BC guides › North Vancouver – City · Last checked October 25, 2026
Can you build a Coach House or ADU in the City of North Vancouver?
Yes, on most house lots, which are now in the new GO zone. The City calls it a Coach House: a small, separate home in your backyard, usually facing the lane.
- Most lots can have 3, 4 or 6 homes. A house + a suite + a Coach House is 3
- No set Coach House size limit. Each home must be at least 538 sq ft (50 m²)
- Up to 7.0 m tall near the back lot line
- The GO zone allows strata homes, so a Coach House can be sold on its own once the City approves a strata application
- Airbnb only if you live on the property, and in just one extra unit
Will it fit on your lot?
Enter your address. We check your lot size, back lane and how many homes it can have, free by email.
Can I build one on my property?
It depends on your zone. The City of North Vancouver has two sets of rules. Don’t mix them up. (And this page is only about the City. The District of North Vancouver is a different town with different rules.)
1. Most lots: the GO zone. On 8 December 2025 the City moved most lots that used to be for one house or a duplex into a new Ground Oriented (GO) zone. In this zone a Coach House is simply one more home on the lot. What counts is the total number of homes:
- Lot of 280 m² (3,014 sq ft) or less: up to 3 homes
- Bigger lot: up to 4 homes or 6 homes, depending on which area of the City’s Official Community Plan (its long-term land plan) it is in
Every home must be at least 50 m² (538 sq ft) inside. You must be able to walk to each home from the street on a clear path at least 1.0 m (3.3 ft) wide that is lit at night. A house + a suite + a Coach House is 3 homes, so every GO lot allows that mix. But it still has to fit: two buildings with homes in them must be at least 7.0 m (23 ft) apart, no building can be longer than 21 m (69 ft) in any direction, and you must stay under the limits on floor space and lot coverage. On a short or narrow lot, that can be the hard part. We found no rule in the GO zone that says the owner has to live on the property.
2. About 400 lots: the older zones. Some lots are still in older house or duplex zones, such as RS-1 and RS-2. About 260 of them are in heritage areas like Grand Boulevard, East 10th, Finlay’s Row and Ottawa Gardens. The City’s Coach House handout for these lots says:
- One house, one suite and one Coach House, and the owner must live on the property
- Coach House up to 92.9 m² (1,000 sq ft) and 6.7 m (22 ft) tall
- It cannot be strata-titled (sold on its own)
- Two parking stalls on the lot
That handout also asks for a front lot line of at least 10 m (32.8 ft). We could not confirm whether that rule still applies. The Province told the City to move these lots into new zoning by 30 June 2026, but on 11 May 2026 Council sent the plan back to City staff for more work. As of 25 October 2026 we found no new rule adopted. If your lot is in a heritage area, ask the City at 604-982-9675 before you design anything.
City of North Vancouver Coach House rules at a glance
| Rule | City of North Vancouver (GO zone) |
|---|---|
| What it’s called | Coach House: a separate backyard home with its own kitchen and bathroom |
| Homes per lot | 3 on lots of 280 m² or less; 4 or 6 on bigger lots, depending on the area |
| Size | No Coach House limit. Each home at least 50 m² (538 sq ft). All buildings together up to 0.85 × the lot area (1.0 × in some areas) |
| Max height | 7.0 m (23 ft) for any part within 5 m of the back lot line; 3 storeys at most anywhere |
| From the lot lines | At least 1.5 m (4.9 ft) from the back, 1.2 m (3.9 ft) from the sides, 3.0 m from the front |
| From the house | At least 7.0 m (23 ft) between buildings that have homes in them |
| Lot coverage | Up to 35% of the lot with 2 homes, 40% with 3 or 4 |
| Parking | 0.5 spaces per home, rounded up (house + Coach House = 1 space) |
| Sell it separately | Allowed: the GO zone permits strata homes. You apply to the City to stratify |
| Short-term rental | Your own home plus one other unit, if you live there at least 183 days a year. City licence and provincial registration needed |
Which zones? Most former house and duplex lots are in the GO (Ground Oriented) zone since 8 December 2025. Don’t confuse it with the older RG-1 to RG-4 zones, which are different. About 400 lots, mostly in heritage areas, are still RS-1, RS-2 or other older zones with tighter Coach House rules. Your free Site Report shows the rules for the main house zone, so confirm your zone with the City.
Get my free Site ReportWhat will it cost, and what could it earn?
Build cost
What it costs to build, per square foot
Size changes this number far more than which town you live in. A small home costs more per square foot, because the kitchen, bathroom, heating and foundation cost about the same whether the home is 500 square feet or 900.
That is the building only. All in — design, permits, the water and sewer hook-up, site work, landscaping, the builder’s fee and GST — expect about 1.5 to 1.7 times those numbers.
The Province costed its own free designs in August 2024: a 750 sq ft one-bedroom backyard home came to $585 per square foot, and a 1,050 sq ft two-bedroom to $529, construction only. Source: Province of BC, Standardized Housing Designs Class D Estimate Report, 21 August 2024.
Free plans
The Province gives away the drawings
BC publishes free standardized house designs, and three of them are backyard homes. They are built to the 2024 BC Building Code and anyone in the province can download them at no cost, which can save you design fees. Your city does not pre-review them yet, so there is no faster permit check here — but the drawings are still free to use, and your designer can start from them instead of from a blank page.
