BC guides › Richmond · Last checked October 25, 2026
Can you build a coach house or ADU in Richmond?
Yes, on most house lots in Richmond. Richmond calls it a coach house: a small, separate home in your backyard, behind the main house. The zoning bylaw now calls it the “rear building”.
- No set size just for the coach house. It shares your lot’s floor space limit with the main house
- 1 storey (5.0 m) with just a building permit, or 2 storeys (7.5 m) with a Development Permit
- At least 6 m from the main house, and 0.9 m from the back line if there is a lane (3.0 m if not)
- Most lots can have 3 or 4 homes in total, counting suites
- No Airbnb: Richmond bans stays under 90 days
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?
In June 2024 Richmond rezoned almost 27,000 house and duplex lots to a new zone called RSM (small-scale multi-unit housing). On an RSM lot you can build a coach house if you meet these rules:
- Behind the house, not beside it. A lot can have only two buildings bigger than 10 m² (108 sq ft), one behind the other.
- A 6 m gap. The coach house must be at least 6.0 m (19.7 ft) from the main house. No driveway or parking spot is allowed in that gap.
- Its own front door. Every home needs its own outside door. Its main living room windows must face the front, back, lane or the yard between the buildings, not just the side yard.
- Under the lot limits. All buildings together must fit inside the lot’s floor space limit and its home count.
How much floor space? On an RSM lot with a coach house, all buildings together can have 0.6 times the first 464.5 m² (5,000 sq ft) of lot area, plus 0.3 times the rest, plus 50 m² (538 sq ft) of “flex space”. Example: a 6,000 sq ft lot gets about 3,840 sq ft (356 m²) in total, shared by the house and the coach house. Each home must be at least 25 m² (269 sq ft). Buildings can cover at most 45% of the lot.
How many homes? Up to 3 homes on a lot of 280 m² (3,014 sq ft) or less, and up to 4 on a bigger lot. Some lots within 400 m of a frequent bus stop can have 6, but only if the owner pays into the City’s affordable housing fund or provides an affordable home. Suites count as homes.
Not every lot was rezoned. Lots in the farmland reserve (ALR), lots over 1 acre, heritage-protected lots and lots in the transit-oriented areas near major transit stations were left out. Part of the Steveston townsite was also left out for now: the Province gave the City until 30 December 2030 to finish upgrades there first. Your free Site Report checks your lot.
Richmond coach house rules at a glance
| Rule | Richmond (RSM zone) |
|---|---|
| What it’s called | Coach house (the zoning bylaw says “rear building”) |
| Where | RSM zones (RSM/S, RSM/M, RSM/L, RSM/XL), most former house and duplex lots |
| Size | No coach-house cap. Lot limit: 0.6 × first 5,000 sq ft + 0.3 × the rest + 538 sq ft flex. Min 269 sq ft per home |
| Max height | 1 storey, 5.0 m (4.0 m flat roof). With a Development Permit: 2 storeys, 7.5 m (6.0 m flat roof) |
| From the back line | 0.9 m with a lane, 3.0 m without a lane |
| From the side lines | 2.0 m (lot 20 m+ wide), 1.8 m (18–20 m), 1.2 m (under 18 m); 3.0 m on a street side |
| Gap from house | At least 6.0 m, with no parking or driveway in it |
| Parking | None within 400 m of a frequent bus stop. Otherwise 0.5 space per home, rounded up |
| Sell it separately | Council voted to allow strata on RSM lots. It can’t become its own lot |
| Nightly rental | No. Stays under 90 days are banned |
Which zones? The coach house rules here are for the RSM zones. Richmond’s old coach house zones (RCH, RCH2 and RE1) have been folded in and are now blank. Some duplex lots kept their duplex zone, changed to allow more homes, and their rules may differ. Your free Site Report checks your zone for you.
Get my free Site ReportWhat will it cost, and what could it earn?
On top of the build, the City charges fees. Here are the City’s own 2026 figures:
- Building permit: worked out from a set value of $3,017 per m² of new home, on a sliding scale. It doubles if you start work before the permit is issued.
- Plan processing: $759 for 1 or 2 homes on the lot, $1,517 for 3 or 4 (a suite counts as a home).
- Development Permit: $1,293, only if you need one (for example, a two-storey coach house).
- City development cost charge (DCC): since 14 September 2026, $33.65 per sq ft of new home. An 800 sq ft coach house would pay about $26,900.
