Bill 44 SSMUH — What It Actually Means for Your BC Lot

If you own a single-family lot anywhere in Greater Vancouver, the Fraser Valley, or the Sea-to-Sky corridor, you have probably been told over the last 18 months that “Bill 44 just made your lot worth a lot more.” Sometimes that’s true. Often it isn’t. Here is the framework I run for every owner before getting their hopes up.

What Bill 44 Actually Did

Bill 44, the Housing Statutes (Residential Development) Amendment Act, passed in late 2023 and now overrides every BC municipality’s single-family zoning for Small-Scale Multi-Unit Housing (SSMUH). The province-mandated minimums are:

• 3 units on a typical single-family lot in any municipality with 5,000+ population.
• 4 units on lots over 280 m² (≈3,014 sf).
• 6 units on lots within 400 m of frequent rail transit (i.e., SkyTrain), under Bill 47.

Small municipalities under 5,000 population only need to permit 2 units (typically a duplex or principal + secondary suite).

Run your lot through the Bill 44 Multiplex Calculator.

What Bill 47 Did On Top of It

Bill 47 introduced Transit-Oriented Development (TOD) designations province-wide. Around every SkyTrain station and major bus exchange, the province dictates minimum FSR and minimum height that a municipality must permit:

Bus exchanges have a similar but lower-intensity tier structure (4.0 / 3.0 / 2.5 FSR by distance).

Run your lot through the TOD Zoning Calculator.

The province’s intent: stop municipalities from down-zoning around new rapid transit, and force a baseline of density. Municipalities can permit more — they cannot permit less.

When Your Lot Actually Got More Valuable

Three scenarios where Bill 44/47 meaningfully changed your lot value:

1. Your lot is within 400 m of a SkyTrain station. You may now have rights to a 12-20 storey, 4.0–5.0 FSR project — a fundamentally different asset class than a single-family lot. Specific Vancouver, Burnaby, Coquitlam, Surrey, North Van, and Port Moody pockets are seeing lot values 2-4× pre-TOD pricing.

2. Your lot is large (8,000+ sf), corner, or has lane access. SSMUH economics work much better with depth and a back-lane garbage/services route. A 33-foot lot is hard to make pencil; a 50-foot corner lot is excellent.

3. You bought the lot for under $1.5M and the multiplex pro forma still works. This is rarer than developers admit. Construction at $400-$500/sf, financing at 6%+, and a 2026 condo absorption market means many SSMUH pro formas don’t actually pencil — even with the relaxed zoning.

When the Hype Doesn’t Apply

A lot of owners have been told by neighbours or unlicensed “consultants” that their lot is now a six-plex play. Reality checks:

• Lot too small for 4-6 units. Under 280 m² and you’re capped at 3.
• Sloped, treed, or constrained lot. Setbacks, stormwater, fire lane, parking — even if zoning permits 4, the buildable envelope may only fit 2.
• Heritage protections, RM tree bylaws, view corridors, riparian setbacks override zoning intensity.
• Construction costs at $400-$550/sf in 2026 mean a 4-plex on a $1.5M lot needs to sell out at $1,000+ psf to make the project work. In some neighbourhoods that’s fine. In others it’s not.
• Strata vs fee-simple. Most municipalities require multiplexes to be stratified — which adds costs, time, and ongoing strata management. Fee-simple subdivision under SSMUH rules is permitted in some municipalities but with extra requirements.

The Four Conversations to Have Before Believing Your Lot is Worth More

1. With a real estate professional who has comps. What are similar SSMUH-eligible lots actually selling for, with documented multiplex exits? I track this every month. Email me with the address.

2. With an architect or building designer. What does your lot’s actual buildable envelope look like after setbacks, parking, drainage, and tree retention?

3. With a builder. What does construction cost, all-in, in your neighbourhood, this year? Get a written ballpark — not a number from 2022.

4. With your municipal planning department. Pre-application meeting, no charge. Confirm zoning, OCP designation, and any heritage, environmental, or view-cone overlays. Many lots have surprises.

What Sellers Should Do Right Now

If you have an SSMUH-eligible single-family lot you’re thinking of selling, you should:

1. Get a CMA two ways — as a single-family home and as a development site. Some lots sell for more as a livable home; many sell for more as a teardown. The market decides, not you.
2. Talk to me before listing. I have a developer Rolodex for this exact use case. Some lots do better off-market with a clean, motivated builder.
3. Avoid signing exclusive deals with self-styled “land specialists” until you’ve seen comparable evidence and a written marketing plan.

What Buyers Should Do Right Now

If you are buying a single-family lot to live in (with future development optionality):

1. Run the lot through both calculators (Bill 44 and TOD) before offering.
2. Don’t pay a developer-driven premium unless you intend to develop and your pro forma works.
3. Confirm financing. Some lenders will not finance a stripped lot priced like a development site.

Bottom Line

Bill 44 and Bill 47 are real, large, and permanent. They have moved billions of dollars of land value across the Lower Mainland. But the value impact is wildly uneven — some lots tripled, most went up modestly, and many haven’t moved at all because the new zoning didn’t fit their constraints.

Want me to run your specific lot through the framework? Email dan@danmarusin.com or text 778-918-5990 with the address.

— Dan Marusin PREC Renanza Realty

Not zoning, legal, or development advice. Always confirm with your municipality and a qualified professional before relying on any of this for a real estate decision.