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Houseplex Surrey: how many units Bylaw 12000 allows

Surrey allows three or four homes on most eligible lots, and six within 400 metres of a frequent bus stop. On a lot inside the Urban Containment Boundary, 3 units fit at 280 m² (3,014 sq ft) or smaller and 4 above that. Six needs a lot of at least 281 m² (3,025 sq ft).

Where six units apply

Surrey picked its frequent bus stops with TransLink and lists the areas around them in Schedule F of the zoning bylaw. A lot of 281 m² (3,025 sq ft) to 4,050 m² (43,594 sq ft) within 400 m of one of those stops may carry up to six units. About 13,000 eligible lots, around 18% of the City’s small-scale lots, are in these areas.

Surrey’s examples of six units are a duplex with two secondary suites and two coach houses, and a fourplex with two coach houses. No off-street parking is required inside a frequent bus stop area.

A busy stop is not enough. The stop must be on Surrey’s list, and the Province’s regulation counts a stop only if a bus is scheduled at least every 15 minutes on average, weekdays 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. and weekends 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Check Schedule F or the City’s COSMOS map for the lot.

The houseplex has its own conditions

A houseplex is a triplex or fourplex, one of several building types. Surrey permits it only in the R3 zone, only on a lot with lane access or two street frontages, and only outside a Transit-Oriented Area.

  • Parking must come from the lane or, on a corner lot, from the lower classification street.
  • Parking goes in a detached garage or on a parking pad, not in an attached garage or carport.
  • A houseplex cannot hold secondary suites.

A lot that fails these tests can still reach 3 or 4 units as a duplex with suites, or as a house with a suite and a coach house or garden suite.

Twenty zones became nine

Surrey adopted the changes on July 8, 2024. Fifteen single-family and semi-detached zones, four gross-density zones and one duplex zone, twenty in all, became nine small-scale zones: RA, R1, R2, R2-O, R3, R4, R5, R5-S and R6. Lot size sets which one applies.

The zone a Surrey lot carried before 2024 may no longer exist. An old title search or a remembered label will not show what is permitted now. Over 4,600 Comprehensive Development lots keep their own zones, and the new permissions apply to them by lot size.

What the rules do not reach

  • Outside the Urban Containment Boundary. The rules cover lots under 4,050 m² (43,594 sq ft) inside Metro Vancouver’s boundary.
  • The Agricultural Land Reserve. The Agricultural Land Commission decides additional homes there, by the size of the residence and not the number of units. See the Reserve acreage guide.
  • The standard exemptions. Hazard land, land with no connection to community water and sewer, a Transit-Oriented Area, and some heritage-protected property.
  • A covenant on title. Surrey says a covenant under section 219 of the Land Title Act still applies and takes precedence.

Surrey is reviewing its own rules

On July 27, 2026, Surrey Council approved a comprehensive review of its small-scale housing regulations and how they are carried out. Re-read the City’s page before you rely on a rule for a lot.

How to check your own lot

  1. Find the lot’s current zone on the City’s mapping tool.
  2. On the City’s online map, check the Urban Containment Boundary, any Transit-Oriented Area and the frequent bus stop areas.
  3. For a houseplex, check the lane or second street, then the R3 zone rules.

Surrey’s rules are its own. For the Township of Langley, read the Township guide, where the limit is four.

Common questions about Surrey housing rules

  • How many units can I build on my lot in Surrey?
    Three or four on most eligible lots, and six on lots between 281 m² (3,025 sq ft) and 4,050 m² (43,594 sq ft) that sit within 400 metres of a frequent bus stop. Surrey says a lot under 280 m² (3,014 sq ft) may carry 3 units and a larger one 4. All of this applies only inside the Metro Vancouver Urban Containment Boundary. Source: City of Surrey, Zoning for Small-Scale Multi-Unit Housing (surrey.ca).
  • Is a houseplex the same as small-scale multi-unit housing?
    No. Small-scale multi-unit housing is the whole range: suites, garden suites, coach houses, duplexes and houseplexes. A houseplex is one building type, a triplex or fourplex. It is allowed only in the R3 zone, on a lot with lane access or two street frontages, outside a Transit-Oriented Area. A lot outside those conditions can still reach 3 or 4 units as a duplex with suites. Source: City of Surrey, Houseplexes (surrey.ca).
  • Can I put a secondary suite in a houseplex?
    No. Surrey says secondary suites are not permitted in a houseplex. A houseplex reaches six units only as a fourplex with two coach houses. Source: City of Surrey, Houseplexes and Zoning for Small-Scale Multi-Unit Housing (surrey.ca).
  • My lot is near a busy bus stop. Does that get me six units?
    Only if the stop is a frequent bus stop on Surrey’s list. Surrey identified the stops with TransLink and lists the frequent bus stop areas in Schedule F of its zoning bylaw and on its online mapping system. The Province’s regulation counts a stop only if a route is scheduled to stop at least every 15 minutes on average, 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. weekdays and 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. weekends. A stop can be busy and still not qualify. Source: City of Surrey, Zoning for Small-Scale Multi-Unit Housing (surrey.ca); B.C. Reg. 262/2023, s. 2 (bclaws.gov.bc.ca).
  • Do I need parking in a frequent bus stop area?
    No. Surrey requires no off-street parking or loading spaces for small-scale housing inside a frequent bus stop area, provided the lot meets the prescribed size. Outside those areas, parking follows the zone. For a houseplex, parking must come from the lane or, on a corner lot, from the lower classification street, and sit in a detached garage or on a parking pad. Source: City of Surrey, Zoning for Small-Scale Multi-Unit Housing and Houseplexes (surrey.ca).
  • Can I sell the units separately?
    Usually, by stratifying under the Strata Property Act. Splitting into separate fee-simple lots is a full subdivision application. Decide the form before design, because it drives the financing and the resale. Talk to Surrey planning and a real estate lawyer first. Source: Strata Property Act, Part 2 (bclaws.gov.bc.ca).
  • Has the zoning change pushed up lot values in Surrey?
    This page has no verified sale data for finished houseplexes, so it claims neither a premium nor its absence. The permitted unit count is a fact you can check. What six finished units would sell for on that street is a forecast, and it needs comparable sales. Source: Local Government Act, s. 481.3, which sets minimum permissions and not prices (bclaws.gov.bc.ca).
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Also drawn from: City of Surrey, BC Laws, gov.bc.ca.

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Last reviewed by Bronson Job PREC, REALTOR®. Licence CC BY 4.0. How we verify.

I’m Bronson Job, a REALTOR® (PREC) with Momentum Realty Inc., so I earn a commission when I help someone buy or sell. This is general information, not advice on your situation, and I take no payment from any third party named here. How I verify.