Burnaby R1 SSMUH, explained by people who actually permit under it.

Why this zone exists in the first place — Bill 44

In November 2023, the BC government passed Bill 44 — Housing Statutes (Residential Development) Amendment Act. It told every BC municipality with more than 5,000 residents to allow small-scale multi-unit housing on lots that had been zoned single-family for decades. The deadline was June 30, 2024. Burnaby met it on June 10, 2024 with the adoption of the new R1 zone.

The numbers in Bill 44 are floors, not ceilings. The province required a minimum of 3 units on most former single-family lots and up to 6 within frequent-transit areas. Municipalities could go further — Vancouver did, with a more permissive multiplex scheme. Burnaby chose to land near the floor on density and spend its discretion on form: setbacks, height, and how the units sit on the lot.

For a custom-home builder, the practical effect is simple. The old R5 single-family zone is gone in everything but name. Every lot we draw on now has an option to be more than one home, whether or not the owner uses it.

What R1 actually says — the numbers, with caveats

The numbers below are pulled from the City of Burnaby R1 schedule as it reads in May 2026. Burnaby is in the middle of a full Zoning Bylaw Rewrite — Phase 4 of the project, scheduled for an effective date of July 1, 2026. Treat what follows as accurate today and verify against the new bylaw the day it lands.

Unit counts by lot size

• — Up to 280 m² (≈3,014 sq ft): 1 to 3 dwelling units.
• — Greater than 280 m²: up to 4 dwelling units.
• — Greater than 280 m² within an FTNA: up to 6 dwelling units. On-site parking optional.

Setbacks and form

• — Street-facing yard: 3.0 m. Lane-facing yard: 1.2 m. Side yards: 1.2 m. Rear yard: 3.0 m for principal buildings, 1.2 m for accessory buildings.
• — Maximum height 10.0 m above grade. Up to 3 storeys in the front building (basement counts), 2 in any rear building.
• — Lot coverage: 35% for 1–3 units, 40% at 4 units, 45% at 5–6 units, and 50% for true rowhouse forms.

Parking

• — Outside FTNAs: roughly 2/3 stall to 1 stall per unit, rounded up.
• — Inside FTNAs: zero on-site stalls is permitted.
• — Stalls must sit at the rear with access from a lane or secondary street where one exists. Surface parking is capped at 2 in a front yard and 4 in a rear yard.

Treat the numbers as a budget, not a promise. On every Burnaby lot we permit, the trees, the slope, the existing services, and the neighbour's setback line carve real density out of the theoretical maximum. We have walked away from "six-unit lots" that turned out to be four-unit lots once the arborist was on the ground.

The 400 m frequent-transit network mechanic

The FTNA rule is the line that separates a 4-unit Burnaby lot from a 6-unit one. A frequent-transit network area, in provincial language, is the 400 m walking radius around a bus stop served by a route running every 15 minutes or better throughout the day. Burnaby publishes the boundaries on its zoning portal, but you can sanity-check yourself by walking the route on Google Maps and checking TransLink's frequent-transit network map.

In practice, the routes that activate FTNA across Burnaby today include the 99 B-Line on Lougheed, the R5 on Hastings, the 130 and 116 in North Burnaby, the SkyTrain stations as a high-frequency anchor, and the routes along Kingsway and Willingdon. Most of Burnaby Heights, Capitol Hill, Brentwood, Metrotown, Edmonds, Highgate, and the Hastings corridor read inside an FTNA on the published maps. Cariboo, Government Road, Westridge and parts of Forest Glen don't, or only partially do.

Two practical notes. First, "wholly or partially" within 400 m is the test — if any corner of your lot is in the radius, the bonus applies to the whole parcel. Second, route status can change. If TransLink demotes a route below the 15-minute standard, the FTNA contracts. We design for the rule today and flag it as a long-term risk on lots that are right at the edge.

