Secondary Suites

Review these requirements and consider submitting online at CSaanich.ca/permits: 

• Completed building permit application form (or online submission);
• Certificate of Title (within the last 30 days); □ Completed Secondary Suite Checklist;
• Three sets of paper plans (or online upload) indicating all items as shown on the attached checklist, such as:
  1. site plan;
  2. plans of all floor levels;
  3. cross section details; and,
  4. building elevations showing building wall faces if altering;
• Non-refundable plan processing fee.

Other details/permits may be required for your specific project, such as septic approval, a plumbing permit, electrical permit or other details that arise during the permit review. Municipal records may include original floor plans or site plan which could assist in preparing your suite permit application.

• Secondary Suites shall be occupied for residential purposes only and shall not be rented for an occupancy period of less than 30 days. 
• A Secondary Suite shall not be used as a Bed and Breakfast or short-term vacation rental.
•  Off-street parking for Suites shall be provided in accordance with the Zoning Bylaw.

Let’s talk about fire safety and sound transmission between the residential units and around any common spaces. These wall and/or ceiling separations between the secondary suite, main dwelling and common spaces are one of the key aspects to creating a safe space for all building occupants. The construction options (summarized in Table 1. below) for a suite in an existing building, offer increased fire protection and better sound barriers, based on increased numbers.

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There are additional code requirements to ensure a minimum level of health and safety for the occupants. Depending on your specific situation, there may be other code regulations, but typical requirements are:

• Safe Exiting is required for the secondary suite, such as an exit door directly from the suite to the exterior. This door must be an exterior door, with a deadbolt and door viewer (or glazing), that swings on a vertical axis (not a sliding patio door).
• Bedroom Windows are required to have an openable window with a minimum clear opening area of 0.35m² (3.77 ft²) and with no dimension less than 380mm (15”).
• Electrical permits are obtained through Technical Safety BC, typically by an electrician. If work has been done previously, you can provide the permit documents or have an electrician complete a permit and site review for compliance.
• Ventilation is required to provide fresh air to the suite. One example of an acceptable venting system would be installing a quiet, continuous principal exhaust fan, usually installed in the bathroom, along with a kitchen fan over the stove area. Supply air to a single storey suite may be provided by passive vents in living and bedroom areas, in compliance with BCBC 9.32.3.4.(6).
• Heating Systems for the secondary suite should be independent of the main dwelling. In order to prevent the migration of smoke between dwelling units during a fire, duct work is not permitted to interconnect the dwelling units (unless protected with fire dampers and duct smoke detector to shut down the system).
• Ceiling Height is regulated in the building code, and slightly relaxed for existing buildings, with a minimum ceiling height of 1.95 m (or 6’ 4 ¾”) in a secondary suite.
• Plumbing specifically the water supply pipe, may need to be upgraded to a larger size to meet the minimum code requirements for supplying all the existing and new suite plumbing fixtures. All the fixtures in the building should be shown on the plans to complete a fixture calculation. A separate plumbing permit would be required to approve any new (or previously completed) plumbing work. If plumbing has been installed without permits, the ticketed plumber could review the installation and complete a declaration form confirming compliance

If Central Saanich staff have been made aware of your illegal suite, there are options to consider:

• Legalize the suite by meeting the minimum level of health and safety for the occupants as noted in this guide, through the building permit process.
• If you are unable to comply, a building permit could be obtained to decommission the secondary suite, which typically means the removal of the “cooking facility” and restore the building to a single-family dwelling use.
• If you don’t complete either of those options, staff will follow Council policy by recommending a bylaw notice to be filed on the land title record. Where significant safety concerns exist, further legal action may be taken by the District.

Based on the permit plans, there may be upgrades required and this work will be inspected by Central Saanich building inspectors. These site visits will confirm compliance with a minimum level of health and safety required for the secondary suite. Additionally, if you need to authorize existing plumbing or install new plumbing fixtures, your plumber can now obtain the plumbing permit. Typical inspections would review any new plumbing, framing, firestopping and fire separations, new insulation and vapour barrier (if applicable) and then a final site visit when the work is completed. This list may vary depending on the scope of your project – just ask a Building Inspector if you have any questions. When the inspector has confirmed substantial compliance, an Occupancy Certificate will be issued.

If it is new construction, such as a new house with a suite, or a new addition that includes a secondary suite, the safety concerns are the same, but requirements may be different. A few examples relating to new construction are:

• Increased headroom for suite; and,
• Increased fire and sound separations.

If you are building a new suite in an unfinished basement, there would be an opportunity for you to improve the fire and sound ratings between the residential units and common spaces. Please check in with the building code (Sections 9.10 and 9.11 ), your designer or reach out to our building inspectors.