PlaceDossier / Zoning / Zone codes
R6 zoning in BC
R6 (also written R.6) means whatever the bylaw that zones the lot says: there is no provincial R6 zone. 6 bylaws we've summarised use it, from 6 local governments. It goes by 5 names: Residential 6 (2 bylaws), Low Density Residential, Residential Seasonal Single Family, Residential Townhouse and 1 more. What it allows is below, bylaw by bylaw.
R6 in each bylaw
| Local government | Homes allowed | Smallest lot for a subdivision | Lot coverage | Height limit |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Regional District of North Okanagan Residential Seasonal Single Family · Regional District of North Okanagan Zoning Bylaw No. 3000, 2023 | One seasonal single family house | 560 m² with community water and community sewer; 1 ha with a septic system; frontage 18 m (9 m for a pie-shaped lot) | 35% (accessory buildings 7.5%) | House 10 m or two storeys, whichever is less; accessory buildings 6 m |
| Salt Spring Island Local Trust Committee Residential 6 · Salt Spring Island Land Use Bylaw, 1999 (Bylaw No. 355) | One house, or a duplex on a lot of 0.16 ha or more, never two separate houses (s. 9.9.2); a secondary suite where the lot is in the Schedule I area (s. 3.16); the zone doesn't list a seasonal cottage | Only with community water: 0.4 ha with septic, 0.11 ha on community sewer, the same on average (s. 9.9.3) | 33% (s. 9.9.2) | 7.6 m and two storeys (s. 3.8.1); accessory buildings 6 m on a lot of 1.2 ha or less, 7 m on a larger one (s. 3.8.2) |
| City of Kamloops Residential 6 · City of Kamloops Zoning Bylaw No. 55, 2021 | Up to 2 homes: a house (which may be a manufactured home) and a residential suite; 1 in the Silt Bluff Red Zone or Foreset Area or the Rayleigh Waterworks District service area (s. 8.6.4) | 929 m², 18 m wide; frontage 18 m (12 m on a cul-de-sac) | 35% of the lot for all buildings; accessory buildings and an accessory home together 12% of the lot up to 112 m²; hard (impermeable) surfaces 50% | Main buildings 2 storeys; structures 12 m; accessory buildings 5 m (3 m under 10 m²) |
| Municipality of North Cowichan Residential Townhouse · Zoning Bylaw 1997, No. 2950 | Townhouses and duplexes at one home per 290 m² of lot, floor space ratio at most 0.5; duplex homes at most 15% of a development's homes; a house on the R3 zone's terms (s. 61(1), (4), (11)(f)) | 1,170 m², with 30 m of frontage (s. 61(2), (3)) | 30% (s. 61(5)) | 9 m; accessory buildings 5 m (s. 61(7)) |
| City of Nanaimo Low Density Residential · City of Nanaimo Zoning Bylaw No. 4500 | Houses, duplexes, a multi-family building or a rooming house; the zone sets no count of homes, only floor area: at most 0.45 times the lot area, 0.1 or 0.15 more for meeting Schedule D's Tier 1 or Tier 2 amenities (ss. 7.2.1, 7.3.1). A secondary suite per home under Part 6 (ss. 7.2.3, 6.15) | 1,200 m², 15 m wide, 30 m deep (26.5 m with a lane) (s. 7.4.1) | 40%; floor area 0.45 times the lot area, plus 0.1 or 0.15 for Schedule D's Tier 1 or Tier 2 amenities (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) |
| City of Surrey Semi-Detached Residential · Surrey Zoning By-law, 1993, No. 12000 | On a lot of 280 m² or more: up to 4 homes in one half of a semi-detached building or a duplex, with secondary suites, a coach house or a garden suite, or up to 6 in a duplex on an eligible lot in a Frequent Bus Stop Area. Under 280 m²: up to 3, in one half of a semi-detached building. Inside a Transit-Oriented Area, up to 2; at most 2 on heritage-protected land or land not connected to community water or sewer (s. B.1) | 200 m², 7.2 m wide, 28 m deep (corner 226 m², 8.7 m wide); at most 50 lots per hectare | 60% | Semi-detached building 11 m, 9.3 m with a flatter roof (12 m in a floodplain); duplex 3 storeys and 11 m, 9.3 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 3 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 R6 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.