Where R1 lives — eligible Burnaby neighbourhoods

R1 SSMUH applies to roughly 30,662 former single-family-zoned lots across Burnaby (City of Burnaby figure, 2024 staff report). That is most of the residential city. The boundaries we work in every week:

• — Burnaby Heights — most lots in the FTNA along Hastings.
• — Capitol Hill — hillside R1, FTNA partial.
• — Brentwood — almost entirely FTNA.
• — Metrotown — FTNA-dense, mixed with apartment zones.
• — Deer Lake — estate-scale R1, partial FTNA.
• — Edmonds — older lots, FTNA along Kingsway.
• — Highgate — FTNA via Kingsway and Edmonds station.
• — Buckingham Heights — large lots, mostly outside FTNA.
• — Government Road — large lots, mostly outside FTNA.
• — Sperling–Burnaby Lake — FTNA varies by block.
• — Big Bend — agricultural overlays complicate R1.
• — Cariboo — hillside R1, mostly outside FTNA.

This isn't an exhaustive list — every R-series lot in Burnaby moved into R1 in 2024 unless it was already RM, C, or in a specific overlay. The map is what controls. Pull yours before you trust a neighbourhood label.

What R1 actually changes for a custom-home builder

The discourse around R1 has been dominated by multiplex specialists — firms that exist to convert single-family lots into 4 or 6 strata units at the lowest possible cost per door. That is a real and useful business. It is not what most of our clients are doing.

Our clients are families and owner-occupiers. They want a home, not a yield curve. So when we look at R1 for them, we're asking different questions than the multiplex spreadsheet asks.

Optionality at no extra cost

If you build a single custom home today on a 50-foot lot in Burnaby Heights, design the foundation, the services, and the site plan so you could add a coach house in five years without ripping anything up. R1 lets you do that without rezoning. Under the old R5 you couldn't. The cost of building optionality in is a few thousand dollars on the engineering side. The cost of retrofitting it is a hundred times that.

The "house plus" form

The most under-appreciated R1 form is what we call house-plus: a real custom home for the owner, plus one or two strata or rental units in a coach-house or basement-suite configuration. It pencils for an extended family, it pencils as a way to support a mortgage, and it doesn't require giving up the architectural ambition that a four-unit multiplex usually does.

Step Code still applies

R1 is a zoning change, not a building-code change. Burnaby still requires BC Energy Step Code Step 5 on most new construction in 2026. The envelope detailing, mechanical sizing, and airtightness targets do not change because there are now four units instead of one — they get more demanding, because attached forms have shared-wall acoustic and fire requirements stacked on top.

The tree bylaw still applies, harder

R1 doesn't override the Burnaby Tree Bylaw. If anything, four buildings on a lot leaves less room to avoid a protected tree than one. Walk every lot with a certified arborist before you fall in love with a unit count. We've watched a six-unit ambition shrink to four because of one western redcedar nobody could legally remove.

The permit timeline did not get shorter

R1 streamlines the front end — no rezoning, no public hearing, no councillor risk. But the Burnaby permit timeline still runs 4 to 9 months from submission to issuance, and a clean R1 multi-unit permit on a hillside lot leans toward the top of that range. Plan for it.

What we've actually seen go wrong on R1 lots

Two years in, we have a small but real catalogue of R1 mistakes — ours and other builders'. Worth naming, because the same ones keep showing up.

The "we'll figure out parking later" plan

Owners who bank on the FTNA exemption sometimes design as if no stalls were ever required, and then discover their lot is 410 m from the nearest qualifying stop, not 390. Measure first. Measure again with the actual route status, not the route proposal. We have one client who lost a unit because TransLink cut a route's headway from 15 to 20 minutes between offer and permit submission.

Stratifying detached forms

Three or four detached principal buildings on one parcel sounds clean on paper. In a strata application it isn't. Burnaby's Engineering Department wants servicing run as if the lot will eventually subdivide; the strata corporation rules want the servicing run as one shared system. The two requirements pull in opposite directions and the resolution costs money. Talk to a strata lawyer before you commit to detached over attached.

