At its January 22, 2013 meeting Council adopted bylaw amendments, which resulted in the removal of the following requirements for the legalization of a secondary suite:
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Owner occupancy;
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Rezoning to obtain an “S” designation to be exempt from the owner occupation requirement;
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Approval by the Interior Health Authority for septic capacity; and,
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Annual registration of all suites ($125 fee).
At the same meeting, Council adopted bylaw amendments, which resulted in the addition of the following requirements for the legalization of a secondary suite:
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One time, initial suite registration ($125 fee for voluntary legalization and $250 for involuntary legalization resulting from bylaw enforcement);
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Business Licence ($60 annual fee); and,
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Approval by a Registered Onsite Wastewater Practitioner (ROWP) for septic capacity.
REQUIREMENTS TO LEGALIZE A SECONDARY SUITE
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The minimum lot size is—700 square metres (0.17 acres);
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The suite must be fully contained within the primary dwelling;
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The suite shall not exceed 40% of habitable floor area of the home or 90 square metres (968 square feet), whichever is less;
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One parking space, located on the property, must be provided for each bedroom within the secondary suite (tandem parking is permitted);
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One secondary suite is permitted per parcel; no suite is permitted in a home with a bed and breakfast operation or a business that employs someone who does not live in the house;
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An independent access and egress to the suite must be provided and the entrance must be located on a separate exterior wall from the primary dwelling unit access;
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No suite will be approved without connection to a community sanitary sewer unless:
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The parcel is larger than 1 hectare and meets the requirements of the Interior Health Authority; or,
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The parcel receives the written approval of a ROWP for septic disposal capacity;
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The parcel is located within an existing sewer system strategy area; and,
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The property owner connects to the sewer system as soon as it is available
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All construction requires a building permit;
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The suite is registered;
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The suite must be accessed by a public road, unless written approval is received from all shared access owners, easement holders or a strata council, as applicable;
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The suite must not be used for tourist or short term accommodation less than 30 days; and,
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The property owner must obtain a valid business licence.
BACKGROUND
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On
September 14, 2010, Council adopted regulations that permit the use of secondary suites in all Single Family Residential (R1), Rural Residential (RU1, RU2, RU3, RU4, RU5, RU6) and Agricultural (A1) zones, subject to a number of requirements.
Please be sure to carefully view the attachments/links on this page to obtain information on the regulations and how they may affect your property should you wish to create a legal suite or are currently maintaining an illegal suite.
Those applicants who requested an S-Designation prior to adoption of the Secondary Suite Policy were first to have their applications processed under the regulations.
Please note that the processing of a Secondary Suite Application will occur through the Building Department. However, any related variance or rezoning requests will be processed by the Planning Department.
PURPOSES
The District of West Kelowna Council adopted a Secondary Suite Policy on June 15, 2010 with the following goal:
"Secondary suites are an important form of affordable rental housing in the District of West Kelowna with recognized benefits for homeowners, tenants and the community. To this end, the municipality aims to ensure that the provision of secondary suites within the District is a viable and attainable choice of affordable rental housing."
The policy has the following objectives:
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To build and maintain an inventory of legal secondary suites in the District of West Kelowna, which provide affordable rental accommodation.
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To build and maintain an inventory of secondary suites in the District of West Kelowna, which meet or exceed acceptable health and safety standards.
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To decommission dangerous and illegal suites if they cannot meet acceptable BC Building Code health and safety standards within a reasonable period of time.
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To maintain an accurate inventory of the housing stock for appropriate government administration (i.e. long-range planning, infrastructure servicing and obtaining population related funding).
Recognizing the benefits to homeowners, tenants and to the community, the policy establishes secondary suites as a permitted use in all Single Family Residential (R1), Rural Residential (RU1, RU2, RU3, RU4, RU5, RU6) and Agricultural (A1) zones, subject to a number of requirements.
In order to enact aspects of the policy, West Kelowna Council amended its Zoning Bylaw to permit secondary suites as an allowable use subject to a number of conditions.
Before the zoning amendments were adopted, the District of West Kelowna also held a Public Hearing. Comments on Zoning Bylaw Amendment 2010 No. 871.225 (File No: Z10/07) were heard on Wednesday, July 28, 2010 at 6 p.m. at the Mount Boucherie Secondary School, 2751 Cameron Road, West Kelowna, BC.
OTHER RESOURCES
The Province of British Columbia may offer assistance for specific home or suite renovations, which are designed to accommodate seniors (people 65 and over) and the disabled. Provincial assistance programs are subject to change. Please make inquiries with the ministry responsible about assistance programs to determine if you are eligible and what costs might be covered if your application for assistance should be approved.
To learn more, go to:
The Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation may offer assistance programs for specific home or suite renovations, which are designed to accommodate seniors (people 65 and over) and the disabled. CMHC funding programs are subject to change. Please make inquiries with CMHC regarding the program to determine if you are eligible and what costs might be covered if your application for assistance should be approved.
To learn more, go to:
CONTACT US
If you have questions or would like further information, please contact us: