C2: General Commercial

What the zone allows

Homes allowed

Live-work units only, under the C1 district's conditions: the home part at most 112 m² a unit, only alongside another principal use, and not in the storeys the district requires to be commercial (the ground and second storey, our reading) (ss. 2.1.3, 2.2.3). Apartments only where an R overlay district is also zoned on the lot (Part 6-2.0)

Main uses

The C1 district's uses (shops, restaurants, personal and business services, offices and visitor accommodation above the ground storey, stays at most 90 days, financial institutions, health care, animal care, assembly and entertainment, educational services, an artist studio, recreation and fitness, a recycling centre, a social service centre, an emergency shelter, a child care facility, an active mobility hub, live-work units), here with nightclubs and public and private schools (not trade schools) and no corner rule for ground-floor units; plus a gaming establishment (more than 400 m from any payday loan or cheque cashing business), a hospital, a parking facility (not in the ground storey but for entrances), research and development (above the ground storey), and a service station (no new fuel sales: only stations already selling fuel when the bylaw took effect may keep doing so); secondary C1 uses and a storage facility (above the ground storey); accessory making or processing of goods tied to the main use, but no heavy industry (ss. 2.2.2, 2.2.3)

Smallest lot for a subdivision

None set in the district; subdivision goes to the City's Approving Officer (our reading)

Lot coverage

None set in the district; at least 20% of the lot left permeable, shown on a landscape architect's plan (Part 4-4.3)

Height limit

8 storeys, at least 2 (no minimum for a service station or uses outside a building); more where a residential overlay district is zoned on the lot (ss. 2.2.4.1, 2.2.4.2)

Setbacks

Street 3.0 m, lane 1.2 m, rear 3.0 m, sides 0.0 m but 3.0 m beside an R1 or R2 lot or where the wall has windows or openings (ss. 2.2.4.1, 2.2.4.3, Part 4-1.3)

The district is for city-serving shops and services meeting the needs of several neighbourhoods, such as larger format retail, major offices, entertainment venues and limited vehicle-oriented uses (s. 2.2.1).

A service station is screened at least 1.8 m high along any line beside, or across a lane from, an A or R district lot; pumps at least 4.5 m from every lot line; its service area paved (Part 6-4.2).

A lot can be zoned with an overlay district on top of this one (Part 6-2.0): the overlay's uses are added, height follows the R district where there is one (else the taller district), and setbacks follow the district each use belongs to; on a C district lot with an R overlay, at least 60% of the ground floor of buildings on a street must be commercial. The City's open zoning layer gives only the base code, so whether a lot has an overlay is unclear from it: ask the City (our reading).

Along stretches of Kingsway, the Lougheed Highway, Hastings Street and Boundary Road, buildings must stand back a set distance from the road's centre line, 12.9 m to 30.2 m depending on the stretch (Part 4-1.3.3).

Short-term rental only in a live-work unit that is the principal residence of an owner on title, never in a rental unit (Part 6-3.3).

Uses the district doesn't list aren't allowed (Part 1, s. 4.1), besides transit, public utilities, civic facilities and public parks, allowed everywhere (Part 6-1.4).

Parts 4 (general regulations), 5 (rental housing and bonus incentives), 6 (use-specific regulations) and 7 (parking) of the bylaw also apply.

Site-specific exceptions listed in the bylaw by legal description can add or change uses for one property, and development permit areas, the ALR and building rules apply on top. Confirm with the City of Burnaby's planning department before you buy or build.

Source: Part 3, Section 2.2 of Burnaby Zoning Bylaw 2026, No. 14815 (summarised in our words, checked 2026-10-06); zone map: Open Government Licence – Burnaby.