SSMUH / Bill 44 — Coquitlam

What Can I Build on My Coquitlam Lot?

Q: What is the fire-flow requirement, and will it block my project?

Coquitlam requires applicants to submit a Fire Flow Requirements Form showing adequate water pressure and volume. If your lot is in an area with older pipes (especially parts of southwest Coquitlam), the available fire flow may be insufficient and you would pay to upgrade the water main — a cost that can be significant on older infrastructure. Check the city’s Available Fire Flow map online before committing.

Under BC's Bill 44 SSMUH rules, most Coquitlam single-family lots now allow 3 or 4 units by-right — no rezoning needed, but fire-flow servicing matters.

SSMUH / Bill 44 — Coquitlam

What You Can Build on a Coquitlam Lot (SSMUH Multiplex Guide)

The short answer

Most Coquitlam lots now permit 3 units (≤ 280 m²) or 4 units (280 m² – 1 acre) by-right under the new R-1/R-2/R-3/R-4 zones (Bylaw 5449, June 2025). The 6-unit frequent-transit tier does not currently apply anywhere in Coquitlam — the city has confirmed no bus stops meet the provincial 15-minute-frequency standard. Lots larger than 1 acre revert to 1 principal + 1 accessory unit only.

The New Zones

Four new R-zones replaced the old RS series

Coquitlam adopted Zoning Amendment Bylaw No. 5449 (June 9 and June 23, 2025), creating new small-scale residential zones (R-1, R-2, R-3 and R-4) that replaced the old RS-series across approximately 22,000 single-family properties. No individual rezoning application is required — the by-right permissions are baked in.

The four zones are: R-1 (Small-Scale Residential — absorbed RS-1, RS-3, RS-6, RS-9, RS-10, RS-11, RT-1 Infill), R-2 (Compact Small-Scale Residential — absorbed RS-4, RS-5, RS-7, RS-8), R-3 (Transitional Small-Scale Residential — lot-assembly/pre-rezoning scenarios), and R-4 (Intensive Small-Scale Residential). Unit entitlements are driven by lot size, not zone letter.

Lot size	Units permitted by-right	Notes
≤ 280 m² (3,014 sq ft)	Up to 3 units	Secondary suite + ADU on a house, or a triplex
280 m² – 4,050 m² (1 acre)	Up to 4 units	The most common Coquitlam single-family lot category
> 4,050 m² (> 1 acre)	1 principal + 1 accessory only	SSMUH minimums fall away; larger lots are effectively exempt
Any lot (6 units)	Does NOT apply in Coquitlam	No bus stops meet the provincial frequent-transit standard

Frequent-Transit Rule

The 6-unit rule does not apply anywhere in Coquitlam

BC's Bill 44 requires cities to allow 6 units on lots > 280 m² that fall within 400 m of a “prescribed frequent-transit bus stop” (a stop served every 15 minutes, Mon–Fri 7am–7pm and Sat–Sun 10am–6pm). Coquitlam has confirmed in its official guidance: “Currently, Coquitlam has no bus stops that meet the provincial criteria for frequent service.”

This means the 6-unit tier simply does not exist in Coquitlam today. Lots near SkyTrain stations are instead subject to the separate Transit-Oriented Areas (TOA) regime under Bill 47, which allows much higher density (up to 20 storeys within 200 m of a station) but requires rezoning — it is a different process from SSMUH.

Built-Form Standards

Height, density, parking, and setbacks

The following figures are drawn from two secondary sources (VanPlex and VictorEric Design+Build) cross-verifying the Bylaw 5449 zone schedules; primary PDF extraction was not possible. Confirm current figures with the City of Coquitlam (Part 10 — R-1 to R-4 zones bylaw PDF) before relying on them professionally.

Height: roughly 3 storeys / 11 m maximum. Density (FAR/FSR): roughly 0.65–0.75 in R-1/R-2. Lot coverage: approximately 45–50%. Parking: Coquitlam uses a size-graduated minimum — roughly 1 stall for units under 850 sq ft, 1.5 stalls for 850–1,700 sq ft, 2 stalls for larger units — a higher parking requirement than most BC municipalities. Confirm current ratios with the City before designing.

The Real-World Barrier

Fire-flow servicing: the standout Coquitlam friction

Coquitlam requires a Small-Scale Residential Fire Flow Requirements Form for every SSMUH application, and the city publishes a parcel-level Available Fire Flow (AFF) map. Where water-main capacity is insufficient, the developer pays for upgrades — water-main work, sewer-capacity expansion, hydrant installation, and frontage improvements. In older parts of southwest Coquitlam (Maillardville, Central Coquitlam, Eagle Ridge), pipes can be 50–70 years old and not designed for added density.

One industry estimate put frontage-and-servicing costs at $200,000–$400,000 on constrained lots — enough to flip project economics. In newer areas (Burke Mountain, Westwood Plateau), capacity is generally better. Check the AFF map at coquitlam.ca/1361 before assuming a project pencils.

Coquitlam also has a precedent for this dynamic: a 2019 upzoning of roughly 700 lots (the “Housing Choices” RT-1 Infill pre-zoning) to allow fourplexes produced notably lower uptake than comparable municipalities, with researchers pointing to higher parking minimums and more conditional permit reviews as the friction. The 2025 SSMUH framework preserves both levers.

Exclusions

What lots are excluded from SSMUH?

Lots inside Transit-Oriented Areas (around SkyTrain stations) are handled under the Bill 47 TOA regime, not SSMUH. Also excluded: lots larger than 1 acre, properties without municipal water and sewer, heritage-designated lands, lots with creek/watercourse or steep-slope overlay constraints. The city recommends a Development Services pre-consultation for any constrained lot.

Real-World Results

What these properties can become

Coquitlam single-family lot with SSMUH multiplex potential

4-unit

On the Market Now

Potential development lots in Coquitlam

$2.25M

3278 COY AVENUE

4 bd · 2 ba · 2,160 sqft

Lot: 1 sq ft