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R8 zoning in BC
R8 (also written R.8) means whatever the bylaw that zones the lot says: there is no provincial R8 zone. 6 bylaws we've summarised use it, from 6 local governments. It goes by 5 names: Residential 8 (2 bylaws), High Density Residential, Medium Density Residential, Residential Multi-Family Apartment and 1 more. What it allows is below, bylaw by bylaw.
R8 in each bylaw
| Local government | Homes allowed | Smallest lot for a subdivision | Lot coverage | Height limit |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Regional District of North Okanagan Residential Small-Scale, Multi-Unit Housing · Regional District of North Okanagan Zoning Bylaw No. 3000, 2023 | On a lot connected to community water and community sewer run by a local government: up to four homes, attached or detached (houses, duplexes, triplexes, four-plexes, secondary suites, additional dwellings). Otherwise one house and a secondary suite (s. 15.8(3)) | 560 m² connected to local government community water and community sewer; 1 ha otherwise; frontage 18 m (9 m for a pie-shaped lot) | 40% (accessory buildings 7.5%) | Homes 12 m or three storeys, whichever is less; additional dwellings 8 m; other accessory buildings 6 m |
| Salt Spring Island Local Trust Committee Residential 8 · Salt Spring Island Land Use Bylaw, 1999 (Bylaw No. 355) | One house (s. 9.9.2); a duplex only if built before July 31, 1990; a seasonal cottage on a lot of 1.2 ha or more (s. 3.14); a secondary suite where the lot is in the Schedule I area (s. 3.16) | 0.6 ha with a well and septic (0.6 ha on average); 0.2 ha on community water (0.4 ha on average) (s. 9.9.3) | 33%; farm buildings up to 465 m² in all (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); farm buildings 10.7 m where agriculture is a principal use (s. 3.8.3) |
| City of Kamloops Residential 8 · 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. 8.8.4) | 1,858 m², 24 m wide; frontage 24 m (18 m on a cul-de-sac)Exceptions (3)
| 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) |
| City of Merritt High Density Residential · City of Merritt Zoning Bylaw No. 2284, 2020 | Apartments and townhouses (3 to 8 homes a building), at least 2 storeys, up to 225 homes per hectare of usable site area; secondary suites in townhouses | 360 m², 18 m wide (400 m² and 20 m on a corner), 20 m deep | 80% | Apartments 22 m or 5 storeys, townhouses 18 m or 4 storeys; at least 2 storeys |
| Municipality of North Cowichan Residential Multi-Family Apartment · Zoning Bylaw 1997, No. 2950 | Apartments (buildings of more than two homes off a shared hallway or their own ground-level doors) and congregate housing, up to a floor space ratio of 1.0; no building over 6,000 m² of floor area; or a house on the R3 zone's rules (s. 63(1), (4), (9); definitions in s. 12) | 1,120 m², with 30 m of frontage (s. 63(2), (3)) | 40%, covered parking included (s. 63(5)) | 11.0 m; accessory buildings 5.0 m (s. 63(7)) |
| City of Nanaimo Medium Density Residential · City of Nanaimo Zoning Bylaw No. 4500 | Multi-family buildings, a house or a rooming house; the zone sets no count of homes, only floor area: at most 1.25 times the lot area, more for parking under the building and for Schedule D's amenities (ss. 7.2.1, 7.3.1). A secondary suite per home under Part 6 (s. 6.15) | 1,800 m², 15 m wide, 30 m deep (s. 7.4.1) | 40%; floor area 1.25 times the lot area, plus 0.25 times the share of parking under the building (its roof no more than 0.8 m above finished grade), plus 0.1 or 0.25 for meeting Schedule D's Tier 1 or Tier 2 amenities (ss. 7.3.1, 7.6.1); a lot with one house only, as R1: 40% (s. 7.6.4) | 14 m, flat or sloped roof (s. 7.6.1); a lot with one house only, as R1: 9 m with a sloped roof, 7 m with a flat one, perimeter walls 7.32 m (s. 7.6.4); accessory buildings up to 7 m (s. 6.6.5.1)Exceptions (1)
Listed in s. 7.6.7 of the bylaw. |
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 R8 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.