Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAboutDetached Garden Suite Building Permit Application Guide Detached Garden Suite (DGS) Guide Small Standalone Residential Unit Page 1 of 3 City of Maple Ridge Revised 2016-02-29 11995 Haney Place, Maple Ridge, BC V2X 6A9 Tel: 604-467-7311 Fax: 604-467-7461 Inspection Requests: inspectionrequests@mapleridge.ca Web Site: www.mapleridge.ca Inquiries at: permits@mapleridge.ca This guide was developed to provide information and assistance when applying for a Detached Garden Suite (DGS) Permit. The Detached Garden suite was developed by the City to provide a small discrete residence as a secondary source of income or to accommodate a family member. The following information is what is required to be confirmed and acknowledged before the decision is made to move forward to construct a DGS. This information must be verified before beginning the design and/or purchase process to ensure the desired end result will be achieved. Should it not be possible to meet this criteria then a DGS would not be possible on the property under consideration. Once it is determined, based on the following information, that a DGS may be constructed, the final piece of information to be aware of is how far away from the current residence the DGS may be constructed. If sufficient distance cannot be met (which the BC Building Code refers to as limiting distance) from the existing dwelling it may not be possible to construct a DGS as the Building Code’s requirements for fire protection may be too difficult to achieve. DETACHED GARDEN SUITE RESIDENTIAL USE: Means a self-contained dwelling unit, accessory to, subordinate and detached from a one family residential use, limited to one dwelling unit on the same lot, located within the Rear Yard. The following identifies the minimum criteria needed to be met before a Detached Garden Suite (DGS) can be designed and constructed on a property in Maple Ridge: 1) Properties zoned R-1, R-2, R-3, RST, RST-SV, CD-1-93, CD- 3-98, CD-1-99 and A-5; do NOT permit a dwelling unit as a DGS. 2) Properties zoned RS-1b, RS-1, RS-1a, RS-1c, RS-1d, RS-2, RS-3, A- 1, A-2, A-3 or A-4 may be eligible to construct a Detached Garden Suite. 3) Where a DGS use is proposed on lands within the Agricultural Land Reserve, approval from the Agricultural Land Commission must be obtained prior to applying for a Building Permit. Contact the City’s Planning Department @ 604-467-7341 for information on this process and the criteria. 4) If your lot size is less than 557 m2 (5995 ft2) a DGS will NOT be permitted. 5) Height and siting of the proposed DGS must comply with the Maple Ridge Zoning Bylaw # 3510-1985, specifically; PART 4, GENERAL REGULATIONS, SECTION 402: REGULATIONS FOR PERMITTED USES OF LAND, BUILDINGS & STRUCTURES, subsection (11). 6) Required fees for any necessary works & services upgrades to the property are to be paid to the City’s Engineering Department. Contact this department at 604-467-7339 to determine what may be required. 7) If your property is located within a designated floodplain a DGS will not be permitted unless the finished floor elevation of the DGS is located above the flood protection elevation of the lot. 8) If there is a “No Suite” covenant on your property; this covenant must be removed. This is done through a “Form C” by your notary or lawyer. 9) Only one DGS is permitted per eligible lot. 10) A DGS is not permitted if other uses such as a; Secondary Suite Use, Temporary Residential Use, Boarding Use, Accessory Employee Residential Use or Temporary Tourist Use exist on the property. 11) The property owner must live in either the main house or in the DGS and a “Housing Agreement” stating this must be signed with the City and registered on title prior to permit issuance. 12) Properties that have constructed a DGS are not permitted to be subdivided or Strata-titled. PLEASE TURN PAGE OVER  Detached Garden Suite (DGS) Guide Small Standalone Residential Unit Page 2 of 3 City of Maple Ridge Revised 2016-02-29 11995 Haney Place, Maple Ridge, BC V2X 6A9 Tel: 604-467-7311 Fax: 604-467-7461 Inspection Requests: inspectionrequests@mapleridge.ca Web Site: www.mapleridge.ca Inquiries at: permits@mapleridge.ca 13) A Housing Agreement covenant is required to be registered on title. This agreement identifies the terms and conditions (between the property owner(s) and the City) that are required to be met as part of being permitted to construct a DGS. 14) A covenanted single parking space (registered on title) must be provided on the lot for the DGS. This is in addition to the two parking spaces required for the house (tandem parking is not permitted). 15) The DGS must be located within the rear yard of a one family residential use. Contact the City Planning Department 604-467-7341 to determine what the zoning bylaw considers rear yard. 16) At least one pathway with an unobstructed width of not less than 1.5 metres must be provided between the front street and the DGS. This 1.5 metre unobstructed pathway must be levelled, graded and finished with a suitable permeable surface and be clear of any cornices, sills, pilasters, hutches, eaves, nooks, bay windows and/or any other architectural features that cantilever beyond the building face. 17) The DGS must be a minimum of 37m2 and a maximum of 90m2 in size (398.3ft2 to 968.75ft2) and must not exceed 10% of the lot area. All buildings and structures cannot exceed the maximum site coverage permitted under the specific zone. 18) A minimum private outdoor space of at least 25% of the Gross Floor Area of the DGS is required. This may include any covered or uncovered sundeck/patio or veranda and must be provided adjacent to the DGS for the sole use of the DGS. 19) The DGS must comply with all the current BC Building Code requirements for a one family residential structure. 