PlaceDossier / Zoning / Zone codes
R-1(A) zoning in BC
R-1(A) (also written R-1A, R1-A) means whatever the bylaw that zones the lot says: there is no provincial R-1(A) zone. 6 bylaws we've summarised use it, from 4 local governments. It goes by 6 names: Residential, Residential (A), Rockland Single Family Dwelling District, Single Family Residential – Large Lot and 2 more. What it allows is below, bylaw by bylaw.
R-1(A) in each bylaw
| Local government | Homes allowed | Smallest lot for a subdivision | Lot coverage | Height limit |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Regional District of East Kootenay Single Family Residential – Large Lot · SweetWater Zoning & Floodplain Management Bylaw No. 2127, 2009 | One house, with a secondary suite, and a guest house (not lived in year round) | 1,000 m² | 30% | House 10 m, accessory buildings and guest house 7 m |
| Regional District of East Kootenay Residential (A) · Electoral Area E Zoning and Floodplain Management Bylaw No. 2502, 2014 | One house, with a secondary suite inside it | 1,670 m² | 30% | House 9 m, accessory buildings 5 m |
| Regional District of East Kootenay Single Family Residential (A) · Columbia Valley Zoning Bylaw No. 3255, 2023 | One house and a secondary suite | 1,670 m² (1,900 m² in strata plan NES113) | Not set | Not set |
| Sunshine Coast Regional District Single Family Residential A · Sunshine Coast Regional District Electoral Area A Zoning Bylaw No. 337 | One house (s. 602.2). A secondary suite is allowed where the zone allows only one house or a duplex; a lot can have one secondary suite or one auxiliary dwelling, not both, and neither counts toward the zone's limit on homes (ss. 502, 506). On SCRD sewer a suite needs the SCRD's sign-off on capacity first. | Set by the lot's subdivision district, not its zone (ss. 401, 407): from 640 m² to 100 ha; a lot's report gives its district in "What you can build (zoning)", under "The record", as "Subdivision district (smallest new lot)". Lots on Ruby, Sakinaw, Hotel, Garden Bay and Mixal lakes in the larger districts need 60 m of lakeshore (s. 408) | 35% | 11 m (s. 512) |
| Township of Langley Residential · Township of Langley Zoning Bylaw 1987 No. 2500 | One of these (s. 401.2): small-scale multi-unit housing, up to 4 homes (3 on a lot of 280 m² or less) where the lot meets the conditions below; or one house with either a secondary suite or one accessory dwelling unit (such as a coach house), not both. In the ALR, subject to the Agricultural Land Commission Act | 371.6 m², 12 m wide, 25 m deep (28 m with a driveway from a rear lane) (s. 401.8) | 35%, or 45% where new homes are added beside a kept older house (infill housing) (s. 401.4) | Homes 9.0 m; infill housing within 6.0 m of the rear lot line 4.5 m (a coach house on a lane excepted); accessory buildings that aren't homes 3.75 m |
| City of Victoria Rockland Single Family Dwelling District · City of Victoria Zoning Regulation Bylaw No. 80-159 | A house with one of a secondary suite, a garden suite or up to 4 roomers or boarders; or attached or semi-attached homes, each with 835 m² of the lot (s. 1.1.1, 1.1.2); or a houseplex or corner townhouse in the Residential Fabric (Schedule P, below). Because the zone allows attached homes, whether s. 52's small-scale multi-unit housing applies here is unclear: ask the City | 740 m², 24 m wide on average; 835 m² a home with attached or semi-attached homes; a lot with a pre-1970 building fit for conversion 2,800 m² or 3.63 times its floor area, whichever is less (s. 1.1.2); a panhandle lot 850 m², 24 m wide (Schedule H) | 40%; 25% with attached or semi-attached homes (s. 1.1.6); Schedule P as it sets | House and attached homes 7.6 m and 2½ storeys, no roof deck; public building 11 m; garden suite 3.5 m (4.2 m on a plus site); accessory buildings 3.5 m; Schedule P 11 m (12 m with a pitched roof) |
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 R-1(A) 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.