- Regional charges: the City also collects Metro Vancouver (water, sewer, parks) and TransLink charges. The City’s example for 3 attached homes is $82,425 in total.
- School site charge: the new DCC bylaw also lets the City collect this on projects with fewer than 4 homes. The City’s example is $4,000 for 4 homes. We could not confirm the amount for one coach house. Ask Building Approvals at 604-276-4118.
What could it earn? Richmond backyard homes are advertised for rent. In September 2026 a furnished 450 sq ft coach house studio off a back lane near No. 3 Road was listed at $1,500 a month. In October 2026 a two-storey, 2-bedroom laneway home near Ironwood was listed at $2,700 a month, utilities included. These are asking rents, not what was paid. Your free report works out the numbers for your lot.
Your free Richmond Site Report includes:
- Your PID, real lot size and zone
- Whether your lot can have 3, 4 or 6 homes, and if it is near a frequent bus stop
- 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: Richmond
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Common questions
Can I rent my coach house on Airbnb?
No. Richmond’s zoning bans renting any home for less than 90 days. The main exception for homes is a bed and breakfast, and a B&B is not allowed on a lot that has a coach house or a suite. BC’s principal-residence rule also applies in Richmond, but the City’s own rule is stricter. Renting for 90 days or more is fine.
How big can a coach house be?
There is no set size just for the coach house. All the buildings on your lot share one floor space limit: 0.6 times the first 5,000 sq ft of lot area, plus 0.3 times the rest, plus 538 sq ft of flex space. On a 6,000 sq ft lot that is about 3,840 sq ft in total. Each home must be at least 269 sq ft (25 m²).
Can my coach house have two storeys?
Yes, with a Development Permit. Without one, it can be 1 storey and 5.0 m (16.4 ft) to the roof peak. With one, it can be 2 storeys and 7.5 m (24.6 ft), and it must also fit inside the lot’s height envelope. For two storeys, both buildings must have a home in them. The rule is the same with or without a lane.
Can I put it over a garage?
Yes. The City’s own examples show a home over a garage off the back lane. Because that makes the building two storeys, you need a Development Permit. Parking can’t go in the 6 m gap between the house and the coach house.
Can I have a suite in my house and a coach house?
Yes. A house, a suite and a coach house make 3 homes, which every RSM lot allows. On a lot over 280 m² you can have 4, so the coach house could have its own suite too. A suite must be inside the home it belongs to, and can be at most 40% of that home or 120 m² (1,292 sq ft), whichever is less.
Can I sell the coach house on its own?
Maybe, as a strata unit. In June 2024 Council voted to allow strata on RSM lots. The coach house can’t be split off as its own lot, and a secondary suite can never be sold separately. We could not confirm the City’s exact steps for a strata. Ask the Zoning line at 604-276-4017 before counting on a sale.
Do I need a parking spot?
Only if your lot is more than 400 m from a frequent bus stop (one with service about every 15 minutes in the day). Then you need 0.5 space per home, rounded up: 1 space for 2 homes, 2 for 3 or 4. Within 400 m of one, there is no minimum. Your free Site Report checks the distance.
How do I get a permit?
A one-storey coach house usually needs only a building permit. You need a Development Permit first if it is two storeys, and also if your lot is on a main (arterial) road, in an environmentally sensitive area or oddly shaped. Development Permits go to the City’s Development Permit Panel. Apply for the building permit online, then pay the fees and charges when it is issued. Building Approvals: 604-276-4118. Zoning questions: 604-276-4017.
See what fits on your Richmond lot
General information only. Rules checked 25 October 2026. Rules change, so always confirm with the City of Richmond before you build.
Sources: RSM zone, Zoning Bylaw 8500 s.8.19 · Zoning Bylaw s.4.8A (rear buildings) · Zoning Bylaw s.5 (suites, B&B, short-term rental) · Zoning Bylaw s.7 (parking) · OCP Amendment Bylaw 10630 (Development Permits) · City bulletin PLANNING-09 · Council minutes, 24 June 2024 (strata) · Staff report on RSM amendments, 2025 · Consolidated Fees Bylaw 8636 · DCC Amendment Bylaw 10732 · Council minutes, 14 September 2026 · City bulletin DEVAPPS-19 (DCCs) · BC Bill 44 extensions · BC principal residence requirement