Contents 18 sections
- What we found
- Why start with fees
- What does a standard duplex pay
- How do the charges change on a bigger lot
- Why does the permit date matter
- What does the construction itself cost
- What else is on the fee side
- How do fees compare in other cities
- What drives the construction budget
- What goes into a complete duplex budget
- How is a duplex usually paid for
- Which taxes apply when you sell or move in
- What about the GST rental rebate
- Can you lower the development charges
- Where do duplex budgets usually go wrong
- How do we price a duplex
- Questions
- Sources
On a standard 33 by 122 ft Vancouver lot, a new duplex pays about $70,800 in development charges at 2026 rates. That’s before permit fees and construction. About $21,200 goes to the City and $49,600 to Metro Vancouver and TransLink. The regional charges go up on January 1, 2027.
What we found
From our analysis of City of Vancouver permit data and the City’s 2026 rates:
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$70,800
In development charges on a new duplex on a 33 by 122 ft lot, at 2026 rates.
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70%
Of those charges go to Metro Vancouver and TransLink, not the City. They’re charged per home, so they don’t shrink on a small lot.
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$900,000
Is the median construction value written on new-duplex permits in 2025 and 2026. In 2023 it was $770,000, so it’s up 17%.
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+$12,800
More in regional charges for the same duplex once Metro Vancouver’s new rates start on January 1, 2027.
Why start with fees?
Fees are set by bylaw. You pay them before the permit is issued. And they’re the part of a duplex budget that surprises owners most.
Construction cost depends on your design, your lot and your finishes. An honest number comes after design. Development charges are different. We can work them out today from your address and floor area.
Every Vancouver rate below comes from the City’s Development Cost Levies Bulletin, last changed August 25, 2026. It also lists the regional charges the City collects for Metro Vancouver and TransLink.
What does a standard duplex pay?
Take a 33 by 122 ft lot (374 m²) with a duplex built to the full 0.70 FSR. That’s about 262 m² of floor area in two homes:
- Regional charges (Metro Vancouver and TransLink)
- City of Vancouver levies
T-City calculation from the City of Vancouver Development Cost Levies Bulletin (amended August 25, 2026): 262 m² of floor area, two homes
| Charge | 2026 rate | This duplex |
|---|---|---|
| City-wide DCL | $49.88/m² | about $13,060 |
| City-wide Utilities DCL | $31.25/m² | about $8,180 |
| Metro Vancouver sewerage and drainage | $10,498 per home | $20,996 |
| Metro Vancouver water | $10,952 per home | $21,904 |
| Metro Vancouver parkland | $491 per home | $982 |
| TransLink | $2,837 per duplex home | $5,674 |
| Total | about $70,800 |
The City’s rates include a 20% cut approved in December 2025. In July 2026, Council kept that cut and added a 3% rise each September 30 from 2027 to 2029. Metro Vancouver lowered its 2026 and 2027 rates on July 24, 2026. The figures above use the lower rates.
Some websites list the Utilities DCL at $39.06/m². The City’s own bulletin says $31.25/m², so that’s what we use.
How do the charges change on a bigger lot?
The City charges by floor area, so its levy grows with the lot. The regional charges are per home, so they don’t.
On a 50 by 122 ft lot (566.7 m²), a duplex at 0.70 FSR has about 397 m² of floor area. The City levies come to about $32,200. Metro Vancouver and TransLink still charge for two homes, about $49,600. The total is about $81,800.
Suites work the same way. A suite adds floor area, so it pays the City levy. The exception is a suite of 29.7 m² or less. That’s why lock-off units are popular: they add a rental with no City levy.
Why does the permit date matter?
You pay the rate in force on the day the permit is issued, not the day you apply. Metro Vancouver’s charges go up on January 1, 2027: sewerage to $11,553, water to $15,532 and parkland to $1,237 per home. For the same duplex, that’s about $12,800 more.
There’s some protection. If your application was complete and paid for before a rate change, you can keep the old rate. The permit has to be issued within 12 months. A well-prepared application is worth real money here.
What does the construction itself cost?
