Burnaby's R1 SSMUH Rules,
in plain English

Burnaby rewrote its residential rulebook on July 1, 2024, folding its twelve old residential "R" zones into one new district: R1, Small-Scale Multi-Unit Housing. If you own a detached house here, this is the single zoning fact that now governs what your lot can become. The hard part is that "the rules" are really three different ceilings stacked on lot size and transit — and Burnaby already tightened them once. Here is the whole picture, current as of June 2026.

The three unit tiers

Bill 44 — formally the Housing Statutes (Residential Development) Amendment Act — set a provincial floor that Burnaby could not zone below. The number of units your lot must be allowed to hold steps up with size and proximity to transit:

Thresholds per the Province of BC's SSMUH requirements: a minimum of 3 units on parcels 280 m² or smaller, 4 units on parcels larger than 280 m², and up to 6 units on qualifying lots near frequent transit.

What "frequent transit" actually means

The six-unit tier is the one owners chase, and it hinges on a definition most headlines skip. "Frequent transit" is not "near a bus stop." The province defines it as a stop served, on average, at least every 15 minutes between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m. on weekdays (and 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on weekends). In Burnaby that captures the SkyTrain stations and the busier bus corridors — not every route. Your lot then has to sit within 400 metres of one of those qualifying stops, and be at least 281 square metres, to reach six units. Miss the radius by a block and you are back to three or four.

There is a second, larger overlay worth knowing if you are near a SkyTrain station: BC's Transit-Oriented Development Areas (Bill 47) reach up to 800 metres around rapid-transit stations and 400 metres around bus exchanges, and can unlock far more than six units. SSMUH and TOD are different programs; close to a station, the TOD rules — not R1 — may be the ones that set your ceiling.

The rules already got tighter

This is the part that trips up anyone reading 2024-era coverage. Burnaby's first R1 bylaw was generous on building size, and neighbourhood pushback was loud. In October 2025 the City cut the permitted height and massing. The unit counts above did not change — but how much building you can wrap around those units did, and that is what feasibility actually turns on.

Massing figures per the City of Burnaby's October 16, 2025 council decision. The floor-area reduction varies by housing type, unit count, and lot size; confirm the exact envelope for your address against the current Zoning Bylaw.

Parking

Parking sits in an awkward middle. Provincial rules limit how much off-street parking a municipality can require for SSMUH lots inside the 400-metre frequent-transit radius — which covers a large share of Burnaby's R1 lots. The October 2025 amendments pushed parking expectations upward toward roughly 0.67 to 1 space per unit where the province permits, but transit-area lots stay constrained. The practical takeaway: do not assume you can or must build a stall per unit. Confirm the requirement for your specific address with the City before you design around it.

How to check your own lot

• 01.Measure the lot. Pull your parcel size from the title or BC Assessment. The 280 m² line decides whether you start at three or four units.
• 02.Check the transit radius. Is a SkyTrain station or frequent bus stop within 400 metres? That is the gate to the six-unit tier — and possibly to the richer TOD rules.
• 03.Read the current envelope. Use the Burnaby Zoning Bylaw and Official Zoning Map — not a 2024 article — for the height, floor area, and coverage that apply today.

Knowing your tier is step one. Whether that density actually pencils as a build is a separate question entirely — that is what the feasibility guide walks through.

This guide is general information as of June 2026 and is not legal or planning advice. Zoning rules and lot-specific eligibility change. Verify your property's current status with the City of Burnaby before making any purchase or development decision.