How Many Units Can You Build on a Port Coquitlam Lot?
Port Coquitlam rewrote its residential zones rather than overlaying them, so RS1 through RS4 are the small-scale zones. Most lots allow 4 units, some reach 6, and a few hundred near Lincoln Station are held at 2.
Port Coquitlam is the most straightforward Bill 44 city in the Lower Mainland to read, because it did the work in the right place. Rather than bolting an override clause onto old single-family zones, the City rewrote them. RS1, RS2, RS3 and RS4 are named Residential Small-Scale, and small-scale multi-unit housing is simply what those zones do.
That means there is no separate section to hunt for and no two-step reading. The unit count sits in section 2.5 of Zoning Bylaw 3630, and the four zones differ from each other only in how wide a lot they expect.
| Situation | Units | Condition |
|---|---|---|
| Lot of 280 m² or less | 3 units | The provincial floor |
| Lot above 280 m² | 4 units | Under 4,050 m² |
| Within 400 m of a prescribed bus stop | 6 units | Lot must also be above 280 m² |
The unit ladder, and the ceiling nobody expects
Section 2.5 sets three rungs. A lot of 280 m² or less allows 3 dwelling units. A lot above 280 m² allows 4. A lot above 280 m² that also sits within 400 m of a prescribed bus stop reaches 6.
There is a fourth condition that catches large properties: the 4-unit rung applies to a lot of more than 280 m² and less than 4,050 m². An oversized lot falls outside that band, which is why a handful of very large Port Coquitlam parcels return a lower number than their neighbours despite being many times the size.
Port Coquitlam's Transit-Oriented Area takes units away
This is the thing to know about Port Coquitlam, and it runs opposite to every other city in the region. Everywhere else a Transit-Oriented Area is upside. Here it is a restriction.
The City designated its Transit-Oriented Areas in Official Community Plan Amendment Bylaw 4373, whose appendix is a set of raster maps rather than a published vector boundary. If you are near Lincoln Station, Coquitlam Central or the West Coast Express station, treat the boundary as something to confirm with the City rather than to eyeball.
Your floor space ratio is set by what you build, not by your lot
Port Coquitlam prices density off the built form, which is unusual and worth planning around early. In the RS zones the ratio is 0.50 for a single residential dwelling, 0.60 where that dwelling contains a secondary suite, 0.75 for a duplex, and 1.0 for a triplex. Two identical lots can therefore end up with double the floor area between them purely on the form chosen.
Lot coverage moves the same way. The base is 50%, rising to 55% for a triplex on a lot within 400 m of a prescribed bus stop, with impervious surface capped separately at 70% of the lot. Height is 10.5 m and 3 storeys including basements, and an accessory dwelling unit is held to 7.5 m, or 8.5 m where the roof slope is 9 in 12 or steeper.
Which combinations the bylaw actually allows
A unit count is not permission to arrange those units freely. In Port Coquitlam an accessory dwelling unit is only permitted alongside a single residential use. It is never permitted alongside a duplex or a triplex. That single rule decides most Port Coquitlam site plans.
- House plus secondary suite plus accessory dwelling unit is the common 3-unit form on a smaller lot.
- Duplex with a secondary suite in each half reaches 4 units, but rules out a coach house.
- Triplex carries the 1.0 ratio and the 55% coverage near transit, and is the usual route to the higher counts.
Setbacks bend for the same reasons. The 6 m front setback drops to 4 m where the lot has lane access, where parking sits only behind the principal building, or where the lot is within 400 m of a prescribed bus stop. The 7.5 m rear setback drops to 6 m for a triplex on such a lot.
Port Coquitlam's four small-scale residential zones
| Zone | Name | Dwelling units |
|---|---|---|
| RS1 | Residential Small-Scale 1 | Up to 4 (6 near frequent transit) |
| RS2 | Residential Small-Scale 2 | Up to 4 (6 near frequent transit) |
| RS3 | Residential Small-Scale 3 | Up to 4 (6 near frequent transit) |
| RS4 | Residential Small-Scale 4 | Up to 4 (6 near frequent transit) |
The four zones differ by lot width, not by unit count: RS1 needs at least 15 m of width, RS2 at least 12 m, RS3 at least 30 m, and RS4 at least 9.5 m. All four carry the same 3, 4 and 6 unit ladder and the same 10.5 m, 3 storey height limit.
Every Port Coquitlam zoning district, A to Z
Port Coquitlam Bill 44 FAQ
How many units can I build on my lot in Port Coquitlam?
In the RS1 to RS4 zones, 3 units on a lot of 280 m² or less, 4 units on a lot above 280 m² and under 4,050 m², and 6 units where such a lot is also within 400 m of a prescribed bus stop. Inside a Transit-Oriented Area the figure is 2, because the bylaw withdraws the accessory dwelling unit, the duplex and the triplex there.
Which Port Coquitlam zones allow small-scale multi-unit housing?
RS1, RS2, RS3 and RS4, the four Residential Small-Scale zones. Port Coquitlam rewrote its residential zones for Bill 44 rather than adding an override clause, so these zones are the small-scale framework rather than something layered on top of it.
Why does my Port Coquitlam lot near Lincoln Station allow fewer units than my neighbour's?
Because it is inside a Transit-Oriented Area. Notes 2, 3 and 4 to Table 2.3 of Zoning Bylaw 3630 remove the accessory dwelling unit, the duplex and the triplex within a TOA, leaving a house and a secondary suite. About 155 RS lots are affected. The higher density associated with a TOA there comes through a rezoning application rather than by right.
What is the difference between RS1, RS2, RS3 and RS4?
Lot width, not unit count. RS1 expects at least 15 m of width, RS2 at least 12 m, RS3 at least 30 m, and RS4 at least 9.5 m. All four carry the same unit ladder, the same 10.5 m and 3 storey height limit, and the same form-based density rates.
What FSR applies in Port Coquitlam's RS zones?
It depends on what you build: 0.50 for a single residential dwelling, 0.60 where it contains a secondary suite, 0.75 for a duplex with or without suites, and 1.0 for a triplex with or without suites. The zone does not set one ratio for the lot.
Can I build a coach house alongside a duplex in Port Coquitlam?
No. An accessory dwelling unit is only permitted alongside a single residential use, never alongside a duplex or a triplex. This is the rule that most often decides which 4-unit configuration is actually available on a given lot.
Next steps for your lot
- Run your address for the exact permitted unit count and buildable envelope.
- Port Coquitlam Bill 44 map
- Port Coquitlam zoning districts
- See what Coquitlam lots allow
- See what Surrey lots allow
Last reviewed September 2026.