Housing Information

The City of Prince Rupert understands that our community is in serious need of more housing, and for the past several years has been working to not only encourage the Province to invest in additional non-market/affordable units, and has also listed a number of City-held lots for sale in order to free up new lands for development within the City's limited urban footprint.  

Following the adoption of a Housing Strategy (linked below) in 2021, the City has been carrying out a number of the recommendations provided to us - including the adoption of a Revitalization Tax Exemption Bylaw for downtown, removal of permitting and development fees for construction resulting in the creation of new units, and the adoption of a Rental Licensing and Maintenance Standards Bylaw intended to reduce potential future loss of rental housing. Council has also approved changes to the City's Zoning Bylaw to permit Secondary Suites in two-family homes (duplexes) and lock-off suites in multi-family homes (3+ principle units) and to allow housing to be built from modular units on permanent foundations.

See below for additional information relating to housing in Prince Rupert. 

Rainbows with homes in foreground

Community Housing Resources

Our community has existing supports that can help residents and newcomers in navigating the quest for housing and/or retain housing that they already have through rental supplements and other programming. Click here for more information.
Multi-family building

Rental Maintenance and Licensing Standards

Prince Rupert City Council has approved a Business Regulation and Licensing (Rental Units) Bylaw 3476, 2021 to regulate the rental of rooms for living purposes and to prescribe standards for the maintenance of residential property and rental units. This B
Overhead view of east side of Prince Rupert

Secondary Suites

Secondary suites are now legal in all areas of Prince Rupert. For more information on suite regulations as well as incentive programs, click the link.
Prince Rupert home

Housing Needs Assessment

Find the City's latest Housing Needs Assessment here, which projects the number and type of units we anticipate needing over the next decade.
Aerial view of Prince Rupert from the east

Housing Acceleration Action Plan

This Housing Acceleration Action Plan was developed to support the City of Prince Rupert’s application to the Federal Housing Accelerator Fund, and adopted in October of 2023. For more information and the full document, follow the link.
aerial image of Prince Rupert

Provincial Changes Impacting Housing Regulations

The Province has initiated a number of legislative changes impacting how municipalities regulate housing. For more information, follow the link.
If you are interested in developing housing in Prince Rupert or implementing a suite, please visit Developing in Prince Rupert or reach out to the Planning Department at 250 627-1781 or planning@princerupert.ca.

Related Documents and Information

Housing Related News