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R-3 zoning in BC
R-3 (also written R3, R.3) means whatever the bylaw that zones the lot says: there is no provincial R-3 zone. 21 bylaws we've summarised use it, from 19 local governments. It goes by 16 names: Residential Multi-Family (3 bylaws), Multiple Family Residential – Medium Density (2 bylaws), Residential 3 (2 bylaws), Residential Three (2 bylaws) and 12 more. What it allows is below, bylaw by bylaw.
R-3 in each bylaw
| Local government | Homes allowed | Smallest lot for a subdivision | Lot coverage | Height limit |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Regional District of East Kootenay Multiple Family Residential – Medium Density · SweetWater Zoning & Floodplain Management Bylaw No. 2127, 2009 | Multiple family dwellings (three or more homes in a building) at up to 62 homes per hectare, or a duplex | 1,000 m² | 60% | Main buildings 12 m, accessory buildings 5 m |
| Regional District of East Kootenay Multiple Family Residential – Medium Density · Columbia Valley Zoning Bylaw No. 3255, 2023 | Multi-unit buildings, up to 30 homes per hectare of usable land | 1,000 m² | Not set | Main building 13 m, accessory buildings 5 m |
| Regional District of Nanaimo Village Residential 3 · Electoral Area F Zoning and Subdivision Bylaw No. 1285, 2002 | One home per hectare of lot (s. 4.15.3), and a secondary suite with it (s. 2.18); how many homes an older lot under 1 ha may have is unclear, ask the RDN | 1 ha, with 20 m of frontage on a road (s. 4.15.3); up to half the lots in a subdivision may be 80% of that if the average holds (s. 6.7) | 30% | 10 m |
| Regional District of North Okanagan Residential Multi-Family · Regional District of North Okanagan Zoning Bylaw No. 3000, 2023 | Without community water and community sewer: one house and a secondary suite. With both: apartments (five or more homes) up to 45 homes per hectare; retirement housing (55+) and clusters of houses up to 20 per hectare; on a lot under 1,300 m², four homes, attached or detached (s. 15.3(3), (4)) | 560 m² with community water and community sewer; 1,300 m² for apartments, retirement housing or clusters of houses; 220 m² per row house (330 m² at the ends); 350 m² for each half of a duplex, or each unit of a retirement or cluster building, split along a party wall; 1 ha without community water and community sewer | 40% (50% for retirement housing and clusters of houses) | Homes 12 m or three storeys, whichever is less; additional dwellings 8 m; other accessory buildings 6 m |
| Strathcona Regional District Residential Three · Area D (Campbell River) Zoning Bylaw, 1991 (No. 1404) | One house and a secondary suite; on a lot over 4,000 m² on a community water system, a house, suite and accessory dwelling unit, or a duplex and an accessory dwelling unit, three homes in all (s. 4.6.3(iii)(b)) | 2,500 m², with frontage at least a tenth of the lot's perimeter (s. 4.6.3(vii)) | 25%; accessory buildings together at most 5% of the lot or 200 m², whichever is more (s. 4.6.3(iv), (vi)) | 10 m (s. 4.5(2)); accessory buildings 7 m (s. 4.5(1)) |
| Sunshine Coast Regional District Residential and Auxiliary Commercial · Sunshine Coast Regional District Electoral Area A Zoning Bylaw No. 337 | One house; on a lot over 2,000 m², a duplex or a house with an auxiliary dwelling; over 3,500 m², two houses; two homes at most (s. 621). 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% on a lot of 2,000 m² or less, 15% above | 11 m (s. 512) |
| Sunshine Coast Regional District Residential Three · Sunshine Coast Regional District Zoning Bylaw No. 722 | One house (s. 7.3.3). A secondary suite of up to 55 m² is allowed in each house, on top of the zone's count of homes (s. 5.24); on SCRD sewer it needs the SCRD's sign-off on capacity first. | Set by the lot's subdivision district, not its zone (s. 4.2): from 1,000 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)" | 45% | 8.5 m (s. 7.3.7) |
| Thompson-Nicola Regional District Residential Multi-Family · TNRD Zoning Bylaw No. 2400, 2012 | Multi-family buildings, or duplexes where 4 or more units are built; at most one unit per 240 m² of land | 1,000 m² with community water and sewer; 2,000 m² with water only | 40% | 12 m; accessory building 6 m |
