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RS2 zoning in BC
RS2 (also written RS-2) means whatever the bylaw that zones the lot says: there is no provincial RS2 zone. 11 bylaws we've summarised use it, from 11 local governments. It goes by 11 names: Low Density Residential Two, Recreation Residential, Residential 2, Residential Single Family Two and 7 more. What it allows is below, bylaw by bylaw.
RS2 in each bylaw
| Local government | Homes allowed | Smallest lot for a subdivision | Lot coverage | Height limit |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Regional District of East Kootenay Recreation Residential · Elk Valley Zoning Bylaw No. 829, 1990 | One house or cabin, plus a secondary suite; a second house, cabin or campground needs 1,858 m² of lot for each | None set in the zone; each house, cabin or campground needs 1,858 m² of lot | Not set | Not set in the zone; cabins 5 m (s. 4.21) |
| Regional District of Nanaimo Residential 2 · Regional District of Nanaimo Zoning Bylaw No. 2500, 2024 | Up to two houses: one per 2,000 m² of lot on community water, one per hectare without it; and a secondary suite with each house, up to two a lot (s. 4.24(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 Two · Okanagan Valley Zoning Bylaw No. 2800, 2022 | One house, and one secondary suite or one accessory dwelling (s. 16.2.4) | 500 m² on community water and sewer, otherwise 1 ha (s. 8.1.4) | 40% | 10 m; accessory buildings 4.5 m |
| City of Coquitlam Rural Residential · City of Coquitlam Zoning Bylaw No. 3000, 1996 | One house (single-detached dwelling) with one accessory dwelling unit, which must be inside the house; one principal building per lot (ss. 1001(3), (7), (9)) | 4,050 m² for a house, farming or produce sales, 22.7 m deep; at most 2.5 homes per hectare, accessory dwelling units not counted (s. 1001(4), (5)) | 45% for all buildings; farm buildings 20% (s. 1001(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. 1001(10)) |
| City of Delta Single Detached Residential 2 · 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. 11.20) | 4,000 m², 30 m wide and 30 m deep on average (s. 11.20.8) | 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) |
| City of Maple Ridge Single Detached Suburban Residential · City of Maple Ridge Zoning Bylaw No. 7600-2019 | One house with a secondary suite and a detached garden suite: 3 homes. The zone is for lots outside the urban area (s. 610.1), where urban infill allows no more (s. 402.29(3)); a lot inside the Urban Containment Boundary would take urban infill as RS-1 does. Whether a lot is inside we don't check: ask the City | 0.4 ha, 36 m wide, 60 m deep (s. 610.4, Schedule B)Exceptions (3)
Listed in s. 610.11(5) to (7) of the bylaw. | 40%, all buildings together; farm buildings 10% (greenhouses 20%) | House 9.5 m; accessory buildings 6.0 m; farm buildings and cannabis production 15.0 m; garden suite 6.0 m, one storey |
| City of Port Coquitlam Residential Small-Scale 2 · 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. | 375 m², 12 m wide, 7.5 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 Prince George Single 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. 10.2.5). No manufactured homes | 500 m², 15 m wide; at most 0.2 ha | 40% | 11 m and 3 storeys; accessory buildings 7 m, secondary dwelling 8 m |
| Town of Princeton Single Family Residential (Small Parcel) · Town of Princeton Zoning Bylaw No. 880, 2013 | One house, plus either a secondary suite or a carriage house (up to 25 homes a hectare) | 300 m²; 10 m of frontage | 40% | 10 m; accessory buildings 7.5 m |
| District of Saanich Single Family Dwelling · District of Saanich Zoning Bylaw No. 8200 | One house with a secondary suite, and a garden suite where s. 5.35 allows one (below); or small-scale multi-unit housing where s. 5.37 allows it: houseplexes and at most one house, up to 4 homes (3 on a lot of 279 m² or less, 6 on an eligible lot in a Transit Proximity Area) in at most 2 buildings (Schedule G) | 400 m², 12 m wide (no panhandle lots) | 40% (small-scale multi-unit housing: Schedule G) | House 6.5 m (s. 201.3); a houseplex 11 m (Schedule G); garden suite 6.5 m; accessory buildings 3.75 m, one storey |
| Sun Peaks Mountain Resort Municipality Residential Single Family Two · Sun Peaks Resort Area Zoning Bylaw No. 1400 | One small house per bare land strata lot; no suite | 350 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 RS2 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.