Basement Suites in West Vancouver, BC
Kyrax Developments builds and legalizes basement suites in West Vancouver as a licensed general contractor. The District allows one suite per home, at least 20 square metres with its own exterior entrance, and requires every suite to be registered and licensed each year, with the owner living on the property or a North Shore property manager named instead.
A legal suite, permit to registration.
Feasibility & zoning
One suite per principal dwelling, at least 20 m² with its own exterior entrance, on a lot without lodgers, a community care facility or a child care facility of more than 8 children.
Design & permits
Suite layout, fire separation and egress planned to the BC Building Code, and the building permit application made to the District.
Asbestos survey & demolition
The materials being disturbed are tested for asbestos first, as WorkSafeBC directs, before any wall or ceiling comes down.
Separation & safety
The District's suite page lists a 45-minute fire separation, interconnected hard-wired smoke alarms in the suite and the home, and a self-closing solid-core door between them.
Kitchen, bath & systems
The suite kitchen, bathroom, heating and plumbing, on the same water and electrical meters as the home, as the bylaw requires.
Registration & licence
The suite registered with the District and licensed for its use, the step that makes it legal rather than just finished.
What the District's bylaw requires.
West Vancouver sets its suite rules in section 130 of Zoning Bylaw No. 4662 and its parking rules in section 140, and runs a registration and licence system on top.
| Rule | What West Vancouver requires | Source |
|---|---|---|
| How many | One secondary suite per principal dwelling | s.130.05(1) |
| Where | Within the principal building, or a single-storey basement building abutting it of no more than 46.5 m² | s.130.05(2) |
| Size & entrance | At least 20 m², with its own exterior entrance | s.130.05(3) |
| Not on the same lot | Lodgers, a community care facility, or a child care facility of more than 8 children | s.130.05(4) |
| Title & meters | No subdivision or strata title, and no separate water or electrical meter | s.130.05(4) |
| Owner or manager | The owner lives in the home or a suite on the lot, or names a property manager based in West Vancouver or either North Vancouver | s.130.05(5) |
| Parking | One space for the suite; none where a lot line is within 400 m of a bus stop served by transit | s.140.01(2) |
| Registration | Registered and licensed for its use: $450 to start, then $450, $350 or $85 a year depending on use | Secondary Suites |
Sources: District of West Vancouver, Zoning Bylaw No. 4662 (section 130 and section 140, the District's current section files) and Secondary Suites.
From feasibility to registration.
Feasibility
We check the home against section 130: one suite, at least 20 m², its own entrance, shared meters, and how the owner-or-manager rule will be met.
Design & building permit
Suite drawings to the BC Building Code, then the building permit application to the District.
Survey, demolition & framing
Asbestos survey of the materials coming out, then demolition, framing, and the fire separation between suite and home.
Systems & finishes
Heating, electrical and plumbing roughed in and inspected, then the suite kitchen, bathroom and finishes.
Final & registration
Final inspection, then the suite registered and licensed with the District for its use.
What decides a West Vancouver suite.
Unlike the City of North Vancouver, West Vancouver doesn't insist the owner live on the lot: a registered owner who lives elsewhere can instead name a property manager based in West Vancouver or either North Vancouver to handle complaints.
The District treats an unregistered suite as a Zoning Bylaw contravention, with fines of up to $10,000, a possible lien or court order, and a warning that fire insurance will not cover it. Registration is part of the job, not an afterthought.
The bylaw asks for one parking space for a suite, but none where a lot line is within 400 metres of a bus stop that is in use and served by transit.
An owner who doesn't want to register can decommission instead: an electrician removes the stove wiring under an electrical permit, every cooking facility comes out, and a declaration goes to the District.
No two suites price the same.
We don't publish a flat price for a West Vancouver 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.
Separation & alarms
The fire separation, interconnected hard-wired alarms and the self-closing door between suite and home run through walls, ceilings and doorways.
A separate system
The District's suite page lists a separate heating system for the suite, which can mean new equipment rather than extending the home's.
Stairs, doors & egress
Wider exit stairs or corridors, a swinging exit door and compliant bedroom egress windows can each mean structural work.
District fees
The initial registration and the annual licence renewal are District fees that continue for as long as the suite exists.
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, if the home meets the District's conditions. West Vancouver's Zoning Bylaw allows no more than one secondary suite per principal dwelling, either within the principal building or in a single-storey basement building abutting it of no more than 46.5 square metres. The suite needs at least 20 square metres of floor area and its own exterior entrance, and the District's suite page adds that a suite is legal only if it meets the BC Building Code, is registered with the District and is licensed for its use. Sources: District of West Vancouver, Zoning Bylaw No. 4662, section 130.05, and Secondary Suites, verified September 2026.
Not necessarily. The Zoning Bylaw requires the registered owner either to live, as their principal residence, in the main home or one of the suites on the lot, or to name a property manager with an address in West Vancouver, the City of North Vancouver or the District of North Vancouver. That manager must be authorized to deal with complaints from neighbours or the District, including about occupants' parking, and the District must be given their contact details. Source: District of West Vancouver, Zoning Bylaw No. 4662, section 130.05(5), verified September 2026.
The District says every secondary suite must be registered, with an initial registration fee of $450 that covers the first year's licence. After that, the annual renewal fee depends on the suite's use: $450 for a rented suite in a home the owner doesn't live in, $350 for a rented suite in an owner-occupied home, and $85 for a suite that is unoccupied or used by family. Source: District of West Vancouver, Secondary Suites, verified September 2026.
The District says an unregistered suite contravenes the Zoning Bylaw, which can lead to fines of up to $10,000, a lien to stop the property being sold with the contravention in place, or a court order to stop renting or remove the suite. It also warns that fire insurance will not cover an unregistered suite. The alternative is to decommission it: an electrician removes the stove wiring under an electrical permit, all cooking facilities come out, and the owner files a declaration with the District. Source: District of West Vancouver, Secondary Suites, verified September 2026.
Usually one. The Zoning Bylaw requires one parking space for a secondary suite, in addition to the one for the house, but none where a lot line is within 400 metres of a bus stop that is in use and served by public transit. Source: District of West Vancouver, Zoning Bylaw No. 4662, section 140.01(2), verified September 2026.
No. The Zoning Bylaw says a secondary suite shall not have separate metering for water service and electrical service from the principal dwelling unit, and it can't be subdivided from the main home under the Land Title Act or the Strata Property Act. Source: District of West Vancouver, Zoning Bylaw No. 4662, section 130.05(4), verified September 2026.
The District's suite page lists the work it expects: a separate heating system for the suite, a 45-minute fire separation between suite and home, interconnected hard-wired smoke alarms of both ionization and photoelectric types in each, a self-closing solid-core door between them, an exit door that swings rather than slides, wider exit stairs or corridors where needed, and electrical and plumbing upgrades to code. Bedroom egress windows are the other item that most often decides a basement layout; the figures are in our answer on egress window sizes. Source: District of West Vancouver, Secondary Suites, verified September 2026.
On our projects, a basement suite takes 3 to 5 months to occupancy, depending mostly on what the basement starts as and on permit review. That is our own clock; the District suite pages we read give no processing time for suite permits.
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.
Yes. We have pages for basement suites in North Vancouver, Burnaby and Langley, because each municipality sets its own suite rules.
Ready to renovate your basement?
We start with a walkthrough, a scope document, and a straight answer on which permits and approvals apply. Initial consultations are complimentary.
Start a project