assurance (gov.bc.ca) · EGBC guidelines · AIBC: does your project need an architect?
Yes. The City says a development and building permit is required to carry out the upgrading work and formally change the use of your house to include a secondary suite. The suite is not considered legal until the final inspection has been passed.
Section 11.3.1.2 of the Zoning and Development By-law says every dwelling unit except a lock-off unit must be at least 37 m², measured from the inside of all outer walls. The Director of Planning may reduce that to 29.7 m² if the design and location provide satisfactory living accommodation.
For a house built under a permit issued before June 22, 2004, VBBL 2025 Table 11.2.3.1 lets headroom be reduced to 1,950 mm over 80% of the suite area and all egress routes, with at least 1,850 mm under the rest of the suite. The City’s 2022 guide gives a different, older figure, so confirm the headroom for your house with the City.
Council eliminated minimum parking requirements citywide for all land uses on June 26, 2024, though accessible, visitor, bike and loading spaces continue to be required. The City’s suite page still asks you to show any on-site parking on the site plan.
The 2026 fee schedule lists a $1,080 development permit fee to convert a single detached house to one with a secondary suite, plus a building permit fee of $217 for the first $5,000 of work, $13.90 for each $1,000 or part over $5,000 up to $50,000, and $7.04 per $1,000 or part above that. The schedule is a guide; Council-approved by-laws govern. Trade permits are separate.
No. The City lists adding or legalizing a secondary suite in an existing building as not eligible for the Residential Renovation Fast Track.
Only if you live in that suite as your principal residence, not the main house, and you can’t rent both the main house and the suite as short-term rentals. A suite that wasn’t approved through the City’s permit process isn’t eligible for a short- or long-term rental licence.
Independent information only. This guide is a planning aid, not legal, engineering or building-code advice. Codes and bylaws change, and the building official for your address has the final say. Confirm every requirement before you design, apply or dig.
This guide relies on the official pages below. Rules, fees and processes change, so check the authority before you apply or spend money.
Links checked September 30, 2026. Found an error or a broken link? Report it.