In the Town of Comox, a coach house is a small standalone residential unit. The location and size of the coach house permitted depends on the zone.
The new R1.0 Small-Scale Multi-Family Housing and R1.2 Mobile Home Small-Scale Multi-Family Housing zones permit SSMFH coach houses. A SSMFH coach house is defined as a dwelling unit or modular unit located within a building that is subordinate to a principal building on the parcel. SSMFH coach houses can be up to 2-storeys and are not restricted to the backyard.
In single-family residential zones (R1.1, R1.3, R3.3, R3.4, R3.5, R3.6, CD15, and CD18) one coach house is permitted in the backyard of a single-family dwelling.
Where a coach house is permitted, the home must provide one individually accessible off-street parking space per coach house.
See the Town of Comox Zoning Map and the Comox Zoning Bylaw for more information and to check the zoning requirements.
Development Permit Area (DPA) #17: Coach Houses was created to:
1. Establish objectives:
• For the form and character of coach houses;
• To promote energy and water conservation; and
• To promote a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions;
2. Create a series of exemptions to allow developments that meet standard design criteria to proceed without development permit application; and
3. Create guidelines for non-standard proposals.
DPA #17 applies to all lands designated Residential in the OCP, which support coach houses. Contact the Planning Department to request a Development Permit exemption letter (email planning@comox.ca or call 250-339-1118).
In order to have a coach house approved, you must obtain a building permit from the Town of Comox. You (or your authorized agent) must apply for the building permit in person at the Town of Comox Building Inspection Department. This is to ensure all coach houses comply with the BC Building Code and provide minimum health and safety standards for occupants while mitigating undue costs on homeowners.
For more details regarding the coach house permitting process, contact the Town of Comox Building Inspection Department at 250-339-2259.