Which Coquitlam zones allow small-scale multi-unit housing?

Coquitlam created four new zones to implement Bill 44: R-1 (Small-Scale Residential), R-2 (Compact Small-Scale Residential), R-3 (Transitional Small-Scale Residential), and R-4 (Intensive Small-Scale Residential). If your property has been rezoned into one of these, a multiplex is permitted outright.

Do I need to rezone to build a multiplex in Coquitlam?

No - if your lot is already in the R-1, R-2, R-3, or R-4 zone, small-scale multi-unit housing is a permitted use, so an eligible project goes straight to development and building permits rather than a discretionary rezoning.

Why doesn't Coquitlam have a 6-unit Bill 44 tier like Vancouver or Surrey?

Coquitlam took a different path than most Metro Vancouver cities. Its small-scale zones (R-1 through R-4) cap out at 4 units citywide - there's no in-zone bonus tier that takes a standard lot from 4 units to 6 near transit. Instead, lots inside a Transit-Oriented Area skip past the small-scale tier entirely and get rezoned into RA-1 or RA-2, which allow FAR-based mid-rise multi-family buildings up to 4.0 FAR and 12 storeys - a much bigger jump than 6 units.

Why would my Coquitlam lot only allow 3 units?

The R-2 and R-3 zones both cap a lot of 280 m² or less at 3 units, even though their standard-lot maximum is 4. R-1 has no such cap - its minimum lot area is already 650 m², well above the threshold.

What if my lot is still zoned RS-1, RS-2, RS-3, RS-4, RT-1, or RT-3?

Those are Coquitlam's legacy pre-Bill 44 zones, and many lots haven't been individually rezoned into R-1–R-4 yet. They still carry small-scale multi-unit housing rights, but the density is expressed as units per hectare rather than a flat per-lot number - and a secondary suite is explicitly excluded from that calculation, so the real unit count is usually one higher than the zone's stated density implies. Run your address; ZoneScout resolves this for your specific parcel.

How is buildable area measured in Coquitlam?

Coquitlam regulates density with floor-area ratio (FSR) rather than a pure coverage cap. R-1 sits around FSR 0.65–0.75, R-2 at 0.75, R-3 at 0.5, and R-4 (the most intensive small-scale zone) at 0.85 - all within an 11 m height limit and 45–50% site coverage.

Bill 44 · SSMUH · Coquitlam

How Many Units Can You Build on a Coquitlam Lot?

Q: How many units can I build on my lot in Coquitlam?

Most former single-family lots in Coquitlam now allow up to 4 dwelling units under the R-1, R-2, or R-3 small-scale residential zones. Small R-2 or R-3 lots of 280 m² or less are capped at 3 units. The R-4 zone allows a minimum of 3 units with no fixed maximum. Run your address to get the figure for your specific parcel.

Coquitlam built four new small-scale residential zones to implement Bill 44. Here's what your lot likely allows - 3 or 4 units - and why Coquitlam skips the 6-unit tier other cities offer near transit.

Updated August 2026

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Until 2024, most residential lots in Coquitlam were limited to a single house - often with a secondary suite. That changed when the province passed Bill 44, the Small-Scale Multi-Unit Housing (SSMUH) legislation, and Coquitlam responded by creating four brand new small-scale residential zones so that multiplexes are permitted outright on ordinary lots.

The short version: a standard Coquitlam lot in the R-1, R-2, or R-3 zone now permits up to 4 dwelling units. Small R-2 or R-3 lots of 280 m² or less are capped at 3 units. Unlike Vancouver, Burnaby, Surrey, or Richmond, Coquitlam has no in-zone bonus that takes a standard lot to 6 units near transit - that jump happens in a different zone entirely.

