Manufactured Homes

Hello Csaba,

Thank you for contacting the City of Powell River Planning Services Department.

In response to your enquiry, the construction of log homes is permitted within City limits, subject to compliance with the BC Building Code.

For more information, please feel free to come by our office, where a member of our team can more accurately assess your situation and walk you through the development application process and/or specifics relating to ensuring compliance with existing regulations.

Our office is located in City Hall beside Council Chambers. We are open Monday through Friday from 8:30-4:30pm.

Sincerely,

City of Powell River Planning Services Department

Hello PFEE,

Thank you for contacting the City of Powell River Planning Services Department.

Due to nuances around modular housing design, existing language within our bylaws, and a need for additional information, we are unfortunately unable to provide a definitive answer to your enquiry at this time. In this instance, we recommend that any questions and additional information that you may have be brought to our office, where one of our planners can more accurately assess your situation and provide an informed response.

Our office is located in City Hall beside Council Chambers. We are open Monday through Friday from 8:30-4:30pm. Alternatively, please feel free to give us a call at 604-485-8650 to speak to a member of our team.

Sincerely,

City of Powell River Planning Services Department

City staff are hoping to present a report together with draft bylaw amendments to Council in the coming weeks. Following the submission of a report, proposed bylaws amendments must receive three readings from Council before final adoption. Final adoption of proposed bylaw amendments is expected in Fall/Winter 2023.  

At this time, use of mobile homes will remain limited to mobile home parks.

Under existing provincial legislation, a number of conditions must be met for a structure to be considered a dwelling. Conditions include meeting CSA standard and BC Building Code requirements. As trailer homes, trailers, and tiny homes often feature a permanent wheelbase or chassis, compliance with CSA standards is not possible if the chassis has wheels. The construction and use of a structure on a permanent wheelbase as a dwelling is also not in conformance with the BC Building Code*. Dwellings that do not meet this requirement are not considered safe or suitable as permanent homes.

*Trailers, trailer homes, and tiny homes are instead regulated under the Motor Vehicle Act.

Provincial legislation does not permit trailers and trailer homes to be used as permanent housing.

Trailers are, however, permitted in campgrounds for recreational and seasonal use. Under current zoning, campgrounds are permitted in the C5: Campground Commercial, PK: Park, and NT: Institutional zone.

City of Powell River does not permit the use of tiny homes within city limits. 

It does, however, permit small homes on permanent foundations that meet the BC Building Code. City of Powell River has no minimum size for single-detached homes or carriage homes. Carriage homes are permitted in the R1, R2, RA1, CD4, A0, A1, and A2 residential zones.

It depends on the standard your tiny home is built to and zoning of your land.

• Part 9 BC Building Code standard: Yes, in a residential zone that allows single-detached homes or carriage houses. The Zoning Bylaw does not have a minimum dwelling size for single detached homes or carriage houses. So you can already build a small home to BC Building Code standards in low density residential areas. The proposed changes would also allow people to install modular homes on their properties, either as the principal dwelling or as a carriage house.
• Z240 MH Series standard: Yes, in R4 Mobile Home Park residential zone. The proposed bylaw changes won't change where mobile homes are allowed.
• Z241 Series standard: No. Under the province's Manufactured Home Regulations, park model trailers and other recreational vehicles are not considered dwellings and are instead regulated by the Motor Vehicle Act.

Mobile homes and modular homes are both types of manufactured homes. The difference between them is the standard that they are built to. 

• Mobile homes (also known as sectional homes) are built to the BC Building Code under CSA Z240 MH Series, Manufactured Homes Standard, so they have a metal frame. They are built in a factory and then transported to the site in one or two sections with interior and exterior finishing complete. They are also usually installed on concrete blocking, or cement/metal pylons for a foundation.
• Modular homes are built in a factory in modules that are then transported and assembled on-site.  The modules are usually delivered from the factory with insulation, air/vapour barrier, plumbing, wiring, and exterior siding. The interior finishing is largely completed on-site. Modular homes are typically built on full-perimeter foundations or a slab foundation.

Both mobile homes and modular homes are manufactured in factories that conform with the CSA A277 manufacturing process standard. The main difference between a modular home and a mobile home is that a modular home is considered the same as a conventional site-built home for mortgage and insurance purposes if the owner registers a financial statement under the personal property registry of the Personal Property Security Act using the home’s Manufactured Home Act registration number and if the owner consents to being exempt from the Manufactured Home Act.