Regulations
Regulations and Guidelines For Laneway House
Some of the key regulations for laneway housing issued by the City of Vancouver are:
- Allowed in RS-1 and RS-5 single family zones
- Can be located on lots 33 ft. wide and wider, with an open lane, on a double fronting street, or on a corner with a lane dedication
- Generally located in the space where a garage would be permitted, i.e., in the rear 26 ft. of the lot (with a minimum of 16 ft. separation between the laneway house and the main house)
- Rental or family use only: no strata-titling
- Minimum of one on-site parking space must be provided
- Maximum allowable unit size is based on lot size, to a maximum of 750 sq. ft. (A maximum unit size of approximately 500 sq. ft. is allowed on a 33 ft. x 122 ft. lot)
- 1 and 1½ storey configurations are possible, with guidelines to address upper storey massing, privacy and shadowing
- Homeowners can add a laneway house while retaining their existing main house, with or without a secondary suite. A laneway house can also be built with a new house.
Detailed regulations and guidelines are available online to help prospective applicants determine whether their lot is eligible for a laneway house, and what kind of laneway house they can build.
Links to some key resources are below:
Laneway Housing Regulations PDF(143kb) (See Section 11.24). Regulations governing laneway housing are included in the Zoning and Development By-law.
Laneway Housing Guidelines PDF(72kb). Laneway housing guidelines focus on creating neighbourly relationships with adjacent properties, a positive lanescape, and enhanced environmental performance of the entire site. Development Services staff work with applicants to determine how design on a specific site can best meet these guidelines.
Laneway Housing Illustrative Examples PDF(3.45mb). This visual guide illustrates some key principles from the regulations and guidelines, including where a laneway house can be located on a lot, size, parking, and possible laneway house configurations and plans.
