Building Types | Fourplex

Fourplex: The Shape of Bill 44

Two front entries on the street. Two rear entries on the lane. Mixed neighbouring families. The fourplex is the typology that Bill 44 produced and the building that defines small multiplex in BC.

Key Takeaways

✓Four units is the FSR-optimal split on a standard 4,000 sq ft Vancouver lot.
✓Two front + two rear is the dominant configuration; each unit gets its own grade entry.
✓CMHC MLI Standard and MLI Select financing both apply.
✓Vancouver's secured-rental track allows up to eight units in the fourplex FSR envelope.

Three Layouts That Work

Two front + two rear

Two units face the street, two face the lane. Each has its own ground-floor entry. The party wall runs front-to-back between the front pair and the rear pair, with a side party wall splitting each pair into two units.

Stacked four-unit

Two ground-floor units, two upper units, all sharing one stair. Common where lot width is below 33 feet or where the building is positioned to maximise back yard.

Four side-by-side

Four narrow units running the full depth of the lot, sharing three party walls. Works on wide lots (45 ft+) and produces the most ground-oriented unit type.

Why Two-Front-Plus-Two-Rear Wins

The two-front-plus-two-rear layout puts every unit on grade, gives each one its own door to the public realm, and avoids the BC Building Code Part 3 corridor rules that stacked configurations trigger. From the street, the building reads as a slightly larger single-family house with two front doors. From the lane, the same on the back. Mixed neighbouring families share party walls but rarely share a stair or corridor.

The configuration also splits the visual mass. A single-stair sixplex shows three storeys to the street. A two-front-plus-two-rear fourplex can show two storeys to both the street and the lane, with each pair of units reading as a separate dwelling. That is what most BC city design guidelines were written to encourage.

The Code Path

A two-front-plus-two-rear fourplex with four independent egress routes typically stays under BC Building Code Part 9 (small residential). Party walls require a one-hour fire-resistance rating and STC-50 sound separation. Sprinklers may not be required if the building stays under the Part 9 area and storey limits.

A stacked four-unit configuration with a shared stair will usually trigger Part 3, with the additional fire-protection, accessibility, and exit requirements that come with it. The choice between Part 9 and Part 3 affects the construction budget more than any other single code decision.

The Vancouver Secured-Rental Bonus

Vancouver's R1-1 zone allows up to six units by right and up to eight units when the project is registered as secured rental on long-term covenant. The bonus FSR pushes the building to about 1.0, fitting eight smaller units of 500 sq ft into the same lot envelope that holds four 700 sq ft strata units. The track is the most aggressive missing middle bonus in BC.

See the Vancouver page for the rental track detail and the financing page for how CMHC MLI Select pricing changes the rental pro forma.

Best For

✓ Standard 33-foot Vancouver and Burnaby lots with full servicing.
✓ Builders optimising for entry-level strata pricing or rental mix.
✓ Owners who want four ground-oriented units rather than a stacked sixplex.

Usually Fails When

✕ Lots below 280 m² where the four-unit Bill 44 minimum does not apply.
✕ Owners assuming Part 9 code applies regardless of stacking — it depends on configuration.
✕ Lots with retained large heritage trees that the four-unit footprint cannot work around.

What To Verify Before Spending Money

→ Your lot area and frontage against your municipality's SSMUH unit-count thresholds.
→ The BC Building Code path with a registered architect before committing to a stacked vs ground-oriented design.
→ CMHC MLI Select eligibility if pursuing the rental track.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why is fourplex the dominant Bill 44 typology?+

On a standard 4,000 sq ft Vancouver lot at 0.7 FSR, a fourplex divides 2,800 sq ft of building into four units of about 700 sq ft each — a size that hits both the entry-level strata market and the rental market. Four units also maxes out the unit count that Bill 44 mandates without requiring transit-frequency analysis or ministerial review.

What lot size do I need for a fourplex?+

Bill 44 mandates four units on lots over 280 m² (about 3,000 sq ft) where servicing is in place. Most Vancouver standard lots at 33 ft × 122 ft (4,026 sq ft) qualify. Smaller lots may still permit a fourplex under specific municipal bylaws.

Can a fourplex be all rental?+

Yes. CMHC MLI Standard and MLI Select financing both apply to four-unit rental projects. Vancouver's R1-1 secured-rental track allows up to eight units on a fourplex-sized FSR envelope when the project commits to long-term rental.

What is the standard parking arrangement?+

Most BC fourplexes built since 2024 supply zero to four surface stalls accessed off the lane. Vancouver's 2022 parking minimum removal made zero-stall fourplexes legal. The market typically supplies one stall per unit on lots away from frequent transit.

Does a fourplex require a Development Permit?+

In most BC cities, yes. Bill 44 eliminated the public hearing for compliant rezoning but did not eliminate the Development Permit process. Vancouver's Multiplex Development Permit is administered through a streamlined intake, not a council hearing.

Can the four units be different sizes?+

Yes. Bill 44 sets the unit count, not the unit mix. A common configuration is two two-bedroom front units and two one-bedroom rear units, optimising for both family and rental demand on the same lot.