If you own a house in Port Moody, the rules governing your lot changed in June 2024, and there is a good chance nobody told you. This is the plain version of what happened and what it means.
What SSMUH is
SSMUH stands for small-scale multi-unit housing. It comes from a 2023 provincial law, BC Bill 44, formally the Housing Statutes (Residential Development) Amendment Act. The law requires most BC cities, including Port Moody, to allow more than one home on lots that used to permit only a single house or a duplex.
Port Moody brought its zoning into line on June 25, 2024, with Amendment Bylaw No. 3460. Since then, three, four, and in some places six homes are permitted on ordinary residential lots across the city.
The change is permitted outright. That means no rezoning and no public hearing. A qualifying SSMUH project follows a building permit path, which is faster and far more predictable than the old process.
How many homes your lot allows
In Port Moody, the number comes down to two things: how big your lot is, and how close it is to frequent transit.
| Your lot | Homes allowed |
|---|---|
| Under 280 m² | Up to 3 units |
| 280 m² to 4,050 m² | Up to 4 units |
| 280 m² to 4,050 m², within 400 m of frequent transit | Up to 6 units |
"Frequent transit" means a bus stop with service roughly every 15 minutes. When the City adopted the bylaw, its staff estimated that about 3,709 Port Moody lots qualify for up to four units, and 515 sit close enough to frequent transit to reach six. Only around a dozen fall under the 280 m² threshold that caps them at three.
What "up to six" does not mean
The headline number is the most misunderstood part. "Up to six units" is a ceiling, not a promise. Whether six homes actually fit and make sense on a given lot depends on grade, tree retention, servicing, setbacks, and plain economics. On a sloped Seaview lot, four well-designed homes may be the real answer. On a flat Glenayre lot near a bus route, six might genuinely work.
This is why a number alone is close to useless. The useful question is not "how many can I build" but "what does my specific lot actually support, and is any of it worth doing."
The law opened a door. It did not tell anyone whether walking through it is a good idea. That part is still yours to work out.
One more law to know about
If your property is near the SkyTrain, a different law may apply. Bill 47 created transit-oriented areas around Moody Centre and Inlet Centre stations, where much taller apartment forms are allowed instead of SSMUH. A lot is governed by one framework or the other, decided by its distance to the platform. For most of Port Moody, away from those two stations, SSMUH is the relevant rule.
Where to go next
Start by finding your lot on the City's zoning map and checking its size and transit distance. Read the full rules for the housing types involved, and the FAQ for costs and timelines. If you want a plain read of your specific property, a feasibility study is free and comes with no obligation.