PlaceDossier / Zoning / Zone codes
RA 1 zoning in BC
RA 1 (also written RA-1, RA1) means whatever the bylaw that zones the lot says: there is no provincial RA 1 zone. 5 bylaws we've summarised use it, from 4 local governments. It goes by 4 names: Resource/Agricultural (2 bylaws), Limited Agricultural (Southlands), Residential Apartment 1, Small Holdings. What it allows is below, bylaw by bylaw.
RA 1 in each bylaw
| Local government | Homes allowed | Smallest lot for a subdivision | Lot coverage | Height limit |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cariboo Regional District Resource/Agricultural · South Cariboo Area Zoning Bylaw No. 3501, 1999 | One house or one duplex; with a house, a secondary suite, a carriage house or a secondary dwelling | 32 ha (45.5 m along the water for a waterfront lot) | 10% | 10.67 m |
| Cariboo Regional District Resource/Agricultural · Williams Lake Fringe and 150 Mile House Area Zoning Bylaw No. 3502, 1999 | One house or one duplex; with a house, a secondary suite, a carriage house or a secondary dwelling | 32 ha (45.5 m along the water for a waterfront lot) | 10% | 10.67 m |
| Regional District of Mount Waddington Small Holdings · RDMW Zoning Bylaw No. 21, 1972 | One house | 0.8 ha, with 50 m of frontage | 10% | 10.5 m |
| City of Port Coquitlam Residential Apartment 1 · City of Port Coquitlam Zoning Bylaw, 2008, No. 3630 | Apartments (a building of three or more homes, some or all entered from a shared corridor, lobby or enclosed parking); the number of homes is set by the floor area ratio, not a count (Section 1; Table 2.3) | 1,000 m², 30 m wide, 18 m of frontage, 28 m deep (Table 2.2) | 35%, rising by 15% of the share of required parking put underground or in a structure, to at most 50% (Table 2.4, Note 11) | 18 m (Table 2.4); the zone is meant for buildings of 3 to 4 storeys (Table 2.1). Accessory buildings 3 m to 4.8 m by roof slope (Section III, s. 2-7) |
| City of Vancouver Limited Agricultural (Southlands) · Zoning and Development By-law No. 3575 | A single detached house: outright up to 280 m² of floor area, conditional above. A caretaker's home (conditional), inside the house or as an infill house, on a lot of 2,020 m² or more where the house, the lot or its uses need one, at most 70 m² (140 m² on a lot over 4,045 m²), held by a registered covenant; or an infill house of up to 186 m² (conditional) on a lot of 9,100 m² boarding at least 10 horses, at most 2 homes in all. No suites, duplexes or laneway houses are listed (ss. 1.1, 2.1, 2.2.4 to 2.2.7) | 9,100 m², which the Director of Planning may reduce for a lot on title before October 4, 1955 (ss. 3.1.2.1, 3.1.2.9) | Homes 8% of the lot or 242 m², whichever is more, and with their yards within 6.4 m, pools, courts and driveways at most 30% of a lot of 9,070 m² (40% from 4,045 m², 50% below); other uses 12%. Floor area for homes 0.10 of the lot or 334 m², whichever is more, at most 836 m², garages and covered pools counted; other uses 0.12 (ss. 3.1.1.1, 3.1.2.6, 3.1.2.13, 4.1.1) | 9.2 m and 3 storeys, the third a partial storey of at most half the one below, inside a plane from 6.4 m at the side yards; up to 10.7 m with the Director of Planning's approval. Accessory buildings 3.7 m (4.6 m at the peak), at most 48 m² together (ss. 2.2.12, 3.1.2.2, 3.1.2.10 to 3.1.2.12) |
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 1 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.