Adding a suite or carriage house in Lake Country, BC
10245 Beacon Hill Drive, Tyler's listing, Sotheby's International Realty Canada, full caption
10245 Beacon Hill Drive, Lake Country. Listed by Tyler Dumaine, Hall Cassie Marshall Group, Sotheby's International Realty Canada.
A basement suite in a Winfield house or a carriage house behind a home in Okanagan Centre can add a rent, or a place for family. Whether a lot can take one depends on its zone, its sewer and its size. These are the Province's and the District's rules, and what the building permit asks for.
In short
- Since 2 July 2024 an RU1, RU2 or RU6 lot inside the urban containment boundary, on District sewer and water and no larger than 4,050 square metres, allows up to four homes.
- A suite needs a building permit, at $100 to $500 plus 1.2 percent of construction value.
- A suite or carriage house cannot be sold separately from the house.
Sources read . Source links accompany the answers below.
A suite or a carriage house
From sections 10.7, 10.8 and 9 of Zoning Bylaw 561, consolidated to 2 June 2026. The bylaw's word for a carriage house is an accessory suite.
| Secondary suite | Carriage house | |
|---|---|---|
| Where it is | Inside the house, with its own door to the outside | In a separate accessory building, such as over a garage |
| Largest size | 90 m² (about 970 sq. ft.) or 40% of the house, whichever is less | 90 m² (about 970 sq. ft.) or 75% of the house, whichever is less |
| Parking | 1 space, plus the house's own | 1 space, plus the house's own |
| Sold separately | No: one property with the house | No: one property with the house |
A carriage house also needs community sewer, unless the lot is at least 1.0 hectare and meets the District's septic capacity requirements.
What did BC's small-scale housing law (Bill 44) change?
The Local Government Act now requires zoning to allow at least one extra home, a suite inside a single-family house or a separate unit on the same lot, in zones that were limited to single-family homes.
Inside an urban containment boundary, or in a municipality of more than 5,000 people, the Province's minimum is 3 homes on a lot of 280 square metres or less and 4 on a larger lot, and 6 near frequent bus service.
The larger minimums do not apply to land not connected to a municipal or regional water or sewer system, or to a lot larger than 4,050 square metres.1
How did Lake Country apply it?
Bylaw 1238, adopted 2 July 2024, turned the RU1, RU2 and RU6 zones into small-scale multiple housing zones that allow up to four homes on a lot.
Only on a lot inside the urban containment boundary, connected to District sewer and water, and 4,050 square metres or smaller. Elsewhere in those zones, and in the rural residential zones, the limit is one house with one suite.2
Is a carriage house allowed on my lot?
The bylaw calls it an accessory suite: a self-contained home in an accessory building. The RU1, RU2, RU6 and rural residential zones list it; look up your lot's zone by address on the District's map, then read that zone in the bylaw.
It needs community sewer, unless the lot is at least 1.0 hectare and meets the District's septic capacity requirements.
In RU1, a building with an accessory suite can be up to 8 metres or 2 storeys, whichever is less, and sits at least 3 metres from the rear lot line and from any other accessory building.3
How many suites can one lot have?
One secondary suite or one accessory suite per lot. Where small-scale multiple housing is permitted on the lot, up to two: two secondary suites, two accessory suites, or one of each.
A suite is not allowed together with lodgers, a bed and breakfast or a group home.2
Can I sell the suite or carriage house separately?
No. The bylaw makes a secondary suite or an accessory suite and the house one real estate entity, and the Province describes a secondary suite as part of the main home that cannot be legally separated from it.
To sell a second home on its own, the lot would have to be subdivided or stratified; my page on subdividing covers the District's process.4
10293 Long Road, Tyler's listing, Sotheby's International Realty Canada, full caption
10293 Long Road, Lake Country. Listed by Tyler Dumaine, Hall Cassie Marshall Group, Sotheby's International Realty Canada.
Do I need a building permit for a suite?
Yes. The District requires a permit for any construction, alteration or change of use, and applies for a suite through its building permit form.
The suite checklist asks for a title search less than 30 days old, a site plan showing parking for the house and the suite, floor plans with the suite's area, an Interior Health sewer permit for the extra discharge, and Agricultural Land Commission approval where it applies.
The permit fee is $100 to $500 plus 1.2 percent of the construction value, paid when the permit is ready.5
Are there development cost charges on a suite?
Not on a secondary suite inside a house: Bylaw 950 counts it in the house's charge.
A detached accessory dwelling unit, such as a coach house, garden suite or garage suite, is charged $11,199 under the schedule adopted 18 March 2025. The bylaw exempts permits for work valued at $100,000 or less and dwelling units of 29 square metres or less, with conditions; ask the District which applies.6
Can I rent the suite as a short-term rental?
Not a carriage house: the District's zoning does not allow a short-term vacation rental in an accessory suite, and it limits short-term rentals to a principal residence.
My page on short-term rentals covers the principal residence rule and the District's licence.2
What about a suite on ALR land?
On land in the Agricultural Land Reserve, a secondary suite is allowed only inside the principal residence, and the District may restrict it further.
A separate home there is an additional residence under the Commission's own size limits; my page on ALR land covers them. The Province's small-scale housing rules do not change that: the part of a lot in the reserve stays under the Agricultural Land Commission Act.7
Sources
- Province of BC, Local Government Act, sections 481.3 and 481.4; Province of BC, Small-scale, multi-unit housing.
- District of Lake Country, Zoning Bylaw 561 (consolidated to 2 June 2026).
- District of Lake Country, Zoning Bylaw 561 (consolidated to 2 June 2026); District of Lake Country, Adding a Legal Suite.
- District of Lake Country, Zoning Bylaw 561 (consolidated to 2 June 2026); Province of BC, Add a secondary suite or accessory dwelling unit.
- District of Lake Country, Building Permits; District of Lake Country, Secondary or Accessory Suite building permit checklist.
- District of Lake Country, Development Cost Charge Bylaw 950 (consolidated 18 March 2025).
- Agricultural Land Commission, Housing in the ALR; Province of BC, Small-scale multi-unit housing FAQ.
As published by the Province of British Columbia, the District of Lake Country and the Agricultural Land Commission, read 29 September 2026. Confirm the zoning of any lot with the District before you buy for a suite.
If your question is not answered here, ask me.
Contact Tyler