Cranbrook city council approved extending the grace period for non-conforming suites to become compliant to April 30, 2025.
City staff said the change to Cranbrook’s Secondary Suites Implementation policy was made in recognition of the growing need for affordable housing options.
“This policy, first approved by Council in 2021, provides an approach to attract property owners to legalize existing non-conforming secondary suites where no previous building permits were in place,” said city officials.
Those who begin the process amid the grace period will not have to pay building permit fees, development cost charges (DCCs) or utility fees on their secondary suite.
However, this fee waiver is only in place for existing non-conforming suites, and will not apply for new builds that include a secondary suite, or additions to include one.
City officials said challenges in Cranbrook’s construction labour shortages, limited supply and high costs of building materials contribute to high costs of renovations, including the addition of secondary suites.
“The City sees these factors as important, but not the only factor in the low uptake by property owners to date to bring their secondary suites into conformance,” said city staff.
The city said this is an effort to make existing suites conform to building code requirements and to ensure the health and safety of residents living in them.
You can begin legalizing your suite by filling out an application for a building permit and submitting it with detailed drawings and supporting documents to the city’s Building Division.
“A compliance inspection may be scheduled at the discretion of the Building Inspector to assist the applicants with their application process,” said city staff.
More on the city’s secondary suite policy can be found below.
More: Secondary Suites (City of Cranbrook)