Basement & Secondary Suites in Richmond, BC
Richmond allows 3–6 units on most lots — but it's the only Metro Vancouver city that charges to unlock the sixth. The real suite size limit (120 m², not 90), coach-house zones, and fees.
Richmond permits three to four units on most residential lots, and up to six — but it’s the only Metro Vancouver city that puts a price on the sixth. A secondary suite can be up to 120 m² (not the 90 m² often quoted), and coach houses are only allowed in specific zones.
HouseLyft helps homeowners in Richmond, BC work out what their lot legally permits, what a suite or coach house will cost to build, what it should earn, and which programmes actually apply — then connects them with a vetted builder.
Richmond allows the same three-to-six-unit range as its Metro Vancouver neighbours, but with one feature that’s genuinely its own — and two claims floating around that are simply wrong.
The sixth unit has a price. Under Bylaw 10573, Richmond permits three units on lots up to 280 m² and four above that, across roughly 27,000 lots in four RSM sub-zones. But a sixth unit is only allowed where three things all hold: the lot is within 400 m of a designated bus stop, it’s over 281 m², and you make an affordable-housing payment of $12.00 per buildable square foot (or provide an affordable unit under a housing agreement). Richmond is the only city in the region that charges to unlock that density — worth knowing before you plan around six.
Two corrections while we’re here. First, the ”Richmond secondary-suite maximum is 90 m²” figure that appears on many pages is out of date; the bylaw sets it at the lesser of 40% of the home’s floor area or 120 m². Second, “coach houses can be built anywhere in Richmond” is false — they’re confined to the RCH and RCH1 zones, typically arterial-road lots.
What a coach house requires
In the RCH zones, a coach house is 33–60 m², up to 7.4 m tall, and requires rear-lane access — in RCH1 it must sit above a detached garage. It can’t be subdivided. Parking is unusually light: 0.5 space per unit beyond 400 m of a designated bus stop, and none at all within 400 m — a direct benefit of the five Canada Line stations Richmond has designated as transit areas.
Up to 120 m²Secondary suite size
NoneAnnual suite surcharge
$1,293Coach house permit
What it costs
Richmond’s charges for a suite or coach house:
- Development permit (coach house, granny flat or small multi-unit): $1,293 (from January 1, 2026)
- Plan processing — a secondary suite counts as a second dwelling unit: $759 for one to two units
- Building permit — Richmond deems construction value by floor area (interior finishing at $686/m²), so a 90 m² suite inside an existing house works out to roughly $1,085 permit + $759 processing ≈ $1,844. It doubles if you start before the permit.
- A City water meter must be installed on any lot with a secondary suite
Unlike Surrey and Coquitlam, Richmond levies no recurring annual suite fee — you’re billed by consumption instead. (Every Richmond utility bill also carries a $342/year flood-protection levy.)
What a Richmond suite earns
CMHC reports Richmond as its own rental zone, but a reliable city-level figure wasn’t available for this page — and we won’t substitute the blended Metro Vancouver number, because it isn’t Richmond’s. We pull the Richmond-specific rent for your project rather than quote a regional average that would overstate or understate it.
What we do — and what we don’t
HouseLyft establishes whether a project stands up before anyone spends money on drawings: what your lot permits, whether a coach house is even zoned for it, what it costs to build, and what it should earn. Where it works, we hand you to a vetted builder and stay involved. Where it doesn’t, we say so.
We are not a lender and we do not sell mortgages.
Two corrections worth carrying, because both are still advertised in BC: the federal $80,000 Secondary Suite Loan was cancelled in Budget 2025 and never launched, and the provincial BC Secondary Suite Incentive Program closed on March 31, 2025. Our financing guide sets out what is actually live.
Serving Richmond and Metro Vancouver
We work across Richmond and the wider region, including Vancouver, Burnaby and Surrey — where the unit rules, fees and coach-house standards differ materially from Richmond’s. The full list is on our service areas page.
We also handle multiplex development and planning and permits across Metro Vancouver.
Common questions about Richmond suites
Up to the lesser of 40% of the home’s floor area or 120 m². The “90 m²” figure that appears on many pages is from older material and is out of date.
Only if the lot is within 400 m of a designated bus stop, is over 281 m², and you make a $12-per-buildable-square-foot affordable-housing payment. Richmond is the only Metro Vancouver city that charges to unlock the sixth unit.
No. Coach houses are limited to the RCH and RCH1 zones — usually arterial-road lots — and require lane access.
No recurring suite surcharge, unlike Surrey or Coquitlam — you’re billed by consumption, and a water meter is required on the lot.
What people repeat — and what the rule says
A secondary suite is capped at 90 m².
A secondary suite can reach 120 m².
The 90 m² figure is outdated and still widely repeated. Coach houses are the genuinely restricted form here — they are zone-specific and need lane access.
How this page was checked
Verified 20 July 2026, claim by claim — every figure above traced to the instrument it comes from.
Municipal rules and fees change — confirm current terms with the City of Richmond before committing to a project.
Find out what your Richmond lot allows
Enter your address and we’ll come back with what your property permits, whether a coach house is zoned for it, what a suite would cost to build, and what it should earn.
- What your lot allows
- What it should earn
- Which programmes apply
Illustrative — your report is built from your own address.