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RM1 zoning in BC
RM1 (also written RM-1) means whatever the bylaw that zones the lot says: there is no provincial RM1 zone. 12 bylaws we've summarised use it, from 11 local governments. It goes by 11 names: Multiple-Dwelling 1 (2 bylaws), Bareland Strata Housing, Low Density Townhouse Residential, Medium Density Residential One and 7 more. What it allows is below, bylaw by bylaw.
RM1 in each bylaw
| Local government | Homes allowed | Smallest lot for a subdivision | Lot coverage | Height limit |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Columbia Shuswap Regional District Multiple-Dwelling 1 · Ranchero / Deep Creek Zoning Bylaw No. 751 | Duplexes and multi-unit buildings: up to 15 homes per hectare with community water and sewer, 1 per hectare otherwise | 1 ha (30 m wide) | 50% | Main buildings 11.5 m, accessory buildings 4.5 m |
| Columbia Shuswap Regional District Multiple-Dwelling 1 · Electoral Area E Zoning Bylaw No. 841 | One house, duplex or multiple-dwelling building per lot, up to 40 dwelling units per hectare with community water and sewer or 2 per hectare otherwise (secondary units included); a secondary dwelling unit up to 90 m² | 500 m² to 2,000 m², on community water and sewer (15 m wide) | 50% | Main buildings 11.5 m; accessory buildings 10 m with a dwelling in them, 8.5 m otherwise |
| Regional District of Nanaimo Resource Management 1 · Regional District of Nanaimo Zoning Bylaw No. 2500, 2024 | One home on a lot of 8 ha or less, two on a larger lot (rules differ in Area G, see below), and a secondary suite with each house up to two a lot (s. 4.30(c)) | Set by the lot's subdivision district on the RDN's map, from 400 m² to 50 ha by district and servicing (Part 5); a report on a lot names its district and size. | 10% | 9 m |
| City of Coquitlam Two-Storey Low Density Apartment Residential · City of Coquitlam Zoning Bylaw No. 3000, 1996 | Apartments and townhouses, at most one home for each 220 m² of lot area (about 45 a hectare); one or more principal buildings per lot (s. 1201(2), (7), (13)(a)). The zone lists no secondary suite or lock-off unit | 1,110 m² for apartments or townhouses; 555 m² for boarding (s. 1201(4)) | 30% for all buildings and structures (s. 1201(6)); floor area at most 0.45 times the lot area (s. 1201(5)) | Two storeys for residential buildings; on a sloping lot the floor below the first storey may be exposed on one side (s. 1201(10)) |
| Township of Esquimalt Multiple Family Residential · Zoning Bylaw, 1992, No. 2050 | Townhouses (buildings of three or more homes, each with its own outside entrance), the zone setting no count of homes, only floor area: at most 0.40 times the lot area (s. 41(1), (2) and the definition of a townhouse). A house or a duplex instead, one kind on the lot, each on the rules of the lowest-numbered zone that allows it (s. 11(3)(a), (b)); a house on a lot of 530 m² or more, with no other homes, may have a secondary suite (s. 11(3)(d)) | None set in the zone | 40% for all buildings and structures; accessory buildings and structures together 10%; floor area up to 0.40 times the lot area; usable open space at least 5% of the lot (s. 41(2), (4), (6)) | Main building 7.5 m; accessory buildings 4 m (s. 41(3)) |
| City of Fort St. John Multiple Dwelling Housing (Medium Density) · City of Fort St. John Zoning Bylaw No. 2470, 2019 | Apartments, townhouses, triplexes and fourplexes, at most 38 homes per hectare; a house on R-1's rules, or a duplex or semi-attached home on R-2's (ss. 14.2, 14.3). A secondary suite only with a house or duplex (s. 4.20); detached suites are listed, but the bylaw's cap of two names other zones (s. 4.21), so how many a lot here may have is unclear: ask the City | 900 m², 24.0 m wide for buildings up to 10.5 m (3 storeys); the table sets no lot area for a taller building, so that is unclear: ask the City (s. 14.3) | 40% (s. 14.3) | 14 m and 4 storeys (s. 14.3). A fourplex is two storeys at most (its definition, s. 3); main building 6.4 m wide at least; accessory buildings two storeys and 7.0 m, or the main building's height if lower (s. 4.18) |
