PlaceDossier / Zoning / Zone codes
P-3 zoning in BC
P-3 (also written P3) means whatever the bylaw that zones the lot says: there is no provincial P-3 zone. 16 bylaws we've summarised use it, from 10 local governments. It goes by 12 names: Public Works and Utility (5 bylaws), Assembly, Civic Works, Major Utilities and 8 more. What it allows is below, bylaw by bylaw.
P-3 in each bylaw
| Local government | Homes allowed | Smallest lot for a subdivision | Lot coverage | Height limit |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Regional District of East Kootenay Works and Utility · SweetWater Zoning & Floodplain Management Bylaw No. 2127, 2009 | None: the zone lists no dwelling | None set in the zone | Not set | 10 m |
| Regional District of East Kootenay Public Works and Utility · Wycliffe Zoning & Floodplain Management Bylaw No. 2256, 2010 | None: the zone lists no dwelling | None set in the zone | Not set | 10 m |
| Regional District of East Kootenay Public Works and Utility · South Country Zoning & Floodplain Management Bylaw No. 2320, 2011 | None: the zone lists no dwelling | None set in the zone | Not set | 10 m |
| Regional District of East Kootenay Parks and Open Space (Campground) · Electoral Area E Zoning and Floodplain Management Bylaw No. 2502, 2014 | One dwelling, accessory to a use 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)) | None set in the zone | Not set | 10 m |
| Regional District of East Kootenay Public Works and Utility · Steeples Zoning & Floodplain Management Bylaw No. 2615, 2015 | None: the zone lists no dwelling | None set in the zone | Not set | 10 m |
| Regional District of East Kootenay Public Works and Utility · Electoral Area C South Zoning & Floodplain Management Bylaw No. 2913, 2019 | None: the zone lists no dwelling | None set in the zone | Not set | 10 m |
| Regional District of East Kootenay Public Works and Utility · Columbia Valley Zoning Bylaw No. 3255, 2023 | None: the zone lists no dwelling | None set in the zone | 60% | 10 m |
| Thompson-Nicola Regional District Civic Works · TNRD Zoning Bylaw No. 2400, 2012 | Not set | 0.5 ha | Not set | Not set |
| City of Abbotsford Assembly Zone · City of Abbotsford Zoning Bylaw No. 2400-2014 | One accessory home for a caretaker, minister or manager | Not set | 40% | 9.8 m or two storeys, whichever is less; accessory buildings 4.6 m |
| City of Coquitlam Special Recreation · City of Coquitlam Zoning Bylaw No. 3000, 1996 | No homes except one for an employee of a business on the lot (s. 2003(2)(c), (3)(b); Part 2) | 8 ha for a firing range or golf course; 555 m² for assembly (s. 2003(4)) | Buildings and structures 20%, parking 95% (s. 2003(6)); floor area at most 0.1 times the lot area (s. 2003(5)) | None set in the zone (s. 2003(10)) |
| City of Kamloops Schools · City of Kamloops Zoning Bylaw No. 55, 2021 | An accessory home, and dormitories for the school | 8,000 m², 23 m wide | 40% | Not set |
| City of Kelowna Parks and Open Space · City of Kelowna Zoning Bylaw No. 12375 | A security or operator home, as a secondary use | No minimum (s. 14.10) | Not set | 10 m; 0.1 FAR (s. 14.14) |
| City of Merritt Post-Secondary Educational · City of Merritt Zoning Bylaw No. 2284, 2020 | Apartments and townhouses for faculty and students, up to 90 per hectare; no limit for homes lived in by current students | 450 m², 15 m wide, 30 m deep | 75% | 18 m or 4 storeys; homes 22 m or 5 storeys |
| City of Penticton Major Utilities · City of Penticton Zoning Bylaw No. 2024-22 | None: the zone lists no dwelling | Not set | Not set | 15 m; no limit for mechanical structures |
| City of Port Coquitlam Parks and Natural Areas · City of Port Coquitlam Zoning Bylaw, 2008, No. 3630 | No homes but an accessory caretaker's (Table 5.3) | None set in the zone (Table 5.2) | None set in the zone (Table 5.4) | None set in the zone (Table 5.4) |
| District of Squamish Park, Recreational, and Institutional Use · District of Squamish Zoning Bylaw No. 2200, 2011 | No house: the only home the zone allows is one caretaker dwelling, accessory to the lot's main use, of at most 70 m² (90 m² on a lot of 0.2 ha or more if a tenth of its energy is made on site), never on its own strata title (ss. 19.1(k), 4.3) | No minimum set in the zone | 33% (s. 19.3) | Main building 10.68 m; accessory buildings 4.58 m (s. 19.2) |
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 P-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.