Sources: BC Standardized Housing Designs Catalogue, September 2024 · CMHC Housing Design Catalogue, local government partners, checked 25 October 2026.
Many lots in the City slope and some lanes are tight for trucks, which can add to the build cost. On top of the build, the City collects development cost charges (DCCs). These are one-time fees for each new home that help pay for roads, pipes, parks and fire halls. The City’s own DCCs went up on 3 November 2025. For homes on a house lot they range from $12,593 to $17,747 per home, depending on the building type. Ask the City which rate applies to your Coach House. Metro Vancouver and TransLink charge their own DCCs on new homes, but not on one Coach House added to a lot with a detached house. Metro Vancouver counts a house with one suite and one backyard home as a single home, and TransLink’s bylaw exempts a Coach House or Laneway House. A second backyard home, or one next to a duplex or multiplex, may be charged. There are also building permit and development permit fees. Since 1 January 2026 you can choose to pay 25% of the City’s DCCs when your permit is issued and the rest later, if you give the City a letter of credit or a bond.
Most of the money from a Coach House here comes from long-term rent or from housing family. Short-term rental is only allowed if you live on the property. Your free report works out the numbers for your lot.
Your Free North Vancouver (City) Coach House Site Report Includes:
- Your PID, mapped lot size and width
- How many homes the rules allow for your lot size
- A drawing of your lot’s shape and size
- Build cost per square foot and your total, plus the City charges we could confirm
- Permit steps and ways to pay for it
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Common questions
Can I rent my Coach House on Airbnb?
Only if the property is your main home. You must live there at least 183 days a year. You can then short-term rent (stays under 90 days) your own home plus one other unit on the same property, such as a legal suite or a Coach House. That is two at most. You need a City business licence before you list: $550 a year for a whole unit, plus a $52.07 application fee. You also have to register each unit with the Province. A Coach House built without permits can’t be used. If you rent, you need the owner’s written OK. In a strata, you need the strata’s OK.
How big can a Coach House be?
In the GO zone there is no size limit just for Coach Houses. All the buildings on your lot together can have up to 0.85 times the lot area in floor space (1.0 times in some areas). Each home must be at least 50 m² (538 sq ft). Lot coverage, the 7.0 m gap between buildings and the 7.0 m height limit near the back lot line will shape how big it can really be. On the older RS-1 and RS-2 lots, a Coach House can be up to 92.9 m² (1,000 sq ft).
Can I build it over a garage?
Yes, the GO zone has no separate rule against it. It even helps: for each home with a parking space in a garage, 16 m² (172 sq ft) of floor space is not counted toward your limit. Remember that any part of a building within 5 m of the back lot line can only be 7.0 m (23 ft) tall.
Can I have a basement suite and a Coach House?
Yes. In the GO zone a house, a suite and a Coach House count as 3 homes, and every GO lot allows at least 3. On a bigger lot you may be allowed 4 or 6. The catch is space: the Coach House must be 7.0 m from the house, and all homes must fit the floor space, lot coverage and garden-space rules.
Can I sell my Coach House separately?
In the GO zone, the zoning allows it. The GO rules permit “stratified and non-stratified” homes. Strata means each home gets its own title, so it can be sold on its own. You still need to apply to the City to stratify. The City’s Coach House web page says Coach Houses “cannot be stratified”, but that page says it does not apply to GO lots. On the older RS-1 and RS-2 lots, a Coach House cannot be strata-titled. Ask the City about the strata steps before you count on a sale.
Do I need a parking space?
In the GO zone you need 0.5 spaces per home, rounded up. A house + a Coach House needs 1 space. A house + a suite + a Coach House needs 2. Lots with 3 or more homes also need bike parking, or a storage area for bikes and mobility aids of at least 4 m² per home. The City has proposed dropping parking minimums near frequent bus routes, but Council had not adopted that as of 25 October 2026, so plan for parking.
How do I get a permit?
Start by calling or emailing the City: 604-982-9675 or permitinquiry@cnv.org. Staff send you the application form, a checklist and fee information. One form covers both the development permit (a check of the design against the City’s guidelines) and the building permit. Send in the complete package and pay the application fees. The City checks it and sends back comments if needed. Once everything is approved, you pay the remaining fees, DCCs and deposits, the permits are issued, and you build with inspections.
Is the City the same as the District of North Vancouver?
No. They are two separate towns with their own zoning, fees and permit counters. This page is only about the City of North Vancouver. Your free Site Report tells you which one your lot is in.
See what fits on your North Vancouver lot
General information only. Rules checked 25 October 2026. Rules change, so always confirm with the City of North Vancouver before you build.
Sources: Zoning Amendment Bylaw No. 9137 (GO zone, adopted 8 Dec 2025) · Ground Oriented Zone handout (Dec 2025) · CNV Ground Oriented Housing permits · CNV Coach House page · Coach House Information Handout (RS-1/RS-2) · Bill 25 FAQ (22 Apr 2026) · CNV Bill 25 status · CNV development cost charges · CNV short-term rentals · BC short-term rental registry · Metro Vancouver DCC guide (September 2026) · TransLink DCC Bylaw 159-2025, s.3(3)