How Bill 44 Changed What You Can Buy: BC's Multiplex Zoning Explained

What Bill 44 Actually Did

In November 2023, the BC provincial government passed Bill 44 — the Housing Statutes Amendment Act. The short version: every municipality in British Columbia must now allow multiplex housing on lots that were previously zoned for single-family homes only. Up to four units on most residential lots. Up to six units on lots near frequent transit.

This is a big deal. For decades, the majority of residential land in BC cities was reserved exclusively for detached single-family homes. One lot, one house. Bill 44 broke that lock. It didn't ask municipalities to consider allowing more housing. It required them to. Provincial law now overrides local zoning bylaws that restrict density on residential lots.

The legislation targets what planners call the "missing middle" — housing types between single-family homes and large apartment towers. Duplexes, triplexes, fourplexes, and small multiplexes. These building forms were common in Canadian cities before the mid-20th century, then effectively banned by single-family zoning. Bill 44 brings them back.

The Timeline: From Vancouver's Head Start to Province-Wide Mandates

Vancouver actually moved first. In September 2023 — two months before Bill 44 passed — Vancouver City Council approved its own multiplex zoning policy. The city didn't wait for the province. Under Vancouver's rules, multiplexes of three to six units became permitted on most residential lots across the city.

Then Bill 44 landed in November 2023, extending the same concept province-wide. But passing a law and seeing it enforced are different things. That's where Bill 25 comes in. Bill 25 set a hard compliance deadline: June 30, 2026. By that date, every municipality must have updated its zoning bylaws and official community plans to allow the density Bill 44 requires.

Some municipalities are dragging their feet. Others are genuinely struggling with the administrative workload of rewriting decades of zoning policy in a compressed timeframe. The province has made it clear: comply or face consequences. Whether those consequences have real teeth remains to be seen.

What This Means for Buyers

If you're looking to buy in Greater Vancouver, Bill 44 is changing the map. Neighbourhoods that were exclusively detached homes for decades are now seeing multiplex applications. Kitsilano. Dunbar. Kerrisdale. Point Grey. Marpole. These are areas where a single-family lot might cost $2.5 million or more. A unit in a new fourplex on that same street? That's a different price point entirely.

VanPlex reports that as of January 2026, 498 multiplex applications have been filed in the City of Vancouver alone. That number will keep climbing. Each application represents a new building with two to six units that didn't exist before — and in a neighbourhood where the only option used to be a $2M+ detached house.

The practical impact for buyers: more choices. You can now own a home in a walkable, established neighbourhood without competing for a single-family lot. That's the promise, anyway. The reality depends on how fast these projects get built and at what price.

Municipality-by-Municipality: Who's Moving, Who's Stalling

Not every municipality is at the same stage. Here's where things stand in Greater Vancouver as of early 2026:

Vancouver is the clear leader. With 498 applications filed and a streamlined permitting process, the city has cut permitting times by roughly 50%, according to the City of Vancouver. Pre-approved building designs help too. If you want to see what multiplex development looks like at scale, Vancouver is the case study.

Burnaby has been slower to adapt. Rezoning processes remain complex, and the city's planning department is still working through how to integrate multiplex zoning with existing neighbourhood plans. Applications are coming in, but the pipeline is thinner than Vancouver's.

Surrey is taking a different approach, focusing on townhome corridors along major routes rather than scattered multiplex infill. The city has more greenfield land than Vancouver, so the pressure to densify existing single-family neighbourhoods is lower — but it's still there.

North Vancouver (both city and district) is adapting existing policies to meet Bill 44 requirements. There's genuine interest from developers given the area's desirability, but lot sizes and topography create constraints you don't see on the flats of Vancouver's west side.

West Vancouver has seen minimal multiplex activity. The municipality's high land values and steep terrain make fourplex economics challenging. Don't expect a flood of applications here.

