Building in Coquitlam, BC: Local Rules, Slopes and Permits

As of September 25, 2026, the City must allow, under provincial law, up to 3 homes on a lot of 280 m² (3,014 sq. ft.) or smaller, and up to 4 on a lot larger than 280 m² and smaller than 4,050 m² (1 acre). Duplexes, triplexes, fourplexes, multiplexes and accessory dwelling units (a smaller home on the same lot, such as a secondary suite, carriage house or garden cottage) qualify.

The Zoning Bylaw (the rules for what may be built on each lot) has four small-scale residential zones. Each sets a floor area ratio, which is the total floor area divided by the lot area. In the City's combined copy of the bylaw, updated July 27, 2026, R-1 allows 0.65 for one or two homes and 0.75 for three or four, R-2 allows 0.75, R-3 allows 0.5 and R-4 allows 0.85 on lots of at least 930 m².

The City says Coquitlam has no bus stops that meet the provincial frequent-service test, so the rule for up to 6 homes near such stops has no effect here at this time.

Land within 800 metres of a SkyTrain station is a Transit-Oriented Area under provincial law. The City lists eight stations: Braid, Burquitlam, Coquitlam Central, Inlet Centre, Lafarge Lake-Douglas, Lincoln, Lougheed Town Centre and Moody Centre. There the Province sets minimum building heights and densities, and removes minimum residential parking requirements except for spaces for people with disabilities. Email the City's Development Services team before planning there, or on a lot with a creek, a steep slope or a house built before 1945.

On May 27, 2026, Council adopted Official Community Plan (the City's long-term land use plan) and zoning changes for the Southwest Shoulders and Corridors, the areas around Burquitlam and Lougheed Town Centre stations and along Austin Avenue. On July 6, 2026, Council approved rezoning 374 properties in those areas from R-3 to R-1.

The Burquitlam-Lougheed Neighbourhood Plan covers 560 hectares (1,400 acres) in southwest Coquitlam, bordered by Burnaby to the west and Port Moody to the north. It says SkyTrain reached Lougheed Station in 2002 and Burquitlam Station in 2016, and it generally puts the highest building densities next to stations and along North Road.

The City Centre Neighbourhood Plan covers 724 hectares, bounded by David Avenue, the Coquitlam River, the CPKC Railway and the Port Moody border. Lafarge Lake was made from a former gravel pit in the late 1970s, and SkyTrain arrived in 2016. The plan concentrates high-density development in three precincts (districts around SkyTrain stations): Pinetree-Lougheed, Lincoln SkyTrain Station and Four Corners.

Maillardville, on the lower south slope of southwest Coquitlam, was established more than 100 years ago when French-Canadian settlers came to work at the Canadian Western Lumber Company at Fraser Mills. Its plan aims to restore Brunette Avenue as the main shopping street.

The City inspects ravines every year to manage landslide risk. Its page notes a slope stability assessment of the Chines Escarpment in 2013 and a later detailed soil and slope investigation for properties along Corona Crescent.

Costar Construction's website describes a Multiplex service (a small-scale townhouse project on a single lot), a Custom Home service that starts from a short description of your ideas, kitchen and bathroom renovations, and commercial and tenant improvements (interior work for a business that rents its space). It lists its Laneway Home and Legal Suite service as available in Vancouver, Burnaby and New Westminster.

Coquitlam's Zoning Bylaw lists townhouses in their own zone, RT-2 Townhouse Residential. If you want a carriage house, laneway home or legal suite in Coquitlam, ask Costar whether it can build that project in Coquitlam.

Costar Construction Inc. won the 2024 Georgie Award for Best Multiplex Home, according to the Canadian Home Builders' Association of British Columbia 2024 winners list.

As of September 25, 2026, a Building Permit is required for a secondary suite, a coach house and a retaining wall over 1.2 m. Apply online, or at the City Hall counter at 3000 Guildford Way on weekdays from 8 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., except statutory holidays.

Zoning Bylaw Part 5, Section 519 requires a Slope Hazard Assessment (a report by a qualified professional that satisfies the City's Building Official) before you build on a slope steeper than 18 degrees (32 percent) or next to its top or bottom. A January 2022 City bulletin lowered that limit from 36 percent to 32 percent. The Official Community Plan (Bylaw 5511, 2026) also maps an Unstable Slopes Development Permit Area. Building there needs a permit, and a professional engineer must supply a geotechnical report (a study of soil and slope conditions) and supervise excavation and fill.

The City publishes Standard Plans for triplexes and fourplexes, approved designs your designer adjusts to your lot's size and slope. Send the Small-Scale Residential Fire Flow Requirements Form with your Building Permit application. Fire flow is the water available to firefighters. Where supply is below 150 litres per second, the builder must upgrade the water system. As of September 25, 2026, the City's summary guide for small-scale housing lists these steps:

Costar Construction offers a complimentary one-hour project consultation, at your property or at its Vancouver office, 104 - 338 W 8th Ave. Use the booking page or the contact page, or email info@costarconstruction.com or call 236-997-0026. Before you book, check your lot's zoning on QtheMap, the City's online map. Costar's process begins with Design and Planning, then Pre-construction, Construction and Handover.