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RS1 zoning in BC
RS1 (also written RS-1) means whatever the bylaw that zones the lot says: there is no provincial RS1 zone. 25 bylaws we've summarised use it, from 19 local governments. It goes by 17 names: Single Family Residential (4 bylaws), Low Density Residential One (3 bylaws), Residential (Semi-Rural) (3 bylaws), Single Detached Residential (2 bylaws) and 13 more. What it allows is below, bylaw by bylaw.
RS1 in each bylaw
| Local government | Homes allowed | Smallest lot for a subdivision | Lot coverage | Height limit |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Columbia Shuswap Regional District Residential · Anglemont Zoning Bylaw No. 650 | One house, plus secondary dwelling units under s. 3.9 | 1,000 m² with community sewer; 4,000 m² otherwise, or down to 3,200 m² if the subdivision's lots average 4,000 m² (20 m wide) | 30% | Main buildings 11.5 m; accessory buildings 10 m with a dwelling in them, 8.5 m otherwise |
| Regional District of East Kootenay Single Residential (Urban) · Elk Valley Zoning Bylaw No. 829, 1990 | One house or one duplex, plus a secondary suite | 1,670 m² without community water or sewer, 695 m² with one, 555 m² with both; a duplex needs 2,140, 1,170 or 700 m² (and each half of a split duplex 1,070, 585 or 350 m²) | 30% | House 9 m, accessory buildings 5 m |
| Regional District of East Kootenay Single Family Residential · Jaffray, Tie Lake, Rosen Lake Land Use and Floodplain Management Bylaw No. 1414, 1999 | One house (with a secondary suite) or one duplex | 0.3 ha | 25% with a house, 35% with a duplex | Main building 9 m, accessory buildings 6 m |
| Regional District of East Kootenay Residential (Semi-Rural) · South Country Zoning & Floodplain Management Bylaw No. 2320, 2011 | One house (with a secondary suite) or one duplex | 1,670 m² | 30% | Main building 9 m, accessory buildings 5 m |
| Regional District of East Kootenay Residential (Semi-Rural) · Electoral Area E Zoning and Floodplain Management Bylaw No. 2502, 2014 | One house (with a secondary suite) or one duplex (a duplex needs a lot of 2,140 m²) | 1,670 m² for a house, 2,140 m² for a duplex | 30% | Main building 9 m, accessory buildings 5 m |
| Regional District of East Kootenay Residential (Semi-Rural) · Steeples Zoning & Floodplain Management Bylaw No. 2615, 2015 | One house (with a secondary suite) or one duplex | 1,670 m² | 30% | Main building 9 m, accessory buildings 5 m |
| Regional District of East Kootenay Residential (Urban) · Electoral Area C South Zoning & Floodplain Management Bylaw No. 2913, 2019 | One house (with a secondary suite) or one duplex | 555 m² | 30% with a house, 35% with a duplex | Main building 9 m, accessory buildings 5 m |
| Regional District of Nanaimo Residential 1 · Regional District of Nanaimo Zoning Bylaw No. 2500, 2024 | One house and a secondary suite (s. 4.23(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. | 35% | 9 m; accessory buildings 6 m |
| Regional District of Okanagan-Similkameen Low Density Residential One · Okanagan Valley Zoning Bylaw No. 2800, 2022 | One house and one secondary suite (s. 16.1.4); the zone lists no accessory dwelling | 350 m² on community water and sewer, otherwise 1 ha (s. 8.1.4) | 50% | 10 m; accessory buildings 4.5 m |
| Regional District of Okanagan-Similkameen Low Density Residential One · Electoral Area H Zoning Bylaw No. 3065, 2024 | One house, mobile home or duplex (a duplex only on community sewer and water, s. 16.1.8), and one secondary suite or one accessory dwelling (s. 16.1.4) | 500 m²; 225 m² for each half of a duplex split under the Strata Property Act; either only for a new lot on community water and sewer (s. 8.1.3) | 50% on lots under 500 m², 40% up to 1,000 m², 35% over 1,000 m² | 11 m; accessory buildings 4.5 m, an accessory dwelling 8 m |
| Sunshine Coast Regional District Single Family Residential · Sunshine Coast Regional District Electoral Area A Zoning Bylaw No. 337 | One house (s. 600.2), up to 300 m²; all buildings at most 400 m² in all | Set by the lot's subdivision district, not its zone (ss. 401, 407): from 640 m² to 100 ha; a lot's report gives its district in "What you can build (zoning)", under "The record", as "Subdivision district (smallest new lot)". Lots on Ruby, Sakinaw, Hotel, Garden Bay and Mixal lakes in the larger districts need 60 m of lakeshore (s. 408) | 35% | 11 m (s. 512) |