Hillside lots and the 10 m height ceiling

On a sloped Capitol Hill or Buckingham Heights lot, "10.0 m above grade" is not a single number — it is computed from average grade, and the average is sensitive to where the grade points are taken. We have seen permits stall over a 30 cm dispute because the surveyor and the City planner disagreed on which corner of the lot defined grade. Get an experienced surveyor and ask for the height calculation in writing before the architect commits to a roof line.

The neighbour-shadow conversation

R1 doesn't trigger a public hearing — there is no councillor risk and no neighbour-veto path. But neighbours still notice when six units replace one, and a resentful adjacent owner can make life unpleasant during construction in ways the bylaw can't help with. We tell every R1 client to knock on doors before submission, not after. It costs nothing and frequently saves a complaint that delays inspections.

How to determine your Burnaby R1 SSMUH eligibility

Seven steps. We walk every Burnaby planning-call client through the same sequence — pull title, measure the lot, check FTNA, run a fit test, confirm services, decide tenure, then call.

1. 1

   Pull the lot's current title and zoning designation

   Order a current title search from the LTSA (about $13.45). Confirm the lot is in the R1 zone — most former R-series Burnaby lots are. Note any heritage designations, easements, rights-of-way, and statutory building schemes on title — they can override R1 allowances.

2. 2

   Measure the lot in square metres

   Convert your lot dimensions to square metres. The 280 m² threshold (3,014 sq ft) is the cliff between 3 and 4 maximum units. Most Burnaby standard lots — 33×120, 40×120, 50×120 — are well above it. Knock-down lots in older Edmonds and South Slope subdivisions sometimes sit below.

3. 3

   Check distance to the nearest frequent-transit bus stop

   Open Burnaby's online zoning map or TransLink's frequent-transit network map. Measure the walking distance — not straight-line — from your lot lines to the nearest stop on a route running every 15 minutes or better. If any part of your lot is within 400 m, the FTNA bonus applies and your ceiling is 6 units.

4. 4

   Run a fit test on your lot envelope

   Apply the setbacks (3.0 m front and rear, 1.2 m sides, 1.2 m lane) and the coverage cap that matches your target unit count. Subtract any tree-protection radii from the Burnaby Tree Bylaw. What's left is your usable buildable footprint. If the unit count you want doesn't fit the footprint, the unit count is wrong, not the lot.

5. 5

   Confirm servicing capacity

   Sanitary, storm, water, and electrical capacity at the curb were sized for one or two dwellings, not six. Engineering pre-application reveals the actual capacity. On older Capitol Hill and Government Road blocks we've seen six-unit ambitions trimmed to four because the lateral can't carry the flow without a costly upgrade.

6. 6

   Decide on tenure: rental, strata, or co-ownership

   The number of units you build is one decision. How they're owned is another. Strata is cleanest on attached forms; rental is fastest on detached. Run the question past a real-estate lawyer before you fix the unit count — the answer can shift the design.

7. 7

   Book a planning call

   Bring the title, the survey, the lot dimensions, and the FTNA distance to a builder who has actually permitted under R1. A 60-minute conversation here saves months of architectural redraws later. We do this with Burnaby owners every week.

The numbers, in citable form

FAQ

Twelve questions we field most often from Burnaby owners evaluating R1 SSMUH for a custom home.

What is Burnaby's R1 SSMUH zone?

R1 is Burnaby's small-scale multi-unit housing district, adopted June 10, 2024 in response to BC's Bill 44. It replaced the old R-series single-family zones across most of the city and permits 3 to 6 dwelling units on a former single-family lot, depending on lot area and proximity to frequent transit.

How many units can I build on my Burnaby R1 lot?