| City of Kamloops Multi-Unit 1 - Low Density · City of Kamloops Zoning Bylaw No. 55, 2021 | Houses and duplexes built as one multi-unit development (a strata or bare land strata, for instance), up to 25 homes per hectare, with residential suites | 3,000 m², 30 m wide | 40% of the parent parcel, accessory buildings included; on a bare land strata lot, accessory buildings 12% up to 80 m² | Houses and duplexes 2 storeys; structures 15 m; accessory buildings 4 m (3 m under 10 m²) |
| City of Maple Ridge Low Density Townhouse Residential · City of Maple Ridge Zoning Bylaw No. 7600-2019 | Townhouses: two or more homes joined, at most 6 in a block no longer than 45 m; no set number, held by the floor space ratio of 0.6 (ss. 617.1, 617.5, 617.11)Exceptions (1)
Listed in s. 617.2(1)(c) of the bylaw. | 1,000 m², 27 m wide, 30 m deep (s. 617.4, Schedule B) | None set (s. 617.6); common open space as s. 617.11 sets (below) | Townhouses 9.5 m; accessory buildings 4.5 m, an indoor amenity building 9.5 m; apartments under the Albion density bonus 11.0 m (s. 617.8) |
| Town of Osoyoos Medium Density Residential One · Town of Osoyoos Zoning Bylaw No. 1395, 2024 | Apartments and townhouses up to 75 homes per hectare (s. 12.1.4; the count is rounded down, s. 6.7) | 1,000 m², 30 m wide | 50% | 15 m |
| City of Penticton Bareland Strata Housing · City of Penticton Zoning Bylaw No. 2024-22 | Houses, duplexes and townhouses in a bare land strata, up to 40 homes per hectare of the parent parcel; secondary suites | Parent parcel 6,000 m², 40 m wide (no size set for the strata lots) | 50% of each strata lot | Main buildings 8.5 m; accessory buildings 5 m |
| City of Prince George Multiple Residential · City of Prince George Zoning Bylaw No. 7850, 2007 | Row houses, stacked row houses, fourplexes, two-unit housing, houses and small apartment buildings of at most 6 homes each, up to 30 homes a hectare; at least 4 homes are allowed on a lot over 280 m², at most 3 on a lot of 280 m² or less (s. 10.9.5); a secondary suite (s. 10.9.3) | 500 m², 15.0 m wide (s. 10.9.4) | 45% (s. 10.9.5) | 11.0 m and 3 storeys; accessory buildings 5.0 m (ss. 10.9.5, 10.9.6) |
| City of Vancouver Multiple Dwelling, courtyard townhouses · Zoning and Development By-law No. 3575 | A single detached house (outright), with a secondary suite (conditional); a duplex (conditional); townhouses and other multiple dwellings (conditional) on a lot of 604 m² with 18.3 m of frontage, more than one building with approval, at most 86 homes per hectare (98 above a floor space ratio of 1.00); infill (a house or duplex) where a character house is kept (conditional); a 2-home conversion of an existing building (outright, no additions), 3 homes with approval. The schedule's aim allows apartments only in designated areas. No laneway houses or lock-off units are listed (ss. 1.1, 2.1, 2.2.2, 2.2.4, 3.1.1.2, 3.1.2.1, 3.1.2.2, 3.4.1.3) | 604 m² and 18.3 m of frontage for a multiple dwelling; 306 m² for a house, duplex, infill or conversion (less for a lot on title before November 23, 2005, with the Director of Planning's approval) (ss. 3.1.2.1, 3.1.2.2, 3.2.2.1, 3.2.2.9, 3.3.2.1, 3.4.2.1) | Multiple dwellings 55% of the lot, other buildings 45%; at most 75% under hard surfaces. Floor space ratio 0.40; the Director of Planning may allow up to 1.20 for a multiple dwelling or seniors housing, 0.60 for a house, duplex or conversion (0.65 keeping a building from before 1940), 0.65 for infill keeping a character house (ss. 3.1.1.1, 3.1.2.7, 3.1.2.8, 3.2.1.1, 3.2.2.6, 3.2.2.7, 3.3.1, 3.4.1.1, 3.5.1.1, 5.1, 5.3) | 10.7 m and 2 storeys; infill 7.7 m and 2 storeys, the second a partial storey of at most 60% of the one below. Accessory buildings 3.7 m (4.6 m at the peak), at most 48 m² together, within 7.1 m of the rear line (ss. 2.2.7, 3.1.2.3, 3.2.2.2, 3.3.2.2, 3.3.2.8) |
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 RM1 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.