Basement Suites in Langley, BC
Kyrax Developments builds legal basement suites in both the Township of Langley and the City of Langley as a licensed general contractor. The two municipalities set different suite rules — the City requires the owner to live on the lot and caps a suite at 100 square metres — so the address decides the design before anything is drawn.
A legal suite, permit to final.
Feasibility & zoning
Which Langley the property is in, whether the zone permits a suite, and whether the size, parking and owner-occupancy rules for that municipality can be met.
Design & permits
Suite layout, fire separation and egress planned to the BC Building Code, and the building permit application made to the right municipality.
Asbestos survey & demolition
The materials being disturbed are tested for asbestos first, as WorkSafeBC directs, before any wall or ceiling comes down.
Framing, separation & egress
Fire-rated separation between the suite and the main home, and bedroom windows sized for emergency egress.
Kitchen, bath & systems
The suite kitchen and bathroom, heating, ventilation and plumbing, with electrical work permitted through Technical Safety BC where the City of Langley's guide requires it.
Final inspection
Inspections through to final approval, so the suite is legal rather than just finished.
Two Langleys, two sets of suite rules.
The City of Langley replaced its zoning bylaw on March 9, 2026, and the Township rewrote its housing rules under the Province's small-scale housing legislation. This is what each says now.
| Rule | Township of Langley | City of Langley |
|---|---|---|
| Building permit | Required for all secondary suites | Required; the suite is recorded in the City's secondary suites registry |
| Owner occupancy | Not stated | The registered owner must reside on the lot |
| Maximum size | Not stated | 100 m² gross floor area, and no more than 40% of the building |
| How many | One suite per principal dwelling unit; duplexes and semi-detached dwellings now qualify | One secondary suite as an accessory use in the R1 zone, within the zone's dwelling-unit limit |
| Parking | Parking must be confirmed for a suite | One extra off-street space on top of the two a single detached home needs |
| Ongoing charges | Annual Secondary Suite Infrastructure Fee with property taxes (from 2025), plus 30% of the water and sewer flat rate where applicable | Not stated |
Sources: Township of Langley, Secondary Suites and Small-Scale, Multi-Unit Housing; City of Langley, Zoning Bylaw 2025, No. 3300 (section 2.4(c) and the R1 zone) and Secondary Suite guide (May 2022; used here only for the electrical-permit line).
From feasibility to occupancy.
Jurisdiction & feasibility
We confirm whether the address is in the Township or the City, then test the suite against that municipality's size, parking and occupancy rules.
Design & permit
Suite drawings to the BC Building Code, then the building permit application to the right municipality.
Survey, demolition & framing
Asbestos survey of the materials coming out, then demolition, framing, and the fire separation between suite and home.
Systems & finishes
Plumbing, electrical, heating and ventilation roughed in and inspected, then the suite kitchen, bathroom and finishes.
Final inspection & occupancy
Final inspection and approval, and in the City of Langley, the suite recorded in its registry.
What decides a Langley suite.
Both Langleys changed their rules recently. The City adopted Zoning Bylaw 2025, No. 3300 on March 9, 2026; the Township adopted its small-scale housing zoning on November 18, 2024. Older guides still circulate — the City's own 2022 suite guide quotes a 90 m² cap that the new bylaw replaced with 100 m².
In the City of Langley a suite is only allowed if the registered owner lives on the lot. That rule shapes rental plans, so it's worth settling before design.
Both build to the BC Building Code, which the Province applies across BC except in the City of Vancouver, some Treaty First Nations and federal lands. Fire separation and bedroom egress are the code items that most often decide a basement layout.
The Township now allows suites in duplexes and semi-detached dwellings, but where a property is strata-titled it needs strata permission as well as a building permit. The provincial Standard Bylaws require written strata approval for altering common property or parts of a lot the strata insures.
No two suites price the same.
We don't publish a flat price for a Langley suite, because the basement you start with varies too much for a single number to be honest. These are the factors that move the estimate.
What's there now
An unfinished basement and a previously finished one are different starting points, and older finished space may hide work that has to be opened up.
Fire separation
The rated separation between suite and home runs through walls and ceilings, and ducts crossing it need attention.
Windows & exits
A bedroom without a compliant egress window may need an opening enlarged or a window well added.
Heating & ventilation
Shared forced-air systems need separating or controlling between suite and home; separate systems avoid that.
Township or City
Parking, size limits and ongoing charges differ between the two, and a design that suits one may not suit the other.
Survey & abatement
If the survey finds asbestos in the materials being disturbed, licensed abatement comes before demolition — a separate contractor and a separate line item.
Answers before you ask.
Yes, in both Langleys. The Township of Langley states that a building permit is required for all secondary suites, and that they must conform to municipal bylaws and provincial health and safety standards. The City of Langley's Zoning Bylaw requires every suite to be inspected and approved by way of a building permit application and recorded in a secondary suites registry the City maintains. Sources: Township of Langley, Secondary Suites; City of Langley, Zoning Bylaw 2025, No. 3300, section 2.4(c), verified September 2026.
They are separate municipalities with separate bylaws. Willoughby, Walnut Grove, Brookswood, Murrayville and Fort Langley are in the Township; the City of Langley is the smaller municipality around its downtown. Their suite rules differ in ways that matter before design starts, so we confirm which one the address is in first.
Yes. The City's Zoning Bylaw 2025, No. 3300, adopted March 9, 2026, requires the registered owner of the lot on which a secondary suite is situated to reside on the lot. The Township of Langley's current suite and housing pages don't state an owner-occupancy rule, so confirm with the Township for your property. Sources: City of Langley, Zoning Bylaw and Zoning Bylaw 2025, No. 3300, section 2.4(c); Township of Langley, Secondary Suites, verified September 2026.
Under the City's current Zoning Bylaw, a secondary suite may not exceed a gross floor area of 100 square metres, or 40% of the gross floor area of the building it shares with the principal home. The bylaw also requires at least one off-street parking space for the suite, in addition to the two normally required for a single detached home. Source: City of Langley, Zoning Bylaw 2025, No. 3300, section 2.4(c), verified September 2026. The City's 2022 suite guide quotes an older 90 m² figure; the adopted bylaw's 100 m² replaces it.
One suite per home, but duplexes now qualify. The Township says the BC Building Code allows only one suite per principal dwelling unit, although an independent attached unit fully separated by a fire separation, or a detached unit, may be possible. It also says secondary suites are now permitted in duplexes and semi-detached dwellings, subject to a building permit, confirmation of parking and strata permission where applicable. Source: Township of Langley, Small-Scale, Multi-Unit Housing, verified September 2026.
Yes. The Township states that, from 2025, properties with secondary suites pay an Annual Secondary Suite Infrastructure Fee with their property taxes, and where applicable an additional amount equal to 30% of the annual flat rate for water and sewer utilities. Source: Township of Langley, Secondary Suites, verified September 2026.
The BC Building Code, in both the Township and the City. The Province states that the code applies to all buildings in B.C. except in the City of Vancouver, Treaty First Nations that do not reference it in their agreements, and federal lands, and the City of Langley's Zoning Bylaw requires every suite to comply fully with the B.C. Building Code. Bedroom egress windows are one of the rules that most often decide a basement layout; the figures are in our answer on egress window sizes. Sources: Province of British Columbia, About the BC Building Code; City of Langley, Zoning Bylaw 2025, No. 3300, verified September 2026.
Yes. Kyrax Developments Ltd. holds BC Housing Residential Builder Licence #57802, in good standing, as a General Contractor and Developer, and suite work is pulled under permit and inspected the same as any other licensed scope of work. Verify the licence on the BC Housing Licence Registry.
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