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RS-4 zoning in BC
RS-4 (also written RS4) means whatever the bylaw that zones the lot says: there is no provincial RS-4 zone. 12 bylaws we've summarised use it, from 8 local governments. It goes by 10 names: Residential (Acreage) (2 bylaws), Residential (Semi-Rural) (2 bylaws), Duplex Residential, Low Density Residential Apex and 6 more. What it allows is below, bylaw by bylaw.
RS-4 in each bylaw
| Local government | Homes allowed | Smallest lot for a subdivision | Lot coverage | Height limit |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Regional District of East Kootenay Single Residential (Extensive) · Elk Valley Zoning Bylaw No. 829, 1990 | One house or one duplex, plus a secondary suite; a dwelling for a relative needing care is possible | 0.4 ha | 20% | 10 m |
| Regional District of East Kootenay Residential (Acreage) · South Country Zoning & Floodplain Management Bylaw No. 2320, 2011 | One house (with a secondary suite) or one duplex; a dwelling for a relative needing care is possible | 0.4 ha | 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 dwelling for a relative needing care is possible | 0.4 ha | 30% | Main building 9 m, accessory buildings 5 m |
| Regional District of East Kootenay Residential (Acreage) · Steeples Zoning & Floodplain Management Bylaw No. 2615, 2015 | One house (with a secondary suite) or one duplex; a dwelling for a relative needing care is possible | 0.4 ha | 30% | Main building 9 m, accessory buildings 5 m |
| Regional District of East Kootenay Residential (Semi-Rural) · Electoral Area C South Zoning & Floodplain Management Bylaw No. 2913, 2019 | One house (with a secondary suite) or one duplex; a dwelling for a relative needing care is possible | 0.4 ha | 30% with a house, 35% with a duplex | Main building 9 m, accessory buildings 5 m |
| Regional District of Okanagan-Similkameen Low Density Residential Apex · Okanagan Valley Zoning Bylaw No. 2800, 2022 | One house, and one secondary suite or one accessory dwelling (s. 16.4.4) | 1,000 m² on community water and sewer, otherwise 1 ha (s. 8.1.4) | 45% | 10 m; accessory buildings 5.5 m |
| City of Abbotsford Duplex Residential Zone · City of Abbotsford Zoning Bylaw No. 2400-2014 | A single detached house with a secondary suite, or a duplex (strata or fee simple; the zone lists suites only in houses); or the house used for residential care | 464 m² for a house, 557 m² for a duplex, 278 m² for each half of a duplex split along a side lot line; 15.0 m wide for a house (16.5 m on a corner), 18.0 m for a duplex, 9.0 m for each half; 25.0 m deep; no through or panhandle lots | 40% | Main building 9.5 m or three storeys, whichever is less; accessory buildings 4.5 m |
| City of Coquitlam One-Family Compact 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 27 homes per hectare, suites not counted (ss. 2205(5), (7)) | 375 m², 12.5 m wide, 22.7 m deep (s. 2205(4)) | 45% (s. 2205(6)) | House 7.3 m, or 9.0 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. 2205(10)) |
| City of Delta Single Detached Residential 4 · 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. 11.40) | 610 m², 20 m wide and 30 m deep on average (s. 11.40.8) | 45%; floor area up to 0.25 times the lot area plus 125 m² (s. 11.40.4) | 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 Port Coquitlam Residential Small-Scale 4 · 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. | 300 m², 9.5 m wide, 9.5 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 Urban 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. 10.4.6). No manufactured homes | 225 m², 7.5 m wide; at most 600 m² and 12 m wide | 50% on a lot under 9 m wide with a lane; 45% otherwise | 11 m and 3 storeys; accessory buildings 7 m, secondary dwelling 8 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) | 460 m², 14 m wide (no panhandle lots) | 40% (small-scale multi-unit housing: Schedule G) | House 7.5 m, 6.5 m with a flat or low-pitched roof (under 3 in 12); a houseplex 11 m (Schedule G); garden suite 6.5 m; accessory buildings 3.75 m, one storey |
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 RS-4 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.