Cross the boundary from Victoria into Saanich and the rules for building a small multiplex change — not because one city is stricter, but because they are running two different systems. Victoria has its own program. Saanich follows the province. Here is why that distinction matters before you buy a lot.
TL;DR
- The City of Victoria runs its own Missing Middle Housing Initiative: houseplexes up to six units, corner townhouses up to twelve, adopted January 2023 — before the provincial deadline.
- Saanich (and most of the region) follows the provincial Bill 44 / SSMUH framework: 3, 4, or 6 units by lot size and transit proximity.
- Victoria’s position is that SSMUH adds little inside the City, because its zoning already permitted more than a duplex-with-suites in many areas.
- Saanich went beyond the provincial floor in one way that helps builders: projects of four units or fewer are exempt from a Form and Character development permit.
- Which system governs your lot depends entirely on which municipality it sits in — confirm before you plan.
Two systems, one goal
Both Victoria and Saanich set out to do the same thing: allow small-scale multi-unit housing on lots that used to permit only a house or a duplex, without forcing every project through a rezoning and a public hearing. They arrived by different routes.
Victoria wrote its own Missing Middle Housing Initiative and adopted it on January 26, 2023 — ahead of the provincial Bill 44 deadline. It defines its own forms: the houseplex (three to six units) and the corner townhouse (up to twelve units on corner lots).
Saanich, like most BC municipalities over 5,000 people, implemented the provincial Small-Scale Multi-Unit Housing rules to meet the June 30, 2024 deadline.
What Saanich allows
Saanich permits up to 3, 4, or 6 units without rezoning on residential lots inside its Urban Containment Boundary. The exact count follows the provincial framework: three units on smaller lots, four on larger lots, and six on larger lots within 400 metres of a frequent-transit stop.
It also added local streamlining that goes beyond the provincial minimum. Projects of four units or fewer are exempt from requiring a Form and Character Development Permit — a real time saver. Saanich also removed the owner-occupancy requirement for secondary suites and allows both a secondary suite and a garden suite on the same property inside the boundary.
What Victoria does differently
Inside the City of Victoria, the Schedule P rules are what a builder works from, not the provincial SSMUH numbers. Victoria’s view is that because its zoning already permitted more than a duplex-with-two-suites in many areas, the provincial rules add little inside the City. In practice, the houseplex and corner townhouse forms — and their FSR, setback, and parking rules — are the controlling standard.
The headline difference: Victoria’s houseplex reaches six units on a typical lot through its own program, and a corner townhouse can reach twelve. Saanich tops out at six, and only where lot size and transit qualify.
Why this matters before you buy
The single most expensive mistake here is assuming the rules carry across a municipal line. A pro forma built on Victoria’s houseplex form does not transfer to a Saanich lot, and vice versa. The unit caps, the permit triggers, and even whether a Form and Character permit is required all depend on which side of the boundary you are on.
If you are comparing lots across the region, read each municipality on its own terms. We cover Saanich, Esquimalt, the West Shore, and Oak Bay separately for exactly this reason — each implemented the same provincial law differently.
The bottom line
Victoria and Saanich both removed the public hearing for small multiplexes, which is the barrier that matters most. But Victoria did it with its own program and its own forms, while Saanich followed the province and added its own development-permit exemption on top. Confirm which system governs your lot, then build the pro forma on that system’s actual rules.
Start with the Bill 44 vs Missing Middle comparison, or the Victoria Multiplex hub.