| City of Abbotsford Urban Estate Residential · City of Abbotsford Zoning Bylaw No. 2400-2014 | One house, plus a secondary suite | 1,620 m², 30.0 m wide | 33% | House 9.5 m or three storeys, whichever is less; accessory buildings 4.5 m |
| City of Coquitlam One-Family Residential · City of Coquitlam Zoning Bylaw No. 3000, 1996 | One house with one secondary suite inside it; one principal building per lot (s. 2202(2)); at most 18 homes per hectare, suites not counted (ss. 2203(5), (7)) | 4,050 m² for a new lot by subdivision (s. 602(3)). For a house, the zone asks 650 m² (555 m² for a lot cut from one of 1,110 to 1,951 m² that existed before February 19, 1996), 13.5 m wide and 22.7 m deep (s. 2203(4)) | 45% (s. 2203(6)) | House 7.3 m, or 11.0 m where at least 80% of the roof is pitched 3 in 12 or steeper; detached accessory buildings 3.7 m, 4.6 m with a roof of 4 in 12 or steeper (s. 2203(10)) |
| City of Delta Single Detached Residential 1 · Delta Zoning Bylaw No. 7600, 2017 | Inside the Urban Containment Boundary (s. 6.1.2(g), (h)): up to four homes on a lot over 280 m² (three on a smaller lot, six in the Frequent Transit Area), from at most one house, one duplex, two detached accessory homes (garden suites or coach houses) and a secondary suite in each house or duplex home; outside it and the ALR, one house, one secondary suite and one garden suite or coach house; the zone itself lists one house and a secondary suite (s. 11.10) | 4,000 m², 30 m wide and 30 m deep on average (s. 11.10.8) | 45%; floor area up to 0.3 times the lot area plus 93 m² | 2.5 storeys: 8 m to mid-roof or a flat roof, 9.5 m to a pitched roof's ridge; accessory buildings 1 storey, 3.75 m to the ridge (a detached garage 4.6 m) |
| Township of Esquimalt Single Family Residential · Zoning Bylaw, 1992, No. 2050 | Two homes: a house with one secondary suite of up to 90 m² or 40% of the house's floor area, whichever is less (s. 34(1), 30.6)Exceptions (1)
Listed in s. 30.10, 40.2, 40.3 of the bylaw. | 530 m², 16 m wide at the front building line, for a new lot (s. 34(2), (3)) | 30%; accessory buildings and structures together 10%; floor area up to 0.35 times the lot area (s. 34(4), (8)) | House 7.3 m; accessory buildings 3.6 m (s. 34(6)) |
| Village of Keremeos Low Density Residential One · Village of Keremeos Zoning Bylaw No. 851 | Up to three: a duplex, or a house with a secondary suite and an accessory dwelling (s. 11.1.5); on land the floodplain map (Schedule C) covers, a suite or an accessory dwelling, not both | 500 m² on Village sewer, 1 ha without; 225 m² for each half of a duplex divided on sewer; width at least a quarter of the depth, 25 m deep | 45% | 11 m; detached accessory dwellings 8 m; other accessory buildings 5 m |
| City of Maple Ridge Single Detached Residential · City of Maple Ridge Zoning Bylaw No. 7600-2019 | One house with a secondary suite and a detached garden suite. Inside the Urban Containment Boundary (Schedule A), urban infill (s. 402.29): a house, duplex, triplex, fourplex, or courtyard or townhouse homes, with secondary suites and garden suites, up to 4 homes in all on a lot over 280 m² and up to 0.4 ha (3 on a lot of 280 m² or less, 6 within 400 m of a bus stop with service every 15 minutes, as the bylaw defines it); on a lot over 0.4 ha, 3 homes: a house, a secondary suite and a garden suite. Outside the boundary, 3 homes: a house, a secondary suite and a garden suite (s. 402.29(3)). Not in a Transit-Oriented Area (Schedule H; s. 402.29(7)(e)). Whether a lot is inside the boundary or near such a bus stop we don't check: ask the City | 668 m², 18 m wide, 27 m deep (s. 605.4, Schedule B) | 40%, all buildings together; urban infill 50% (60% with up to 6 homes) | House 8.0 m; accessory buildings 4.5 m; farm buildings and cannabis production 15.0 m; garden suite as s. 402.11 sets; urban infill 9.5 m |
| Town of Oliver Residential Low Density One · Town of Oliver Zoning Bylaw No. 1423 | Up to 4 homes on a lot over 280 m², 3 on a smaller one, on Town water and sewer; without them, one house and a secondary suite (s. 10.1.5) | 350 m² on Town sewer, 1 ha without; 12 m wide and 25 m deep | 50% | 11 m; accessory buildings 5 m |
| Town of Osoyoos Small-Scale Multi-Unit Residential · Town of Osoyoos Zoning Bylaw No. 1395, 2024 | Two: a duplex, a house with a secondary suite, or a house with an accessory dwelling (s. 11.1.4) | 1,000 m², width at least a quarter of the depth; 225 m² for each half of a duplex divided by strata | 50% | 11 m; accessory dwellings 8 m; other accessory buildings 4.5 m |
