BC guides › Burnaby · Last checked October 25, 2026
Can you build a laneway home or ADU in Burnaby?
Yes, on almost every house lot in the R1 zone, and you don’t need a lane. Most people call it a laneway home. Burnaby’s zoning bylaw now calls it a rear principal building: a full second home at the back of your lot.
- No set maximum size. How much of the lot buildings can cover, the height limit and the setbacks (gaps to the lot lines) decide it
- Up to 7.5 m tall and 2 storeys (7.0 m with a flat roof)
- 3, 4 or up to 6 homes per lot, suites included, depending on lot size and transit
- It can be sold separately with strata title
- Airbnb mostly not allowed: only in the owner’s own home
Will it fit on your lot?
Enter your address. We check your lot size, zone and how many homes it can have, free by email.
Can I build one on my property?
Almost every house lot in Burnaby is in one zone, called R1 Small-Scale Multi-Unit Housing. Burnaby’s new Zoning Bylaw took effect on 1 July 2026 and kept this zone. In R1, a laneway home is not an “extra” building. It counts as a full home of its own, just like the house at the front.
How many homes can my lot have? Every home counts, including basement suites:
- Lots up to 280 m² (about 3,000 sq ft): up to 3 homes
- Lots of 281 m² or more: up to 4 homes
- Lots of 281 m² or more in a Frequent Transit Network Area (within 400 m of a bus stop with frequent service): up to 6 homes
What else you need to know:
- No lane needed. But every home needs a clear path to the street at least 1.0 m wide (gravel or paved), so firefighters can get in.
- A home more than 45 m from the street must have sprinklers.
- Bedroom rule: on a lot with 1 to 3 homes, at least one must have 3 or more bedrooms. With 4 to 6 homes, at least two must.
- Each main home needs its own private outdoor space of at least 10 m², at least 2.0 m wide.
- Every home has a minimum size: a studio 37 m² (398 sq ft), a 1-bedroom 56 m² (603 sq ft), a 2-bedroom 90 m² (969 sq ft).
Burnaby laneway home rules at a glance
| Rule | Burnaby (R1 zone) |
|---|---|
| What it’s called | Rear principal building (a full home, not an accessory building) |
| Homes per lot | Up to 3 on lots of 280 m² or less, 4 on bigger lots, 6 on bigger lots near frequent transit. Suites count |
| Size | No set maximum. Smallest: studio 37 m², 1-bedroom 56 m², 2-bedroom 90 m² |
| Lot coverage | Buildings can cover 40% of the lot (30% for 1–2 homes on lots over 567 m²; 45% for 5–6 homes) |
| Max height | 7.5 m sloped roof, 7.0 m flat roof, 2 storeys. A basement counts as a storey |
| From the back line | 3.0 m, or 1.5 m if your back line is on a lane |
| From the side lines | 1.2 m (3.0 m on the street side of a corner lot) |
| Gap from the house | At least 6.0 m between the front house and the laneway home |
| Parking | None near frequent transit. Elsewhere 1 space for the first home plus 0.5 for each extra home, rounded up |
| Nightly rental | Only in the owner’s own main home, up to 90 nights a year, with a City licence |
Which zones? These rules are for the R1 Small-Scale Multi-Unit Housing zone, which covers almost all of Burnaby’s house lots. Lots in other zones (such as CD) follow their own rules. Your free Site Report checks your zone, lot size and transit area for you.
Get my free Site ReportWhat will it cost, and what could it earn?
Besides the build itself, Burnaby charges these:
- Building permit fee (2026 rates): $3,323 plus $13.70 for each $1,000 of build value over $200,000. You pay when you apply online.
- Development cost charges and amenity cost charges (one-time charges for roads, pipes, parks and community centres). Once your lot has more than one building, the City charges $37,423 plus $18,874 = $56,297 for each home on the lot, suites included, paid when the permit is issued. The City gives credit for homes already there. We could not confirm exactly how that credit works when you keep your house, so ask the City (604-294-7130).
- Regional charges also apply: Metro Vancouver water, sewer and parks charges, a TransLink charge and a school site charge. Your report adds these up.
- Servicing: if the City finds your water, sewer or street needs work, you pay a share toward it as part of the permit.
Good to know: in June 2026 the federal and BC governments announced money to cut development charges on “multi-unit housing”. The City says it is not yet clear which homes it covers or when it starts.
