Building a Home in West Vancouver: Local Rules and Permits

Small-scale multi-unit housing means homes such as triplexes, townhomes and house-plexes on lots zoned only for single-family or duplex homes. On its page updated January 20, 2026, the Province of British Columbia sets these minimums for such zones: 3 homes on a lot of 280 square metres or less, 4 homes on a larger lot, and 6 homes on a lot larger than 280 square metres near frequent bus service. Some exemptions apply.

West Vancouver adopted Zoning Bylaw Amendment No. 5351 on August 12, 2024 for small-scale multi-unit housing (Bill 44 of 2023). The Province's release of July 25, 2024 said the District had been sent a 30-day non-compliance notice. A second law, Bill 25 (2025), set a deadline of June 30, 2026. On July 20, 2026, council set September 21, 2026 to consider Zoning Amendment Bylaw No. 5446, 2026, titled "Bill 25 Small-Scale Multi-Unit Housing Compliance," at first, second and third reading (the three council votes before a bylaw is adopted). The result was not available on September 25, 2026, so ask the District which rules apply to your address.

A coach house is the District's term for a detached secondary suite, a small separate home on a lot with a main house. Section 130.051 of Zoning Bylaw No. 4662 sets the rules for coach houses. The District's copy of Section 130 is undated and may not include later amendments, so ask the District for the current coach house limits before you design.

In Dundarave, the Official Community Plan sets a development permit area named BF-C 5. A development permit is a District approval that checks a design against written guidelines. Its goals include preserving the "village commercial" character and pedestrian scale.

In Ambleside, a provincial order to implement the Ambleside Centre Local Area Plan took effect on April 7, 2026. In July 2025 the Province also directed the District to amend its Official Community Plan for more density in single-family and duplex areas next to Ambleside and Dundarave.

Near Daffodil Drive and Westport Road, the Official Community Plan says lots may be considered for rezoning to allow infill housing "to address the missing middle," meaning homes between a detached house and an apartment building. In October 2024, council added a custom zone for Lots C and D Daffodil Drive, for 36 single family and duplex units.

Costar Construction lists eight serviced areas, and West Vancouver is one of them. Its website describes these services:

Building Bylaw No. 5340, 2025 (effective June 23, 2025) requires a development permit before a building permit is issued when the building is in a development permit area set by the Official Community Plan. The plan schedule of area guidelines cited here has a file date of January 15, 2025, and later plan amendments were not reviewed, so confirm the current guidelines with the District.

Slopes: the development permit area named NE 6, Sites With Difficult Terrain, applies to subdivision applications that involve difficult terrain. Difficult terrain here means more than one-fifth of the area where a building is allowed on a lot has a slope steeper than 35 percent, or a driveway would need a grade steeper than 20 percent. In the mapped wildfire area (NE 1), a new dwelling, duplex or detached secondary suite with habitable space (space people can occupy) needs a development permit, and new buildings go at least 10 metres from the forest edge, or as far from it as an existing building.

Trees: a tree cutting permit is required before cutting a protected tree under Tree Bylaw No. 4892, 2016. According to council minutes of November 17, December 1 and December 15, 2025, council adopted Amendment Bylaw No. 5373 on December 15, 2025. On a parcel being developed with at least one new residential or commercial building, or subdivided to create at least one more parcel for a new residential building, a protected tree includes any tree of 20 centimetres or more in diameter at breast height (DBH, the trunk width measured 1.4 metres above the ground). Trees above 75 centimetres DBH are protected on every parcel. The tree bylaw defines difficult terrain as a slope over 35 percent across a vertical distance of 3 metres or more. On such land, its 2022 consolidated text lets the District issue a cutting permit if removal keeps the natural slope stable, confirmed by a qualified professional when the District asks.

Building permit: for a house or small building covered by Part 9 of the BC Building Code, the application includes a title search (a record of who owns the property) made within 30 days, a survey, plans and a foundation and excavation design by a registered professional. A registered professional must also provide the geotechnical parts of the work, and the Building Inspector can require a geotechnical report (an engineer's report on whether a lot can be used safely). A new Part 9 building must meet Step 5 of the Energy Step Code (a numbered series of energy performance levels). A Certificate of Occupancy must be issued before anyone occupies a new building.

Costar Construction offers a complimentary one-hour project consultation at your property or at its Vancouver office, 104 - 338 W 8th Ave, Vancouver, BC V5Y 3X2. Use the booking page or the contact page. Costar's process starts with Design and Planning, then Pre-construction, Construction and Handover.

Costar Construction Inc. won the 2024 Georgie Award for Best Multiplex Home for the project "It Takes Two," according to the winners list of the Canadian Home Builders' Association of BC.