PlaceDossier / Zoning / Zone codes
M-3 zoning in BC
M-3 (also written M3) means whatever the bylaw that zones the lot says: there is no provincial M-3 zone. 4 bylaws we've summarised use it, from 4 local governments. It goes by 4 names: Business Industrial, Business Park Industrial, Heavy Industrial, Wrecking Yard. What it allows is below, bylaw by bylaw.
M-3 in each bylaw
| Local government | Homes allowed | Smallest lot for a subdivision | Lot coverage | Height limit |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Township of Langley Heavy Industrial · Township of Langley Zoning Bylaw 1987 No. 2500 | No house: one home or mobile home per lot for the owner, manager or caretaker and their family, accessory to the industrial use (ss. 703.1, 701.1, 701.4; the zone takes M-2's and so M-1A's uses, our reading) | 3,716 m² (s. 110.1) | No limit set in the zone | No limit set in the zone |
| City of Maple Ridge Business Park Industrial · City of Maple Ridge Zoning Bylaw No. 7600-2019 | No house: one caretaker home, accessory to the industrial use, inside the same building as the main use with its own entrance at grade, 37 to 90 m² and at most 40% of the building, never strata-titled (ss. 803.3, 803.11(5), 402.7) | 2,000 m², 30.0 m wide, 50.0 m deep (s. 803.4) | 60%, all buildings together; outdoor storage at most 25% of the lot; floor space ratio 0.75 (ss. 803.5, 803.6) | 15.0 m (s. 803.8) |
| City of Penticton Wrecking Yard · City of Penticton Zoning Bylaw No. 2024-22 | One security or operator home (up to 100 m²), as an M1 use | 2,000 m², 30 m wide | Not set | 15 m |
| City of Prince George Business Industrial · City of Prince George Zoning Bylaw No. 7850, 2007 | One residential security/operator unit, inside a main building or in a house or manufactured home (ss. 12.3.3, 12.3.6) | 600 m², 18.0 m wide (s. 12.3.4) | 80%; floor area ratio at most 1.6 (s. 12.3.5) | 12.0 m (s. 12.3.5) |
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 M-3 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.