Every permit lists a construction value: the owner’s or builder’s estimate when they apply. For new duplexes, the median stayed between $754,000 and $770,000 every year from 2019 to 2023. It rose to $856,000 in 2024 and $900,000 in 2025 and 2026.
- Median permit
- Middle half of permits
- 2024 on
T-City analysis of City of Vancouver open data: issued building permits, January 2017 to October 2, 2026 · 1,902 new-duplex permits
Treat these as a floor, not a quote. The City charges its permit fee on this number, so nobody rounds it up. And it leaves out design, fees and anything added later. For new houses, our analysis found the finished building was assessed at 1.65 times its permit value. For a full duplex budget, including land, see is building a duplex worth it.
What else is on the fee side?
A few more items belong in the budget before building starts:
- Amenity Cost Charge. A new City charge for community amenities, from September 30, 2026. For a duplex it’s $24.97 per m² ($2.32 per sq ft). That’s about $6,500 on a full duplex on a 33 ft lot
- Permit fees. The development and building permit, the demolition permit, and later trade permits
- Sewer and water connections. A separate permit you apply for first
- BC Hydro. A bigger electrical service if the old one can’t power two homes with heat pumps
- Home warranty. Each new home is enrolled in 2-5-10 warranty insurance before the permit is issued
Some things are exempt. Suites of 29.7 m² (320 sq ft) or less don’t pay City levies. Neither do additions under 500 sq ft to buildings with fewer than four homes, or renovations that don’t add floor area.
How do fees compare in other cities?
Very differently. Each city sets its own charges, and the gaps are bigger than the gaps in building costs. These are city charges only, before regional charges:
| City | How it charges | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Vancouver | $81.13/m² of floor area (City DCL + Utilities DCL) | Duplex on a 33 ft lot: about $21,200 |
| Burnaby | $81,833 per main home for a house or duplex (DCC + ACC). Suites not charged | Duplex with 2 suites: $163,666 |
| Richmond | No city DCCs on small-scale housing right now | Duplex with 2 suites: $0 city. Regional charges about $95,366 |
| Surrey | $55,260 per small-scale lot (2024 bylaw), plus a per-sq-ft rate for extra homes. The 2026 bylaw proposes $51,633 | Plus the Amenity Cost Charge and regional charges |
| Coquitlam | DCC of $64,396 per house or $38,537 per townhouse home, plus ACC of $21,205 per home | Depends on how the bylaw classes the building |
| New Westminster | $105.04/m² DCC plus $240.56/m² ACC at the townhouse rate | One 1,410 sq ft duplex home: about $45,300 |
| Port Coquitlam | $8,897 DCC, $1,788 parkland and $8,038 ACC per duplex home | About $18,700 per duplex home. Suites not charged |
| Delta | $19,844 DCC per new home. No ACC yet | Duplex: $39,688 |
Two things stand out. Burnaby charges a lot but skips suites, so a duplex with two suites pays for two homes, not four. Richmond charges nothing of its own on small-scale housing right now, though it’s reviewing that. Always check the city first.
What drives the construction budget?
Building is the biggest cost, and design choices move it most:
- Layout. Side by side on a wider lot, or front to back on a 33 ft lot. Front to back needs more walls and two sets of stairs
- Suites. Each one adds a kitchen, a bathroom, fire and sound walls, and often a basement
- Basement. Digging, shoring and waterproofing cost a lot. The space often pays for itself
- Energy. Vancouver requires electric heat and hot water, usually heat pumps, plus an energy advisor and an airtightness test
- Site. Slope, soil, protected trees, and whether the old sewer and water pipes can be reused
- Finishes. The part you control most, chosen during interior design
What goes into a complete duplex budget?