Port Moody is in early stages. The city is working through bylaw updates, and a handful of applications have been filed. Given its transit connections and relative affordability, Port Moody could see meaningful multiplex growth once the regulatory framework is in place.

The Developer Angle: Land Sales, Costs, and Incentives

The developer side of the multiplex story is more complicated than "build it and they will come." VanPlex data shows that multiplex land transactions in the Vancouver area totalled 46 sales worth $114 million in 2025, down sharply from 124 sales totalling $303 million in 2024. That's a significant pullback.

Why the slowdown? Construction costs are a major factor. Building a fourplex on a $2M lot when lumber, labour, and financing costs are all elevated makes the math tight. Some builders who jumped in early are now recalibrating their models. Others are waiting for land prices to adjust downward before buying more sites.

There are incentives. Vancouver offers net zero bonus density — build to a high energy-efficiency standard and you can add more floor area. That extra square footage can make the difference between a project that pencils out and one that doesn't. For developers who can manage the construction complexity, this is a real advantage.

The market is also segmenting. Some developers focus on pre-approved designs to speed up permitting. Others are building custom multiplexes aimed at the higher end of the market — units at $1.2M+ targeting buyers who want a detached-home feel in a multiplex format.

What Critics Say — And Where They Have a Point

Bill 44 has opponents, and not all their concerns are frivolous. Some neighbourhood groups oppose increased density on principle — they bought into a single-family street and don't want that to change. Whether you find that sympathetic depends on your perspective, but the provincial government has made its position clear: housing supply matters more than preserving single-family exclusivity.

Infrastructure is a more substantive concern. Older neighbourhoods were designed for single-family density. Sewer lines, water mains, and road capacity were sized for one household per lot. Triple or quadruple that density and you need infrastructure upgrades. Who pays for those upgrades — and when they happen — is an open question in most municipalities.

Parking is contentious too. Many multiplex projects reduce or eliminate parking to make the numbers work. In car-dependent neighbourhoods without strong transit, that creates friction.

And there's the scale question. CMHC data indicates that multiplexes accounted for just 2% of Vancouver's missing middle construction between 2018 and 2025. Two percent. Townhomes and low-rise apartments have contributed far more to missing middle supply. Multiplexes alone won't solve the housing crisis. They're one piece of a much larger puzzle.

Key Takeaways

• Bill 44 is provincial law, not a guideline. Every BC municipality must allow up to 4 units on single-family lots (6 near transit) by June 30, 2026.
• Vancouver is well ahead, with 498 applications filed and permitting times cut in half. Other municipalities are at various stages of compliance.
• For buyers, this means new ownership options in established neighbourhoods. For developers, the economics are real but tight — land and construction costs are the binding constraints.
• Multiplexes are part of the housing solution but not the whole answer. At 2% of missing middle construction, they need to scale significantly to make a dent in affordability.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does Bill 44 apply to my property?

If your property is in a BC municipality and currently zoned for single-family residential use, then yes — Bill 44 applies. Your municipality must allow at least a duplex on your lot, and up to four units on most lots. If your lot is within 400 metres of a frequent transit stop, up to six units may be permitted. Check your municipality's updated zoning bylaw for the specific rules that apply to your lot size and location.

How many units can I build under Bill 44?

The baseline is up to four units on lots previously zoned single-family. Near frequent transit (generally within 400 metres of a bus route with 15-minute service or better), the allowance increases to six units. Individual municipalities may allow more through their own policies. Vancouver, for example, allows up to six units on most residential lots regardless of transit proximity, and offers bonus density for projects meeting net zero energy standards.

When do municipalities need to comply with multiplex zoning?

The compliance deadline is June 30, 2026, set by Bill 25. By that date, all BC municipalities must have updated their zoning bylaws and official community plans to allow the multiplex density Bill 44 requires. Some municipalities — Vancouver being the most notable — have already complied. Others are still working through bylaw amendments. If your municipality hasn't updated its rules yet, it will need to before mid-2026 or face provincial intervention.