BC legislated the single-family lot into history. The province's small-scale multi-unit housing rules require most single-detached and duplex lots to allow more homes — and Vancouver's own multiplex program goes further still.
The provincial baseline
On most residential lots in BC, municipalities must allow three to four homes — and up to six near frequent transit. Surrey, Burnaby, Richmond and Coquitlam each apply this through their own bylaws; the baseline is provincial, the details are municipal.
Vancouver's multiplex program
- Up to six ownership units on a standard lot — or eight if the building is all rental.
- Secondary suites and laneway houses remain available on detached homes — the classic house + suite + laneway combination still works.
- Design standards, not use permissions, are what shape these projects now — floor area, height, and how the units sit on the lot.
What still shapes a project
- Design and servicing standards — the use is allowed; the building still has to fit the envelope and the services.
- Variances — handled through development variance permits when a design steps outside the standards.
- Trees, lanes and lot particulars — Vancouver lots vary enormously; the lot decides the project.
The lot decides. Between the provincial rules, the city's multiplex standards and your lot's particulars, the honest answer is address-specific — exactly what the Free Property Report™ settles first.