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Zoning reference

Bill 44 (2023) SSMUH — Small-Scale Multi-Unit Housing

Last reviewed by Bronson Job PREC, REALTOR®Sources: BC Hansard, BC.gov.ca, Township of LangleyCC BY 4.010 min readUpdated when rules changeHow we verify

A note from me: I’m Bronson Job, a REALTOR® (PREC) with Momentum Realty Inc., so I earn a commission when I help someone buy or sell. I write these guides to be genuinely useful — general information, not advice on your specific situation — and I take no payment from any third party named in them. How I verify.

Small-Scale Multi-Unit Housing — SSMUH — is the BC legislation that requires most municipalities to permit 3 or 4 homes on lots that were previously zoned single-family or duplex, and up to 6 homes near frequent transit. If you own a single-family lot, it may now carry more building rights than the existing house suggests; if you are buying one, the zoning is part of what you are paying for. This guide explains what the law allows, where Township of Langley landed, and what the math looks like before you pay a premium for density. The Act received Royal Assent December 7, 2023, with a June 30, 2024 deadline for municipalities to put it into their bylaws. Every figure here traces to the SSMUH entry in the Codex.

The rule, in 1 sentence

On most BC lots previously zoned single-family or duplex, your municipal bylaw must now permit 3 or 4 residential units, and up to 6 on a larger lot near frequent transit. Public hearings prohibited for in-Official-Community-Plan (OCP) rezoning that adds housing.

Township of Langley — Bylaw 6020 status

Township of Langley adopted Bylaw 6020 on November 18, 2024 (under an extended-deadline grant from the original June 30, 2024 statutory deadline). Bylaw 6020 permits:

  • 3 units on lots smaller than 280 m² in most R-zoned areas
  • 4 units on lots 280 m² or larger in most R-zoned areas
  • Specific siting, setbacks, height limits, and lot coverage per the bylaw
  • Up to 6 units permitted within 400 metres of a designated frequent transit hub

Always verify against the live Township of Langley zoning bylaw and zoning map before relying on this for a specific lot — bylaws amend.

Investor pencil math — the considerations

  • Form vs. unit count. 4 units in a townhouse-style attached form vs. 4 in a fourplex stack vs. main + secondary suite + coach-house duplex have very different construction costs, marketability, and stratification options.
  • Public-hearing exemption. If your application matches the municipality’s Official Community Plan, no public hearing is required. This compresses the timeline materially. If it requires a change to that plan, the public hearing requirement remains.
  • Stratification. Strata Property Act subdivision lets you sell each unit separately. The strata route adds Form B fees, depreciation report obligations, and ongoing strata management — but materially expands the buyer pool.
  • BC Home Flipping Tax exposure. Builder-flippers selling within 730 days face the BC Home Flipping Tax (20% on profit, phasing to 0% over 730 days) on top of the federal anti-flipping rule. Hold-period planning matters.
  • STRAA forecloses STR income. Short-term-rental income on non-principal-residence units is restricted in most BC municipalities — pencil at long-term rental rates only.
  • Foreign Buyer Ban. The federal ban runs through January 1, 2027 and applies to most SSMUH-density acquisitions — verify the specific exemption category before structuring a foreign-buyer purchase.

Worked examples — illustrative pencil math

Each example uses round numbers to show the shape of the math, not a quote. Land prices, construction costs, and resale assumptions change quarter to quarter — run a live pro forma with current comps and a builder estimate before treating any number here as actionable.

Example 1 — Willoughby 4-unit townhouse-form fourplex

6,500 sq ft RS lot, not within 400 m of a frequent transit hub, conforming OCP. Bylaw 6020 permits 4 units (lot ≥ 280 m²). Illustrative pencil: land $1.55M + soft costs + four-unit attached build at roughly $325/sq ft over a 5,200 sq ft above-grade envelope ≈ $1.7M build = $3.25M+ total cost. Each unit sells in the high-$800Ks under current comps. Margin is real but thin once BC Flipping Tax exposure (730-day window), GST, and carrying costs are stacked on. Stratification under the Strata Property Act is the resale path.

Example 2 — Surrey 6-unit transit-proximate project

8,000 sq ft RF lot inside the 400-m frequent-transit walkshed (e.g., a future Surrey-Langley SkyTrain station catchment). 6 units permitted under SSMUH; TOD parking reduction applies. The 6-unit tier changes the per-door land cost meaningfully — same $1.6M land spread across 6 doors instead of 4. Construction is more complex (likely a low-rise stacked form, not a townhouse row), so the cost-per-sq-ft goes up. Surrey's bylaw + TOD overlay also unlocks higher FSR and reduced parking, which is where the pencil starts to work — and what buyers are pricing in along the Fraser Highway corridor today.

Example 3 — Fort Langley heritage parcel (the variance path)

6,500 sq ft Fort Langley village parcel with a 1912 character home. Bylaw 6020 permits SSMUH density on paper; the village's Heritage Conservation Area Plan, ALR perimeter, and Township design standards constrain form in practice. The May 2025 George Towle House variance is the Township's reference case — SSMUH overlaid onto a 1912 heritage parcel via a development variance permit, with form retained at the front and new units behind. Time-to-permit on a path like this runs longer than a clean Willoughby lot; the value capture is in the heritage premium on resale, not the unit count.