| City of Burnaby Low-Rise Apartment 1 · Burnaby Zoning Bylaw 2026, No. 14815 | Apartments and townhouses up to 4 storeys (6 where the homes are non-market rental run by a government, non-profit or housing body the City approves), with no number of homes set (s. 1.3.4). Small-scale multi-unit housing and secondary suites aren't listed here | None set in the district; subdivision goes to the City's Approving Officer (our reading) | None set in the district; at least 30% of the lot left permeable, shown on a landscape architect's plan (Part 4-4.3) | 4 storeys; 6 storeys with non-market rental as above; at most 6 with every increase Part 4-2.3 allows (s. 1.3.4.2, Table 4-2.3) |
| District of Clearwater Multiple Family Residential · District of Clearwater Zoning Bylaw No. 133, 2016 | Apartments and senior citizen housing up to 70 homes per hectare; townhouses and other buildings of three or more homes up to 35 per hectare | 900 m² for up to 4 homes, 1,000 m² for 5 or more; 30 m of frontage | 60% for apartments and senior housing, 45% for other buildings, accessory buildings included | Apartments and senior housing 15 m, other buildings 12 m, accessory buildings 5 m |
| Village of Clinton Manufactured Home Park Residential · Village of Clinton Zoning Bylaw No. 607, 2025 | Manufactured homes in a park of three or more, up to 17 per hectare | 2.02 ha (5 acres) | No maximum set | 12 m |
| City of Coquitlam Transitional Small-Scale Residential · City of Coquitlam Zoning Bylaw No. 3000, 1996 | At most two principal homes and two accessory dwelling units (on a lot of 280 m² or less, three homes, at most two of them principal), all in one principal building joined by a common wall over living space (ss. 1004(3), (7)) | 650 m², 18.5 m wide (s. 1004(4)) | 45% for all buildings, not counting enclosed garbage and recycling structures (s. 1004(6)) | Principal buildings 11.0 m and three storeys on any face (a basement more than 1.3 m out of the ground counts as a storey); accessory buildings 3.7 m, 4.6 m with a roof of 4 in 12 or steeper (s. 1004(10)) |
| City of Cranbrook Cluster Development · City of Cranbrook Zoning Bylaw No. 3977, 2019 | Up to 4 homes on a lot over 280 m², 3 on a smaller one, in one main building: a house, duplex, triplex or fourplex, with at most one secondary suite per main home (ss. 7.08.1, 7.08.2, 7.08.4). In a cluster development, several buildings on one site at up to 30 homes per gross hectare (s. 7.08.4(d)). Whether a secondary suite counts toward the 3 or 4 is unclear, so ask the City | 1.0 ha, at least 12.0 m along the street (9.0 m on a cul-de-sac bulb) (s. 7.08.3) | 40%, except in a cluster development, where the zone sets none (s. 7.08.6(d)) | House 7.6 m; duplex, triplex or fourplex 8.6 m or 2½ storeys, whichever is less; accessory buildings 4.5 m (s. 7.08.6(b), (c)) |
| City of Kamloops Residential 3 · City of Kamloops Zoning Bylaw No. 55, 2021 | Up to 4 homes on a lot: a house, a house with a residential suite, two houses, a duplex, or small-scale multi-unit housing. Only 2 outside the Urban area or without City water or sewer, on a lot of 4,050 m² or more, or with limited fire flow; 1 in the Silt Bluff Red Zone or Foreset Area; the lowest applies (s. 8.3.4) | 929 m², 18 m wide and 18 m of frontageExceptions (2)
| 40% of the lot for all buildings, whatever the number of homes; accessory buildings 12% of the lot up to 112 m²; hard (impermeable) surfaces 60% | Main buildings 2 storeys, or 3 storeys and 11 m with three or more homes; structures 12 m; accessory buildings 5 m (3 m under 10 m²) |
| City of Langley Low Rise Residential · City of Langley Zoning Bylaw, 2025, No. 3300 | Apartment buildings, townhouse complexes and other buildings of two or more homes (plex homes and rowhouses among them by the bylaw's definition), seniors' buildings with personal care (55 and over) and congregate housing (55 and over, rented, each home at most 70 m²); the zone sets no count of homes, held by a floor area ratio of 2.1, or 2.6 with the density bonus (s. 5, R3 zone; ss. 1.3, 2.6) | 1,000 m², 26.0 m of frontage (s. 5, R3 zone) | None set; floor area at most 2.6 times the lot area (2.1 without the density bonus) (s. 5, R3 zone; s. 2.6(a)) | Main buildings 6 storeys (the zone sets no height in metres); accessory buildings and structures 7.0 m (s. 5, R3 zone) |