Rent: in October 2026, 2-bedroom laneway homes in Burnaby were advertised at about $2,500 to $3,000 a month (asking rents). Many new rental towers are also opening, so price it fairly. Your free report works out the numbers for your lot.
Your free Burnaby Site Report includes:
- Your PID, real lot size and zone
- Whether your lot can have 3, 4 or 6 homes
- A drawing of your lot’s shape and size
- Rough build cost and City charges for the size you want
- Permit steps and ways to pay for it
Featured builder: Burnaby
This spot is open. Do you build laneway homes in Burnaby? Show your company to homeowners who are checking their lot right now. Feature your company here.
Common questions
Can I rent it on Airbnb?
Usually not. Burnaby only allows short-term rentals in the principal residence (main home) of the owner. Not in a secondary suite, a rented home or an accessory building, and tenants can’t host. The limit is 90 nights a year, you need a City business licence, and you must also register with the Province. Each home used this way needs one extra parking space. The City’s web page still lists “laneway homes” as not allowed. But the new bylaw treats a laneway home as a full main home. So if you, the owner, live in the laneway home as your main home, you may be able to host there. We could not confirm this. Ask City licensing at 604-294-7320 before you count on it.
How big can it be?
There is no set floor-area limit. Size is limited by lot coverage (all buildings together can usually cover 40% of the lot, or 30% for 1 to 2 homes on lots over 567 m²), by the 7.5 m and 2-storey height limit, and by the setbacks. At least 40% of the lot must stay permeable (ground that lets rain soak in) on lots with up to 4 homes. Each home also has a minimum size, such as 56 m² (603 sq ft) for a 1-bedroom.
Can I put it over my garage?
Yes. A building with a home in it is never counted as an accessory building, so a home over a garage follows the laneway home rules: 7.5 m and 2 storeys. A plain garage with no home in it can only be 4.0 m tall and 1 storey. Parking has to go at the back of the lot when you can reach it from a lane or street. A garage dug below ground can’t stick up more than 1.2 m.
Can I have a suite in my house and a laneway home?
Yes, as long as the total stays within your lot’s limit of 3, 4 or 6 homes. The laneway home can even have its own suite. Each main home can have one suite, and it must be inside that home. You can also build more than one laneway home, or a duplex laneway home, within the same limit.
Can I sell the laneway home on its own?
Yes. A lot with two or more main homes can be split into strata titles (separate ownership, with shared areas). For a new build, a surveyor files a strata plan with the Land Title Office. Do it before anyone moves in. After that, you need a Strata Conversion application and Council approval. A secondary suite can never be sold on its own. Planning: 604-294-7400.
Do I need a parking spot?
Not if your lot is in a Frequent Transit Network Area or Transit-Oriented Area. Elsewhere you need 1 space for the first home and 0.5 for each extra home, and half a space rounds up. So a house plus a laneway home needs 2 spaces. A house, a suite and a laneway home also need 2. Your free Site Report checks whether your lot is in a transit area.
How do I get a permit?
First check your zone and site (trees, streams, covenants). Then get Engineering pre-application approval: the City says a complete package takes about 15 business days to review. Some projects, such as ones near a stream, need a development permit first. Then apply online for a building permit for a second residential building on your lot. Paper applications are not accepted. Fix anything the City flags, pay the development and amenity charges, and get your permit. Your trades get their own permits, you book inspections 24 hours ahead, and you get an Occupancy Certificate after the final inspection. Building permits: 604-294-7130.
Do I need a back lane?
No. Burnaby allows a laneway home on R1 lots with no lane. You do need a clear path from each home’s door to the street, at least 1.0 m wide and clear up to 2.5 m high. If a home is more than 45 m from the street, it needs sprinklers.
See what fits on your Burnaby lot
General information only. Rules checked 25 October 2026. Rules change, so always confirm with the City of Burnaby before you build.
Sources: Burnaby Zoning Bylaw No. 14815 (consolidated) · City of Burnaby: Laneway homes · City of Burnaby: New home construction · Stratification of Property guide · City of Burnaby: Short-term rentals · Short-term rental licence application · BC short-term rental host registration · 2026 Building Permit and Inspection Fees · Development Cost Charges Bylaw No. 14645 · Amenity Cost Charges Bylaw No. 14646 (consolidated) · DCCs and ACCs for small-scale multi-unit housing · City of Burnaby: Development funding program · City of Burnaby news, 25 June 2026