PlaceDossier / Zoning / Zone codes
RA zoning in BC
RA (also written R/A) means whatever the bylaw that zones the lot says: there is no provincial RA zone. 7 bylaws we've summarised use it, from 4 local governments. It goes by 4 names: Resource/Agricultural (3 bylaws), Resource Area (2 bylaws), Acreage Residential, Rural Acreage. What it allows is below, bylaw by bylaw.
RA in each bylaw
| Local government | Homes allowed | Smallest lot for a subdivision | Lot coverage | Height limit |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cariboo Regional District Resource/Agricultural · Chilcotin Area Rural Land Use Bylaw No. 3500, 1999 | One house or one duplex; with a house, a secondary suite, a carriage house or a secondary dwelling; more homes for family on a big lot (see its page) | 32 ha | 10% | 10.67 m |
| Cariboo Regional District Resource/Agricultural · Central Cariboo Area Rural Land Use Bylaw No. 3503, 1999 | One house or one duplex; with a house, a secondary suite, a carriage house or a secondary dwelling | 32 ha | 10% | 10.67 m |
| Cariboo Regional District Resource/Agricultural · North Cariboo Area Rural Land Use Bylaw No. 3505, 1999 | One house or one duplex; with a house, a secondary suite, a carriage house or a secondary dwelling | 32 ha | 10% | 10.67 m |
| Regional District of Central Okanagan Rural Acreage · Joe Rich Rural Land Use Bylaw No. 1195, 2007 | One single family house (s. 5.6.3) of at least 60 m² (s. 5.6.4), with a secondary suite inside it (s. 3.16); on a lot of 8 ha or more, one additional dwelling for a farm worker or caretaker instead of the suite (s. 3.13) | 4 ha (s. 5.6.2) | 10% | 12 m; accessory buildings 8 m |
| Regional District of Okanagan-Similkameen Resource Area · Okanagan Valley Zoning Bylaw No. 2800, 2022 | One house or mobile home and one secondary suite; plus accessory dwellings by lot size: 1 (125 m² in all) under 8 ha, 2 (250 m²) from 8 ha, 3 (375 m²) from 12 ha, 4 (500 m²) from 16 ha (s. 12.1.4) | 20 ha | 35% on lots under 2,500 m², 20% up to 2 ha, 5% over 2 ha (75% for a greenhouse) | 10 m |
| Regional District of Okanagan-Similkameen Resource Area · Electoral Area H Zoning Bylaw No. 3065, 2024 | One house, mobile home or RV and one secondary suite; plus accessory dwellings by lot size: 1 (125 m² in all) under 8 ha, 2 (250 m²) from 8 ha, 3 (375 m²) from 12 ha, 4 (500 m²) from 16 ha (s. 12.1.4) | 60 ha | 35% on lots under 2,500 m², 20% up to 2 ha, 5% over 2 ha (75% for a greenhouse) | 10 m |
| City of Surrey Acreage Residential · Surrey Zoning By-law, 1993, No. 12000 | On a lot under 4,050 m²: up to 4 homes as a house or a duplex, 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). The zone is meant for acreages of 4,050 m² or more; a smaller lot already zoned RA gets the small-scale multi-unit housing counts | 4,050 m², 50 m wide, 60 m deep; at most 2.5 lots per hectare | 20%; on a smaller lot (by its Official Community Plan designation: up to 1,160 m² in a rural or suburban designation, 900 m² in Suburban-Urban Reserve, 1,858 m² in an urban one), 40% for a house on 560 m² or less, down 2 points for each 93 m² more to 25%; 45% for a duplex, down to 25%; 45% for a house with a coach house or garden suite in an urban designation, down to 30% | House 9 m (10 m in a floodplain); duplex 3 storeys and 11 m (12 m); coach house or garden suite 2 storeys and 7 m, roof peak 8.3 m (8.5 m); accessory buildings 4 m (5 m where roof and materials match the house); a skateboard ramp 5 m |
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 RA 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.