| City of Merritt Small Parcel Residential · City of Merritt Zoning Bylaw No. 2284, 2020 | Houses, duplexes, townhouses or apartments: up to 3 homes on a lot of 280 m² or less; on a bigger lot 4, or 60 per hectare (90 for townhouses and apartments) if that is more. Secondary suites and detached secondary dwellings on top, within s. 4.36 | 112.5 m², 7.5 m wide (135 m² and 9 m on a corner) for a house; 180 m², 12 m wide for a duplex; 225 m², 15 m wide (270 m² on a corner) for townhouses or apartments; 15 m deep | 85% | Main buildings 14 m or 3 storeys; detached secondary dwellings 10.5 m or 2 storeys |
| Municipality of North Cowichan Residential One and Two-Family · Zoning Bylaw 1997, No. 2950 | Up to four homes on a lot of 280 m² to 4,050 m² (three on a smaller lot, two on a larger one), in one residential building, or a house (with or without a secondary suite) and one detached accessory home (s. 58(4)) | 670 m², with 18 m of frontage (s. 58(2), (3)); 450 m² and 15 m on eleven lots the bylaw names (s. 58(9)) | 30% on lots of 650 m² or more, 35% on smaller lots; with three or more homes or a detached accessory home, 35%, 40% on lots of 500 to 650 m², 45% on 500 m² or less (s. 58(5)) | 9 m; accessory buildings 5 m |
| City of Nanaimo Island Residential · City of Nanaimo Zoning Bylaw No. 4500 | One house, with floor area at most 0.55 times the lot area (s. 7.3.1), and one secondary suite; not the second suite R1 allows (s. 6.15.2.1) | 5,000 m², 15 m wide, 30 m deep (s. 7.4.1) | 35%; floor area at most 0.55 times the lot area (ss. 7.3.1, 7.6.1) | 9 m with a sloped roof (4 in 12 or steeper), 7 m with a flat one; no perimeter wall limit in this zone (s. 7.6.1) |
| District of Squamish Residential 3 · District of Squamish Zoning Bylaw No. 2200, 2011 | A house, a duplex or a triplex, with at most 3 homes on a lot in all, counting secondary suites, multi-unit flex units and accessory dwelling units (s. 7.5(b)). A house or each half of a duplex can have one secondary suite, and an accessory dwelling unit (a detached or garage suite) can be added (ss. 4.5, 4.38). The lot needs community water and sewer to build (s. 7.13) | 690 m², 18.4 m wide, 27.4 m deep; 4 ha for a property over 0.8 ha (s. 7.2) | 33% | House or duplex 9 m; triplex 11 m or three storeys, whichever is less; accessory dwelling unit 8 m or three storeys; other accessory buildings 4.58 m |
| Sun Peaks Mountain Resort Municipality Residential Multi-Family · Sun Peaks Resort Area Zoning Bylaw No. 1400 | Multi-family buildings, one home per 240 m² of lot | 1,000 m² on community water and sewer, 2,000 m² with water only; 30 m frontage. A townhouse may sit on its own lot of 240 m² per home (320 m² at the ends), 7 m wide | 30% | 12 m (auxiliary building 5 m) |
| City of Surrey Urban Residential · Surrey Zoning By-law, 1993, No. 12000 | On a lot under 4,050 m²: up to 4 homes as a house, a duplex or a houseplex, with secondary suites, a coach house or a garden suite (3 homes, as a house, on a lot under 280 m²), or up to 6 on an eligible lot in a Frequent Bus Stop Area; inside a Transit-Oriented Area, up to 2. On 4,050 m² or more, up to 2: a house with a suite, coach house or garden suite. At most 2 on heritage-protected land or land not connected to community water or sewer (s. B.1). A houseplex only on a corner lot, a through lot or a lot with a lane, and without secondary suites | 560 m², 15 m wide, 28 m deep; at most 18 lots per hectare | House 40% on a lot of 560 m² or less, down 2 points for each 93 m² more to 25% (from 1,262 m²); with a coach house or garden suite 50%, down to 30%; duplex 50%, down to 35%; houseplex 60%, down to 35% | House 9 m, 7.3 m with a flatter roof (10 m in a floodplain); duplex 3 storeys and 11 m, 9.3 m with a flatter roof (12 m); houseplex 3 storeys and 9 m, 7.3 m with a flatter roof (12 m); coach house or garden suite 2 storeys and 7 m, roof peak 8.3 m, 6.5 m with a flatter roof (8.5 m); accessory buildings 4 m (5 m where roof and materials match the house) |
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-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.