On a standard lot up to 280 m² (about 3,014 sq ft) you can build up to 3 units. Above 280 m² you can build up to 4. If your lot is also wholly or partly within 400 m of a frequent-transit bus stop, the maximum jumps to 6 units. These are city-stated allowances, not entitlements — site geometry, trees, and slope can reduce what actually fits.

What counts as a frequent-transit network area in Burnaby?

A frequent-transit network area (FTNA) is the 400-metre walking radius around any bus stop served by a route running at least every 15 minutes throughout the day. Burnaby maps these on its zoning portal. Most lots in Burnaby Heights, Capitol Hill, Brentwood, Metrotown, Edmonds, and along Hastings, Kingsway, Lougheed, and Willingdon fall inside an FTNA.

Do I still need to build a multiplex on R1, or can I build a single custom home?

Single-family is still legal under R1. The zone permits 3–6 units; it does not require them. Most of our Burnaby clients still build a single custom home, sometimes with a secondary suite or a coach house, because that's what their family wants. R1 expands the menu — it doesn't dictate the dish.

What are the setbacks on a Burnaby R1 lot?

As of May 2026, the R1 schedule sets a 3.0 m street-facing yard, 1.2 m interior side yards, 1.2 m lane-facing yards where applicable, and a 3.0 m rear yard for principal buildings. Accessory buildings get a reduced 1.2 m rear setback. Verify on your specific lot — the rewrite due July 1, 2026 may adjust these.

What is the lot coverage limit under R1 SSMUH?

Lot coverage scales with unit count: 35% for 1–3 units, 40% for 4 units, 45% for 5–6 units, and 50% for true rowhouse forms (City of Burnaby R1 schedule, current as of May 2026). The earlier draft tabled in 2024 had slightly higher coverage at the 1–3 tier; the adopted version is what controls today.

How tall can a building go on Burnaby R1?

Maximum height is 10.0 m above grade. Inside that envelope you can fit up to 3 storeys for the front building (including basement or cellar storey) and 2 storeys for any rear building. Capitol Hill, Buckingham Heights, and other hillside parcels have grade-derivation rules that can pull effective height down — get a survey before you trust the number.

Do I need to provide parking?

Outside FTNAs, R1 requires roughly 2/3 to 1 stall per unit, rounded up and depending on unit type. Inside an FTNA, parking is optional — you can build zero stalls if the design works without them. On-site stalls must sit at the rear, accessed from a lane or secondary street where one exists. Surface parking is capped at 2 stalls in a front yard and 4 in a rear yard.

Is the rewrite going to change all this on July 1, 2026?

The City of Burnaby's Zoning Bylaw Rewrite is in Phase 4 (Supporting Regulations & Implementation) as of May 2026 and is scheduled to take effect July 1, 2026. R1 SSMUH was already adopted in 2024 — the rewrite consolidates the surrounding bylaw, but the unit-count, coverage, and setback numbers in this guide are not expected to swing dramatically. We will refresh this page within 24 hours of the rewrite passing.

Can I stratify the units and sell them separately?

Provincial Bill 44 allowed strata subdivision of SSMUH units, but municipal approval still depends on lot shape, servicing, and the form of development (detached vs. attached). Burnaby has been issuing strata-eligible R1 permits since adoption, but the path is cleaner on attached forms (rowhouse, house-plex) than on three or four detached principal buildings on one parcel.

How does R1 affect my custom home if I just want a single-family house?

Mostly it gives you flexibility you didn't have. Under the old R5/R9 rules you were locked to one principal dwelling plus an optional suite. Under R1 you can plan a custom home today, build it now, and add a coach house or convert to a duplex later without rezoning. Design the foundation, services, and access for the upside even if you don't use it on day one.

Are heritage lots and protected character areas exempt from R1?

Heritage Conservation Areas and individually designated heritage properties have overlay rules that can override R1 unit counts and form. Capitol Hill and parts of Burnaby Heights have character-home incentives — keep the existing house, you may earn density bonuses or reduced fees. Run a title search and check the heritage register before any demolition decision.