PlaceDossier / Zoning / Zone codes
C7 zoning in BC
C7 (also written C-7) means whatever the bylaw that zones the lot says: there is no provincial C7 zone. 7 bylaws we've summarised use it, from 7 local governments. It goes by 6 names: Service Commercial (2 bylaws), Historic Downtown Commercial, Local Service Commercial, Neighbourhood Commercial and 2 more. What it allows is below, bylaw by bylaw.
C7 in each bylaw
| Local government | Homes allowed | Smallest lot for a subdivision | Lot coverage | Height limit |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Columbia Shuswap Regional District Local Service Commercial · South Shuswap Zoning Bylaw No. 701 | One dwelling: an upper-floor apartment or a caretaker's house | 2,000 m² with community water and sewer; 1 ha otherwise | Not set | Main buildings 11.5 m, accessory buildings 6 m |
| Regional District of East Kootenay Tourist Commercial · Electoral Area E Zoning and Floodplain Management Bylaw No. 2502, 2014 | One dwelling, accessory to a business on the lot: a manufactured home on a non-permanent foundation, or a self-contained unit built into the main building above the first storey or behind the main use, with its own outside door (the zone; s. 1.18(3)) | 4,000 m² | 70% | 12 m |
| City of Abbotsford Historic Downtown Commercial Zone · City of Abbotsford Zoning Bylaw No. 2400-2014 | Apartments and congregate housing, only alongside another principal use, within the zone's floor space ratio (3.0 on Historic Centre land; 2.5, or 3.5 with the density bonus, on Urban Centre land) | Not set | 100% | 12.2 m or three storeys, whichever is less, on land the official community plan designates Historic Centre |
| City of Kamloops Neighbourhood Commercial · City of Kamloops Zoning Bylaw No. 55, 2021 | Apartments with ground-floor businesses, or in an all-residential building on a landscaped lot | 3,076 m², 60 m wide; no lot may be over 2.2 ha | 40% | 1 storey; apartments 3 storeys; rooftop structures 4.5 m above the main roof, 6 m on a lot with no building |
| City of Merritt Service Commercial · City of Merritt Zoning Bylaw No. 2284, 2020 | One security or operator suite | 450 m², 15 m wide, 30 m deep | 80% | 18 m or 4 storeys |
| City of Penticton Service Commercial · City of Penticton Zoning Bylaw No. 2024-22 | One security or operator home; live-work units | 650 m², 20 m wide | 50% | 12 m |
| City of Prince George Transitional Commercial · City of Prince George Zoning Bylaw No. 7850, 2007 | No house: one residential security/operator unit, a home for a caretaker, operator or security staff, as a secondary use, only inside a main building (ss. 11.7.3, 11.7.6; definition in s. 2.3) | 500 m², 15.0 m wide (s. 11.7.4) | 75% (s. 11.7.5) | 12.0 m (s. 11.7.5) |
Listed by local government, not ranked. "Not set" means the zone itself sets no figure; general rules elsewhere in its bylaw may still apply. Each zone's page has its uses, setbacks and the bylaw's sections.
Two lots both zoned C7 under different bylaws can allow quite different things, and provincial law sets a floor of homes on most house zones in towns (how many homes can I build?). Site-specific exceptions, development permit areas and the ALR apply on top. Find the lot's own zone with the search above, then confirm with the local government before you buy or build.
Sources: each zone's bylaw, linked from its page, summarised in our words. Other councils' zones aren't here: the zoning we cover.