A full budget has more lines than most early estimates. Missing one is how projects run short halfway through:
- Before design. Survey, title search, tree report, and a soil report if needed
- Design. Architecture, interior design, structural engineering, and the energy advisor
- Charges. Development levies, Metro Vancouver and TransLink charges, the Amenity Cost Charge, and permit fees
- Site work. A hazardous materials survey and cleanup, demolition, and any oil tank or soil cleanup
- Services. New sewer, water and storm connections, and BC Hydro
- Construction. Foundations to finishes, including heat pumps, ventilation and suites
- Completion. Landscaping, strata titling, and home warranty
- Carrying costs. Loan interest, property tax and insurance during the build
- Contingency. Money for surprises that only show up once the ground is opened
We set these out line by line in our quote. You see what’s included and what sits with you, such as financing and legal costs.
How is a duplex usually paid for?
Most owners use a construction loan. The lender pays out in stages, called draws, as the work reaches agreed points. Before the first draw, lenders want the approved permit, a signed contract, the budget and the builder’s warranty enrolment.
So paperwork matters. A clear budget, a written schedule and a licensed builder make a duplex easier to finance. At the end, the loan usually becomes a mortgage on the half you keep. The sale of the other half pays down the rest.
Lending terms change often. Talk to a mortgage broker early, while the design is still being finished.
Which taxes apply when you sell or move in?
Three taxes change what the finished homes are worth to you and your buyers:
Property transfer tax. Buyers of a new home can skip BC’s property transfer tax if it’s worth $1,100,000 or less. There’s a partial break up to $1,150,000. The buyer has to move in within 92 days and live there for the rest of the first year.
GST. GST applies to the sale of a new home. First-time buyers can get back up to $50,000 of it on a home up to $1 million, and part of it up to $1.5 million. The deal has to be signed between March 20, 2025 and the end of 2030.
BC home flipping tax. Since January 1, 2025, profit on a home sold within 730 days of buying it can be taxed at up to 20%. Building new homes is exempt, but you still have to file a return. If you bought the lot recently, talk to your accountant first.
What about the GST rental rebate?
The federal government refunds 100% of the GST on new rental buildings that qualify. The building needs at least four homes, each with its own kitchen, bathroom and living area. At least 90% must be long-term rentals. Construction has to start between September 14, 2023 and the end of 2030.
A duplex doesn’t qualify, even with two suites. A rental multiplex of four or more homes can. See what a multiplex costs to build. If you plan to rent every home, run this past your accountant before you choose.
Can you lower the development charges?
You can’t negotiate them. But design and timing make a real difference:
- Timing. A complete application filed before a rate change keeps the old rate if the permit is issued within 12 months. The January 1, 2027 increase makes that worth planning for
- Suite size. Units of 29.7 m² or less don’t pay the City levy
- Additions. Adding under 500 sq ft to a building with fewer than four homes pays no City levy
- City choice. If you own lots in more than one city, the charges can decide which one to build first
Where do duplex budgets usually go wrong?
In our experience, overruns rarely come from building itself. They come from things nobody priced:
- Charges estimated from an old rate, or the wrong city
- A basement added late, after the structure and energy model were done
- Old sewer and water pipes assumed reusable when the City wants new ones
- Protected trees that move the building
- Finishes chosen after the quote, at a higher level than planned
- Loan interest through a longer permit review than expected
Each one is cheaper to fix on paper than on site. That’s why a feasibility study and a detailed quote come before construction.
How do we price a duplex?
After feasibility and design, when the scope is known. The quote sets out what’s included, in writing, and the schedule is set at the same time. An early number without a design is a guess.
Want a realistic picture sooner? Send us your address. We’ll tell you what the lot allows and what the charges will be before anyone pays for design.
Sources
Every outside figure traces to one of these pages, all opened on September 21, 2026. Rates and fee schedules change, so we recheck them for your lot during feasibility.
- City of Vancouver Open Data: Issued building permits (January 2017 to October 2, 2026)
- City of Vancouver DCL Bulletin (amended Aug 25, 2026)
- City of Vancouver: Amenity Cost Charges Bulletin
- City of Vancouver: 2026 financing growth update
- City of Vancouver: Build a new duplex, single detached house, or laneway house
- Province of BC: Newly built home exemption (property transfer tax)
- CRA: First-time home buyers’ GST/HST rebate
- Province of BC: BC home flipping tax
- CRA: GST/HST purpose-built rental housing rebate
