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RM4 zoning in BC
RM4 (also written RM-4) means whatever the bylaw that zones the lot says: there is no provincial RM4 zone. 6 bylaws we've summarised use it, from 6 local governments. It goes by 6 names: High Density Multiple Housing, Multi-Unit 4 – Medium-High Density, Multiple Dwelling, Multiple Family Residential and 2 more. What it allows is below, bylaw by bylaw.
RM4 in each bylaw
| Local government | Homes allowed | Smallest lot for a subdivision | Lot coverage | Height limit |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Regional District of Nanaimo Resource Management 4 · Regional District of Nanaimo Zoning Bylaw No. 2500, 2024 | One home and a secondary suite (s. 4.33(c), s. 3.21) | 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 |
| Township of Esquimalt Multiple Family Residential · Zoning Bylaw, 1992, No. 2050 | Apartment buildings (three or more homes sharing an entrance, hallway or outside walkway), the zone setting no count of homes, only floor area: at most 1.0 times the lot area (s. 44(1), (2) and the definition of a multiple family dwelling). A house, a duplex or townhouses 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 | 30% for all buildings and structures; accessory buildings and structures together 10%; floor area up to 1.0 times the lot area; usable open space at least 7.5% of the lot (s. 44(2), (4), (6)) | Main building 11 m; accessory buildings 4 m (s. 44(3)) |
| City of Kamloops Multi-Unit 4 – Medium-High Density · City of Kamloops Zoning Bylaw No. 55, 2021 | Multi-unit housing and row houses, up to 125 homes per hectare (160 with the density bonus) and a floor area ratio of 1.5 (1.9 with the bonus); no cap per hectare in a transit-oriented area; also a house, house with a residential suite or duplex under R2's rules; rooming houses | 836 m², 23 m wide; row houses 557 m², 18 m wide (19.5 m on a corner) | 60% of the parent parcel, accessory buildings included; on a fee simple row house or bare land strata lot, accessory buildings 12% up to 80 m² | 4 storeys and 15 m (row houses with an interior side setback under 4.5 m, 2 storeys); in a transit-oriented area 10 storeys within 200 m of a transit exchange, 6 at 201 to 400 m; structures 18 m; accessory buildings 4 m (3 m under 10 m²) |
| City of Penticton High Density Multiple Housing · City of Penticton Zoning Bylaw No. 2024-22 | Apartments up to 2.0 FAR, with ground-floor townhouse units along a street allowed; congregate housing and extended care | 2,000 m², 30 m wide | 75%; hard surfaces, buildings included, 85% | 27 m (8 storeys per the zone's purpose) |
| City of Prince George Multiple Residential · City of Prince George Zoning Bylaw No. 7850, 2007 | Apartments, row and stacked row houses, fourplexes, two-unit housing and congregate housing, up to 90 homes a hectare (s. 10.12.5); a secondary suite (s. 10.12.3). A detached house isn't a listed use (s. 10.12.2) | 1,000 m², 22.0 m wide (s. 10.12.4) | 55% (s. 10.12.5) | 12.0 m and 3 storeys; accessory buildings 5.0 m (ss. 10.12.5, 10.12.6) |
| City of Vancouver Multiple Dwelling · Zoning and Development By-law No. 3575 | Apartments and other multiple dwellings up to 4 storeys (conditional) on a lot of 550 m² or more, 6 storeys of social housing; a single detached house or duplex (outright), a house with a secondary suite (conditional); infill beside an existing building; a 2-home conversion of an existing building (outright, no additions); a rooming house (outright). No laneway houses or lock-off units are listed (ss. 1.1, 2.1, 2.2.4, 3.1.2.1) | 550 m² for apartments and seniors housing (500 m² for a lot on title before March 9, 1976), at most 45.8 m of frontage; none set for a house or duplex (ss. 3.1.2.1, 3.1.2.2, 3.1.2.7, 3.4.2.1) | None set, but parking at most 30% of the lot. Floor space ratio 1.45 for apartments, infill and seniors housing (3.00 when every home is social housing), 1.00 for a house or duplex, 0.75 for other uses (ss. 3.1.1, 3.2.1.1, 3.3.1.1, 3.4.1.1, 3.5.1.1, 4.2.1) | 10.7 m, under a plane rising from 7.3 m at the north, northeast or northwest lot line; up to 19.9 m when every home is social housing, at the Director of Planning's or Development Permit Board's discretion (ss. 3.1.2.3, 3.1.2.8, 3.1.2.11, 3.2.2.1, 3.2.2.5) |
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 RM4 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.