Frequently asked questions

  • What is Bill 44 (2023) SSMUH?

    The Housing Statutes (Residential Development) Amendment Act, 2023 — Bill 44 — received Royal Assent December 7, 2023. "SSMUH" stands for Small-Scale Multi-Unit Housing. The Act reaches BC municipalities with a population above 5,000; smaller ones sit outside it. In those municipalities, lots zoned single-family or duplex must now permit 3 or 4 residential units. Lot size decides which: three under 280 m², four at 280 m² or more. Six units are possible where a lot clears 280 m² and sits within 400 metres of a bus stop with frequent service. Most municipalities had to adopt implementing bylaws by the June 30, 2024 statutory deadline; some, including Township of Langley, adopted later under extension grants.

  • Are there lots the rules simply do not reach?

    Several, and in the Fraser Valley they cover a lot of ground. Land in the Agricultural Land Reserve is the big one: additional homes there are the Agricultural Land Commission's call, and its rules sit above the small-scale housing requirements rather than beside them. So an acreage owner inside the Reserve does not get three or four units from Bill 44 — the Commission's additional-residence framework is what governs, and that is a different set of limits with different sizes. Parcels over 4,050 m² are also outside the rules, as is land with no connection to municipal water and sewer, which takes in much of the rural Township. So are heritage-protected properties and land where a hazard would get worse with more density. And in a designated transit-oriented area the small-scale rules give way to the higher transit densities instead.

  • How many units can I build on a single-family lot?

    Three or four units per lot, and lot size decides which. Under 280 m² it is three; 280 m² or more it is four. That split is the provincial minimum rather than a local choice, so it holds across municipalities even though each writes its own bylaw. Six units are possible where a lot clears 280 m² and sits within 400 metres of a bus stop with frequent service — both conditions, not either. Specific siting, height, setback, and lot-coverage limits are set by the municipal bylaw and must be checked locally — Bill 44 mandates the unit minimum but municipalities retain discretion over form and design.

  • Did public hearings get abolished?

    For zoning bylaw amendments that conform to the Official Community Plan (OCP), yes. Bill 44 prohibits public hearings for in-OCP rezoning that adds residential housing. This materially accelerates the approval timeline — what used to be a 6-12 month rezoning process with mandatory public hearings is now a council-vote-only process for many in-OCP applications. Out-of-OCP rezoning still requires the public hearing.

  • Has Township of Langley adopted a SSMUH bylaw?

    Yes. Township of Langley adopted Bylaw 6020 implementing SSMUH on November 18, 2024 (under an extended-deadline grant). The bylaw follows the provincial split — 3 units on lots smaller than 280 m², 4 units on lots of 280 m² or larger — in most R-zoned areas, with site-specific siting, height, and lot-coverage parameters. Verify against the Township of Langley's current bylaw text and zoning map before relying on this for a specific lot.

  • Can I subdivide and sell each unit separately?

    Generally yes, by stratifying the building under the Strata Property Act, but the specific path depends on the form (detached units? attached townhouse-style? secondary-suite-plus-coach-house?). Bare-land subdivision into separate fee-simple lots may also be possible in certain configurations but typically requires a full subdivision application. Talk to a planner + a real estate lawyer early — the form decision drives the resale + financing path.

  • How does SSMUH interact with the Foreign Buyer Ban?

    The federal Prohibition on the Purchase of Residential Property by Non-Canadians Act remains in force through January 1, 2027 and does NOT exempt SSMUH-density properties. A foreign buyer cannot purchase a single-family lot to develop SSMUH (subject to the Act's specific exemption categories). However, properties with 4 or more dwelling units are NOT residential property under the Act — so a foreign buyer may purchase a fully-built 4+ unit property in some configurations. Verify against the Act's specific definitions before structuring a purchase.

  • How does SSMUH affect property values?

    In aggregate: positive for lot owners (higher zoning density = higher land value at the optimal-density build-out). The market response through 2024-2025 was material on transit-proximate lots; less material on lots far from transit. Pencil math depends critically on the municipal bylaw's specific form constraints + local construction costs + the BC Home Flipping Tax exposure for builder-flippers. A formal pencil before purchase — including a planner consultation and a builder estimate — is essential before paying a "SSMUH premium" on a lot.

  • What about Short-Term Rentals on SSMUH units?

    STRAA (the BC Short-Term Rental Accommodations Act, effective May 1, 2024 in most BC municipalities) restricts short-term rentals to the operator's principal residence plus one secondary suite or ADU on that same property. SSMUH units that are NOT the operator's principal residence are NOT eligible for short-term-rental income in non-exempt municipalities. SSMUH plays primarily a long-term-rental and condo-resale game; STR is largely off the table.

Primary sources: Bill 44 — Housing Statutes (Residential Development) Amendment Act and SSMUH provincial implementation page.

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