20) Provincial “Sewerage Regulation” compliance must be obtained for a DGS that is being constructed on a lot that is not on Municipal sanitary sewer. This is to be verified by an “authorized person” acceptable to the City (e.g. Civil Engineer or registered on-site waste water practitioner). This compliance form must be submitted at the same time as permit application. 21) If the property is not provided with a City water connection a separate well for the sole use of the DGS must be provided. A completed Schedule G “Certificate of Well Water Quantity and Potability” along with a drillers log must be submitted at the time of permit application. The well’s capacity must comply with the City’s Building Bylaw for capacity of 2,250 Liters per day on a year round bases. 22) All properties are required to install a storm water management system to minimize the amount of water that leaves the property. This system is required to be design by an engineer that understands the principals of storm water management as set out in the City of Maple Ridge water course protection bylaw. If the above criteria are met, the following documents will provide the necessary information to apply for a building permit:  Single Family Dwelling/DGS Checklist (Single Family Dwelling Checklist)  Residential Building Permit Application (http://www.mapleridge.ca/190/Application-Forms)  Zoning Checklist (http://www.mapleridge.ca/187/Checklists)  Owners Acknowledgement of Responsibility – Simple Buildings (Owners Acknowledgement of Responsibility - Simple Buildings)  Yards Document  Letter of Authorization – General for non-owner applicants (Letter of Authorization - General)  Certificate of Well Water Quantity and Potability (Certificate of Water Quantity and Potability) NOTE: You will be required to have a legal survey certificate on site when calling for your foundation “Forms” inspection. This survey must be obtained from a BC Land Surveyor. PLEASE TURN PAGE OVER  Detached Garden Suite (DGS) Guide Small Standalone Residential Unit Page 3 of 3 City of Maple Ridge Revised 2016-02-29 11995 Haney Place, Maple Ridge, BC V2X 6A9 Tel: 604-467-7311 Fax: 604-467-7461 Inspection Requests: inspectionrequests@mapleridge.ca Web Site: www.mapleridge.ca Inquiries at: permits@mapleridge.ca A Detached Garden Suite is considered a Single Family Dwelling and as such is subject to the regulations governing residential construction as governed by the Home Protection Office (HPO). All covenants are required to be registered prior to permit issuance. I. Electrical, Sprinkler, Plumbing and Gas permits must be taken out by certified contractors licensed to work in Maple Ridge. II. All inspections applicable to a single family dwelling apply to the DGS. III. Once all inspections are completed and finalized, and all required documents have been completed an Occupancy Permit may be issued. * The Housing Agreement covenant AND the Parking covenant must be registered with the Land Title Office. Contact a Development Services Technician in the Building Department at 604-467-7311 to obtain a sample covenant that may be taken to a lawyer or notary for execution. Note: The "Housing Agreement Covenant" is registered against the property, not the owner and will remain registered against the property until such time as the present or future owner of the property has the covenant removed. Schedule of Fees:  Permit fees are determined in the same manner as for Single Family Dwellings. A complete list of the fees can be found on the City’s web site and within the City’s Building Bylaw.  A Metro Vancouver sewerage charge is applicable for the construction of a DGS. This fee is currently $1,731.00(1) and is payable at time of permit issuance.  A refundable environmental security of $1500.00(1) is payable at permit issuance and will be returned once the project is complete providing no environmental damage has occurred.  If upgrading an existing accessory residential structure or accessory parking structure to a DGS an application fee of $250.00(1) is required. This fee is required for the initial inspections conducted by the Building Department to determine the feasibility and required code and structural upgrades to the existing structure to convert it to a DGS. It should be noted that the structure and all of its services will be required to be upgraded to all current codes and bylaws that regulate construction.  A fee of $70.00(1), payable to the Engineering Department, is required where an evaluation or estimate is required for upgrade or connection to Municipal services (sanitary, water and storm services). The following document has been created to provide some guidance around this issue (New Detached Garden Suite (DGS) Engineering Department). The Engineering Department may be contacted directly at 604- 467-7339 for further information regarding this or any other issues relating Municipal services.  With the addition of the DGS, annual assessments on the property are adjusted as follows: o Sewer charges are doubled, (not applicable if on septic system), o The water charges are increased 1½ times (not applicable if on a private well), and o Applicable recycling charges. (1) All fees listed in this document are subject to change and are to be verified with the various Departments.