Site & Design | Parking & Single-Stair

Two Rules That Decide What Fits

On a small lot, two rules do more to shape a houseplex than almost anything else: how much parking you must provide, and how many stairs you must build. Victoria's Schedule P sets parking at 0.77 spaces per unit and lets it fall to zero; BC's single-exit-stair reform lets small buildings up to six storeys use one stair. Both recover space and cut cost.

Key Takeaways

✓Parking base is 0.77 spaces per unit; none for suites, affordable units, or visitors.
✓Transportation demand measures can cut the requirement to zero — one accessible space remains.
✓BC allows single-exit-stair residential buildings up to six storeys (since Aug 27, 2024).
✓Removing a stair and structured parking are two of the biggest small-lot cost savings.

Parking: Lower Than You Think

Base ratio: 0.77 spaces per unit

Schedule P sets parking for Missing Middle forms at 0.77 vehicle spaces per dwelling unit — well below a one-space-per-unit standard. On a six-unit houseplex that is under five spaces before any reduction.

No parking for suites, affordable, or visitors

Secondary suites, affordable rental units, and visitor parking require no spaces at all. That carves real demand off the base requirement.

TDM can take it to zero

Transportation demand management measures reduce the requirement further: car-share membership and credits, a dedicated car-share vehicle, or an all-rental-in-perpetuity building with BC Transit passes can bring the requirement down to zero.

One accessible space stays

At least one accessible parking space is always required, regardless of the reductions above.

Parking provisions from the City of Victoria Schedule P, section 6.

Single-Stair: Recovered Floor Area

One stair up to six storeys

BC’s building code (Revision 3, in force August 27, 2024) allows single-exit-stair residential buildings up to six storeys. Previously a building three storeys or higher needed two egress stairwells.

Safety measures are required

Single-stair buildings must include sprinklers, smoke-management systems, and wider stairwells, with limits on occupancy and travel distance. The trade for one stair is a higher life-safety spec.

Why it matters on a small lot

A second stairwell consumes floor area on every level. Removing it recovers space for living area on a tight Victoria houseplex, improving the usable area per square metre of building.

Single-egress-stair provisions from the BC Building Code errata & revisions (Revision 3). Confirm the exact occupancy and travel-distance limits with a code consultant.

Best For

✓ Rental houseplexes that use transportation demand measures to remove parking cost.
✓ Small or narrow lots where a second stairwell would otherwise eat the floor plan.
✓ Transit-served neighbourhoods where low parking matches how residents actually travel.

Usually Fails When

✕ A design assumes one-space-per-unit parking and over-builds expensive structured parking.
✕ Single-stair is planned without the required sprinklers, smoke management, and wider stairs.
✕ TDM reductions are claimed without the binding commitments (e.g. perpetual rental) that earn them.

What To Verify Before Spending Money

→ Which TDM measures your project qualifies for, and the parking reduction each earns.
→ The egress your specific building height and occupancy require, with a code consultant.
→ That at least one accessible space is provided regardless of reductions.

Where to Go Next

Schedule P Rules

The full parking section and the rest of the envelope.

What Drives Cost

Why parking and stairs move the budget.

Lots, Setbacks & Coverage

The envelope these rules work inside.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much parking does a Victoria houseplex require? +

The base requirement under Schedule P is 0.77 vehicle parking spaces per dwelling unit — lower than a one-per-unit standard. No parking is required for secondary suites, affordable rental units, or visitors, and transportation demand management measures can reduce the requirement all the way to zero. At least one accessible space is always required.

Can I build a houseplex with no parking? +

Effectively yes, in the right configuration. The 0.77 base ratio can be reduced to zero through transportation demand measures — for example, an all-rental-in-perpetuity building with BC Transit passes. One accessible space remains the floor. Removing parking is one of the biggest cost savings available on a small lot.

What is the single-stair reform and how does it help? +

BC’s building code now allows single-exit-stair residential buildings up to six storeys, in force since August 27, 2024. A second stairwell eats floor area on every level; removing it recovers usable space on a tight lot. The trade-off is a higher life-safety spec — sprinklers, smoke management, and wider stairs.

Does single-stair apply to a typical 2–3 storey houseplex? +

The reform is most consequential for taller small-apartment forms up to six storeys, but the principle — fewer egress requirements freeing floor area — informs efficient houseplex layouts. Your designer and code consultant will confirm what egress your specific building height and occupancy require.

Why do parking and stairs belong on the same page? +

Because they are the two rules that most change what fits — and what a houseplex costs — on a small Victoria lot. Low parking requirements remove expensive structured parking, and single-stair design recovers floor area. Together they make six units on a modest lot far more workable than older rules allowed.