Many of the families we build for in Vancouver plan for three generations: grandparents, parents and young children. Stairs are the first problem in that kind of home. A grandparent who climbs to the main floor easily at 65 may find it hard at 80, and a parent carrying a toddler and the groceries feels every step. An elevator or a lift can let a family stay in the home they built for decades. In this post, we walk you through the types of home elevating devices, the codes that apply in BC, who checks the work, and how to plan for an elevator in a new Vancouver house or multiplex, even if you do not install one on day one.
Every rule below comes from BC's Elevating Devices Safety Regulation and Technical Safety BC's own home elevating devices page, both read on November 4, 2026. Permit rules for your lot come from the City of Vancouver, so confirm them there before you buy.
When Costar's Director of Sales, Louis Nguyen, walked REW through the model of We Killarney in a video on REW's channel, he described the ground floor as the home for a single parent or the grandparents, with no stairs, so it is easier for mobility and accessibility. That is one answer: put the people who need it most on the floor with no stairs.
A lift is the other answer. It lets the grandparents live on any floor, and it lets the whole family use every floor as the years pass. Technical Safety BC's page says residential lifts and elevators can give peace of mind to people who want to stay in their homes after a loss of mobility, strength or agility.
Our post on designing a three-generation multiplex covers the floor plan side. This post covers the machine.
Technical Safety BC lists four kinds of device for a home:
- Stair Chair Lift. A seat that runs on a rail along the stairs, straight or curved. Technical Safety BC names the simplest stair lift installations as the one case that may not need a building permit. The person must be able to move from a wheelchair to the seat.
- Incline Platform Lift. A platform that runs along the stairs and carries a wheelchair, on a straight or curved path.
- Vertical Platform Lift. A platform that rises straight up, enclosed or open, often between two levels such as a garage and a main floor, or the street and the front door.
- Residential Elevator. A car in a shaft that serves several floors. It needs the most planning: a shaft, framing, power and, where the shaft passes through floors, attention to fire separations.
The right choice depends on who will use it, how many floors it must serve, and how much space the home can give it. Technical Safety BC recommends a home visit from the contractor before you buy, and, where possible, a physiotherapist or occupational therapist at the same visit, so the device fits both current and future needs.
Section 18 of the Elevating Devices Safety Regulation lists the devices it does not apply to. Two of them are:
- an elevating device specifically designed to give access to or from a single family dwelling house, and
- an elevating device designed to give access within a dwelling house.
Technical Safety BC's page agrees. It says it does not directly regulate the installation of these devices, and lifts and elevators in private residences "are not regulated by any provincial or municipal authority". So no provincial inspector will check your home elevator before you use it.
The device still has to meet a code. Technical Safety BC says the manufacturing, installation and maintenance must follow one of these CSA codes:
- CAN/CSA-B355, Lifts for Persons with Physical Disabilities
- CAN/CSA-B613, Private Residence Lifts for Persons with Physical Disabilities
- CAN/CSA-B44 section 5.3, Private Residence Elevators
- CAN/CSA-B44 section 5.4, Private Residence Inclined Elevators
- CAN/CSA-C22.1, the Canadian Electrical Code, for the wiring
Because no inspector checks the finished device, Technical Safety BC says owners should ask for two documents at a minimum: an equipment code compliance certificate for the device itself, and an installation code compliance certificate or letter that confirms the installer followed the maker's specifications and the code.
The exemptions use the words "dwelling house" and "single family dwelling house". A multiplex with one elevator that serves several homes does not fit those words on their face. The regulation applies to elevating devices that are not exempt, and Technical Safety BC issues installation and operating permits for regulated devices. If your multiplex design includes a shared elevator, ask Technical Safety BC how it will be treated before the drawings are final, because the answer decides which provincial permits and inspections apply.
The provincial exemption covers the machine. Changes to the building itself still go through the City. Technical Safety BC's page says that, other than for the simplest stair lift installations, you will likely need a building permit, and that one is needed whenever the work requires structural changes or affects safety systems such as stairs, fire separations and guardrails. Any change to the wiring needs an electrical permit. In a new house, the elevator shaft is part of the building permit drawings from the start. In an existing Vancouver home, ask the City which permits apply before you order the device.
Technical Safety BC lists the features it calls essential for the safety of the people living in or visiting your home. Use this list when you compare quotes:
- Doors and Gates at Every Landing. Each with a certified interlock, which stops the drive unless the door or gate is locked closed. The design should avoid any place where fingers can be pinched or cut.
- The Right Controls. Lifts must use constant pressure controls, so the platform moves only while the button is held. Elevators can have one touch controls. Technical Safety BC calls automatic operation on an open platform dangerous.
- Stopping Devices and Safeties. These stop the car at the landings and hold it in place if the suspension or drive fails.
- Manual Lowering or Raising. For a power outage or a breakdown. A battery backup is a good option.
- Safety Edges. Sensors or edges that stop the lift if something is in the way.
- A Safe Platform. Handrails, good lighting, emergency lighting and a smooth floor.
- A Way to Call for Help. An emergency phone or other communication system in case someone is trapped.
For a family with small children, the interlocked gate and the constant pressure control matter most. For a grandparent who lives alone on a floor, the emergency phone and the battery backup do.
Find a Licensed Contractor. Technical Safety BC suggests its Find a Licensed Contractor tool to find a class H elevating contractor who specializes in home lifts and elevators.
Get Three Estimates. Technical Safety BC recommends estimates from at least three suppliers or contractors.
Ask How the Product Meets the Code. Ask each supplier to explain which CSA code their product meets, and whether they will sign a statement that the installed work meets it.
Be Careful With Used Devices. Technical Safety BC says some used devices can pose a safety risk, and that a licensed contractor should inspect one before you buy or install it.
Plan the Maintenance. The manufacturer must give you a maintenance schedule. A maintenance contract with a licensed contractor keeps it on the calendar.
The easiest elevator to add is the one the house was designed for. When we work with a family on a new custom home or multiplex, these are the questions we raise in the design stage:
- Who Will Need It, and When? A grandparent moving in now needs a device on day one. A couple in their 50s may want only the option.
- Where Would the Shaft Go? Stacking a closet or storage room on each floor in the same spot gives a future shaft a home. The framing under those rooms can be designed to open later.
- Which Floors Must It Reach? A garage or lane entry, the main floor and the bedroom floor are the usual stops. Each added stop changes the size of the project.
- What Will the Device Need? An elevating contractor can confirm the shaft size, pit depth and power supply for their product before the framing is built.
- How Will It Look? Planned with the finishes, an elevator door in a hallway can match the closet doors beside it.
Costar's process page describes how our team works with your designer or architect from the first drawings so the design stays buildable. A future elevator is one of the details worth settling then, while it is still lines on paper.
Our post on aging-in-place bathroom renovation covers the room your parents will use most after the bedroom, and our custom home guide sets out the rules for a new house on a Vancouver lot.
If you are planning a home for several generations, we would be glad to walk through it with you. Tell us about your project today. Book a consultation.
Related on this site: Custom home construction in Vancouver · Multiplex construction in Vancouver · Book a one-hour project consultation
