RL-1: Rural

What the zone allows

Homes allowed

One house or one manufactured home, or off ALR land one duplex; a secondary suite in a house; off ALR land on a lot over 2 ha, one carriage suite or garden suite

Main uses

Farming, nursery, open land recreation, cannabis production, temporary sawmill for timber grown on the lot, winery, cidery, meadery or microbrewery, house; bed and breakfast, boarding, home based business, commercial kennel, secondary suite

Smallest lot for a subdivision

4 ha; 8 ha in the ALR

Lot coverage

No maximum

Height limit

No maximum

Setbacks

Front 6 m, interior sides 2.4 m, exterior side 4.5 m, rear 6 m; accessory buildings front 6 m, interior sides 1.5 m, exterior side 4.5 m, rear 1.5 m

Carriage suite (s. 2.2): a separate two-storey home with a footprint up to 80 m² and up to 95 m² of living space. Garden suite: a separate one-storey home up to 80 m².

Sawmill equipment and aggregate processing stand 300 m from any home; composting stays 30 m from lot lines and water intakes and 15 m from streams (s. 7.1.5).

A sand and gravel pit is allowed on District Lot 1724, and a bed and breakfast of up to four rooms and eight guests in a detached building at 625 Greer Road (Lot B, Plan EPP36167) (ss. 7.1.2(f), 7.1.3).

The zone lists "medical marihuana production facility", a term Bylaw 212 replaced with cannabis production; s. 5.23.1 allows cannabis production in this zone.

Cannabis production licensed by Health Canada (s. 5.23.1): on a lot of 8 ha or more, or 4 ha for a facility up to 200 m², buildings 30 m from every lot line.

Commercial kennels are soundproofed and stand 6 m from every lot line (s. 5.13).

Construction camps for major projects (s. 5.27): on a lot of 4 ha or more, 50 m from lots in zones that don't allow them, for the construction period only, then restored.

One single family dwelling, one duplex or one manufactured home per lot unless the zone says otherwise (s. 5.25.1).

Secondary suite (s. 5.22): one, inside a single family dwelling (a house; the bylaw's single family dwelling leaves out manufactured homes, s. 2.2), never in a duplex or manufactured home, with its own entrance, up to 40% of the house's habitable floor area and 90 m², registered with the District and inspected before anyone moves in; one more parking space (Table 3).

Bed and breakfast (s. 5.16): in the operator's own home, up to four guest rooms and eight guests, no cooking in the guest rooms, one parking space per guest room, and no guest staying more than 60 days in a calendar year.

Boarding (s. 5.17): up to two rooms of a house (not a duplex or manufactured home) let to boarders, with the owner living in the home.

Home based business (s. 5.18): run mainly by the people who live there, inside the house, duplex or manufactured home, with at most one full-time or two part-time employees from outside, no outside storage or change to how the home looks, and none of vehicle repair, trucking, sawmilling, welding, kennels, retail of goods not made on the lot, pubs or restaurants, or cannabis retail. A child care centre or preschool of up to ten children counts as one (s. 5.19). One customer parking space (Table 3).

The bylaw doesn't mention short-term rental. Renting a whole home by the night isn't a listed use, and a use the bylaw doesn't list isn't permitted (s. 5.1.1); a bed and breakfast is. Ask the District before renting a home short term.

A manufactured home for a relative or caregiver (s. 5.24) may be added for as long as a physician certifies the care is needed: on a lot of 4,000 m² with community water or 8,000 m² without, on a lot with no more than one house, 6 m from every lot line and 5 m from the house, with sewage disposal under the provincial Sewerage System Regulation and a covenant on title; not on ALR land without the Commission's approval.

A second home for family or farm workers (s. 5.25.2) is allowed on a lot of 8 ha or more classed as a farm and used only for farming, 8 m from every lot line, with its own water and septic and a covenant on title; not on ALR land without the Commission's approval.

A manufactured home (CSA Z240 or A277) sits on a BC Building Code foundation, anchored and skirted (s. 5.20).

No accessory building before the main building, and none used as a home or for sleeping unless the zone allows it (s. 5.5).

No commercial vehicle repairs, sales or wrecks (s. 5.6.3).

No one may live or do business in an RV except in a campground (s. 5.1.2); while a lot is built on under a building permit, a temporary building or RV may be used for up to a year, or two with the District's extension (s. 5.4).

Shipping containers (s. 5.26) as accessory buildings: one 40 ft or two 20 ft per lot, screened, at accessory building setbacks.

Nothing but a sign within 4.5 m of a provincial controlled access highway (s. 5.8.1).

Development within a riparian assessment area of a stream follows the provincial Riparian Areas Regulation's setbacks (s. 5.8.3).

On ALR land, the Agricultural Land Commission's rules come first: no extra home, duplex, carriage suite or garden suite without its approval, and agri-tourism lodging of up to four rooms (s. 4.4). Licensed cannabis production is allowed on ALR land in any zone, on a lot of 8 ha or more (s. 5.23.1).

Every zone also allows community gardens, municipal parks, utilities, rooftop solar and accessory uses of the zone's main uses, off ALR land (s. 5.2); beekeeping under the Animal Control Bylaw (s. 5.28).

Height is measured from the average finished grade to the highest point, leaving out chimneys, antennas and rooftop equipment (s. 2.2).

Minimum lot sizes apply to new lots. A lot for a relative's home under s. 514 of the Local Government Act is 8,000 m² (s. 5.3(e)).

Parking (Table 3): 2 spaces for each house, duplex unit or manufactured home.

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 District of Clearwater's planning department before you buy or build.

Source: District of Clearwater Zoning Bylaw No. 133, 2016 (summarised in our words); zone map: Open Government Licence – Thompson-Nicola Regional District.