Small lot (R-2 / R-3) Up to 3 units 280 m² or less Standard lot (R-1 / R-2 / R-3) Up to 4 units Above 280 m² Intensive zone (R-4) At least 3, no fixed max Higher-density small-scale zone The honest caveat

These are the framework numbers from Coquitlam's R-1–R-4 zone schedules. Many lots haven't been individually rezoned yet and still sit in a legacy zone (RS-1, RS-2, RS-3, RS-4, RT-1, or RT-3), where density is expressed in units per hectare with a secondary suite excluded from that count - a different calculation with a similar real-world result. Always confirm against the current bylaw - or just run your address and let ZoneScout pull the figure for your parcel.

What Bill 44 actually requires

Bill 44 - the Housing Statutes (Residential Development) Amendment Act, passed in late 2023 - requires most BC municipalities over 5,000 people to allow Small-Scale Multi-Unit Housing on land previously reserved for single-family homes or duplexes. The provincial minimums are:

At least 3 units on most lots previously zoned single-family or duplex.
At least 4 units on lots larger than roughly 280 m².
Up to 6 units on larger lots within 400 m of frequent (bus or rail) transit service.

Coquitlam met the first two requirements by creating four new zones - but, as covered below, it took a different route to the third.

How Coquitlam implemented it: the R-1–R-4 zones

Rather than fold SSMUH into its old single-family districts, Coquitlam created four new small-scale residential zones and is rezoning eligible lots into them individually:

R-1 - Small-Scale Residential: up to 4 units, no small-lot cap (minimum lot area is already 650 m²).
R-2 - Compact Small-Scale Residential: up to 4 units on a standard lot, 3 on a lot of 280 m² or less.
R-3 - Transitional Small-Scale Residential: up to 4 units (two principal, two accessory) on a standard lot, 3 on a lot of 280 m² or less.
R-4 - Intensive Small-Scale Residential: Coquitlam's highest-density small-scale zone - a minimum of 3 units and no fixed maximum, at FSR 0.85.

In all four zones this is outright - permitted by the zone - so an eligible project goes straight to development and building permits instead of a rezoning.

What actually drives your unit count

Lot area

Coquitlam uses the provincial line on its R-2 and R-3 zones: a lot of 280 m² or less is capped at 3 units, and a lot larger than 280 m² allows up to 4. R-1's minimum lot area (650 m²) already sits above the threshold, so it carries no separate small-lot cap.

Which zone your lot is in

Because Coquitlam is rezoning lots into R-1–R-4 individually rather than blanket-amending its old zones, two otherwise-similar lots can currently sit on different rules - one already in R-2 or R-3, another still in a legacy zone like RS-1 or RT-1. Both carry small-scale multi-unit rights, but the legacy zones calculate density as units per hectare (with the secondary suite excluded from that count) instead of a flat per-lot number.

Floor-area ratio, not just coverage

Like Surrey and Richmond, Coquitlam controls size with floor-area ratio. R-1 sits around FSR 0.65–0.75, R-2 at 0.75, R-3 at 0.5, and R-4 at 0.85, all within an 11 m height limit and 45–50% site coverage.

No 6-unit tier - Transit-Oriented Areas jump further

This is where Coquitlam differs most from its neighbours. There's no bonus path from 4 units to 6 inside the R-1–R-4 zones. Instead, a lot inside a Provincial Transit-Oriented Area - around the Evergreen Line stations - is rezoned into RA-1 (Medium-Density Residential) or RA-2 (Transit-Oriented Medium-Density), which allow FAR-based mid-rise buildings up to 4.0 FAR and 12 storeys in the highest tier - well past what the small-scale SSMUH framework offers anywhere else. Run your address to see which framework applies to you.

Next steps for your lot

Run your address to get the exact permitted unit count and buildable envelope.
Compare with what Vancouver lots allow, what Surrey allows, and what Richmond allows under their own SSMUH rules.
Browse the Coquitlam zoning guide for a breakdown of every residential and mixed-use zone.
Confirm figures against the City of Coquitlam's official Zoning Bylaw before designing or applying.

Coquitlam zoning map

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Frequently asked questions

How many units does your Coquitlam lot allow?

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