| City of Port Coquitlam Residential Small-Scale 1 · City of Port Coquitlam Zoning Bylaw, 2008, No. 3630 | Up to 4 homes on a lot over 280 m² and under 4,050 m², or 6 within 400 m of a prescribed bus stop (Schedule D); up to 3 on a lot of 280 m² or less (s. 2.5). The forms: a house with a secondary suite and an accessory dwelling unit (a detached home); a duplex; a triplex only within 400 m of a prescribed bus stop; each home of a duplex or triplex may have a secondary suite. Accessory dwelling units, duplexes and triplexes aren't allowed on lots exempt under s. 481.4 of the Local Government Act or inside a transit-oriented area (Table 2.3, Notes 2 to 4). On 4,050 m² or more the bylaw sets no count, so how many homes a larger lot may have is unclear: ask the CityExceptions (1)
Listed in Table 2.3, Notes 2 to 4 of the bylaw. | 500 m², 15 m wide, 9 m of frontage, 28 m deep (Table 2.2) | 50%; 55% for a triplex within 400 m of a prescribed bus stop; impervious surfaces at most 70% (Table 2.4, Note 2) | 10.5 m and 3 storeys, basements counted (Table 2.4, Note 1); an accessory dwelling unit 7.5 m to the top of the roof, 8.5 m with a roof of 9 in 12 or steeper (Section III, s. 13-5); accessory buildings 3 m to 4.8 m by roof slope (Section III, s. 2-7) |
| City of Port Moody Single Detached Residential · City of Port Moody Zoning Bylaw, 2018, No. 2937 | A house with a secondary suite and an additional dwelling unit (a home of its own, detached or attached, which may be stratified) (s. 8.4.2; s. 4). Or small-scale multi-unit housing, only on a lot in the SSMUH Areas of the bylaw's Map 3: up to 3 homes on a lot of 280 m² or less; up to 4 on a lot over 280 m² and up to 4,050 m²; up to 6 on such a lot inside the map's Prescribed Bus Stop 400 m Radius; as a house, semi-detached homes, additional dwelling units, townhouses, apartments or secondary suites, counted together (ss. 5.5.1 to 5.5.4). Which part of the map a lot is on we don't check: ask the City | 555 m², 15.0 m wide (s. 3.2) | House: 40% for all buildings, accessory buildings (additional dwelling unit included) at most 65 m²; small-scale housing 45% with up to 4 homes, 50% with 5 or 6 (ss. 8.4.3, 8.4.4) | House: 3 storeys and 10.5 m with a roof pitched 3 in 12 or more, 9.0 m with a flatter roof (parapets under 0.6 m); accessory buildings 3.7 m flat roof, 4.5 m pitched; additional dwelling unit 6.71 m; small-scale housing 10.5 m with up to 4 homes, 11.5 m with 5 or 6, accessory buildings 4.0 m (ss. 8.4.3, 8.4.4) |
| City of Prince George Suburban Residential · City of Prince George Zoning Bylaw No. 7850, 2007 | Where the Province's small-scale multi-unit housing rules apply (a lot under 4,050 m² on City water and sewer, inside Schedule K, not heritage-protected; s. 5.18), up to 4 homes (3 on a lot of 280 m² or less) as a house, duplex, fourplex, row houses or a small apartment building; elsewhere one house with a secondary suite or a secondary dwelling (s. 10.1.5). No manufactured homes | 845 m², 20 m wide; at most 0.4 ha | 30% | 11 m and 3 storeys; accessory buildings 7 m, secondary dwelling 8 m |
| Town of Princeton Single Family Residential · Town of Princeton Zoning Bylaw No. 880, 2013 | One house, plus either a secondary suite or a carriage house (up to 14 homes a hectare) | 350 m² on community water and sewer, 2,023 m² on community water alone; 15 m of frontage | 40% | 10 m; accessory buildings 7.5 m |
| Resort Municipality of Whistler Single Family Residential One · Zoning and Parking Bylaw No. 303, 2015 | One house with up to four bedrooms, and one auxiliary home of 32.5 to 90 m² (up to two bedrooms, at most 40% of the floor area on the lot) inside the house or in an accessory building, where the lot is on community sewer (s. 1(2), (22)-(26)); one main building a lot (s. 1(23)) | 695 m² with 18 m of frontage for a house of up to 325 m², 928.6 m² with 24 m for a larger one (s. 1(10)); 12,265 m² for four lots the bylaw names | 35%; a house up to 465 m² and 0.35 times the lot area, 325 m² on a lot under 24 m wide; 56 m² more for an employee home under a housing agreement with the Municipality (s. 1(3), (6), (11)) | 7.6 m; an accessory building with a garage and an auxiliary home 2 storeys, up to 7 m |
| Sun Peaks Mountain Resort Municipality Residential Single Family One · Sun Peaks Resort Area Zoning Bylaw No. 1400 | One house with up to 4 bedrooms, with an auxiliary dwelling unit (a suite) inside it | 700 m² | 35% | 7.6 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 RS1 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.