PlaceDossier / Zoning / Zone codes
RT-2 zoning in BC
RT-2 (also written RT2) means whatever the bylaw that zones the lot says: there is no provincial RT-2 zone. 4 bylaws we've summarised use it, from 4 local governments. It goes by 4 names: Townhouse Residential, Two Family Residential Two, Two-Family Dwelling, Two-Unit Residential. What it allows is below, bylaw by bylaw.
RT-2 in each bylaw
| Local government | Homes allowed | Smallest lot for a subdivision | Lot coverage | Height limit |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| City of Coquitlam Townhouse Residential · City of Coquitlam Zoning Bylaw No. 3000, 1996 | Townhouses; the number of homes is set by the floor area ratio, not a count; lock-off units only in the Evergreen Line station areas (Schedule O) (ss. 1007(2), (9)) | 1,110 m² for townhouses (s. 1007(4))Exceptions (1)
Listed in s. 1007(4)(b) of the bylaw. | 45% (s. 1007(6)) | Townhouses three storeys on any face; detached accessory buildings 3.7 m, 4.6 m with a roof of 4 in 12 or steeper, or two storeys for a shared indoor amenity building (s. 1007(10)) |
| City of Prince George Two-Unit 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. 10.7.5). No manufactured homes | 500 m², 15 m wide; 400 m² and 12 m for a detached house; 250 m² and 7.5 m for each half of side-by-side two-unit housing on its own lot; at most 845 m² (s. 10.7.4) | 45% | 11 m and 3 storeys; accessory buildings 7 m, secondary dwelling 8 m |
| Resort Municipality of Whistler Two Family Residential Two · Zoning and Parking Bylaw No. 303, 2015 | One house with up to four bedrooms and one auxiliary home inside it, or one duplex with up to eight bedrooms (s. 4(2), (19), (20)); one main building a lot (s. 4(22)). The auxiliary home is 32.5 to 75 m², at most 35% of the house, with up to two bedrooms (s. 4(23)-(25)). At most 28% of all homes in the zone may be duplexes (s. 4(21)); how that is counted for one lot is unclear, so ask the Municipality | A house of up to 325 m²: 695 m² (465 m² usable) with 18 m of frontage; a larger house 928.6 m² (581 m² usable) with 24 m. A duplex of up to 375 m²: 836 m² (744 m² usable) with 18 m; a larger duplex 937.5 m² (930 m² usable) with 24 m (s. 4(8)) | 35% (s. 4(11)); a house up to 465 m² and 0.35 times the lot area, 325 m² on a lot under 24 m wide; a duplex up to 511 m² and 0.40 times the lot area, 375 m² on a lot under 24 m wide (s. 4(3), (4), (9), (10)); parking inside up to 70 m² for a house, 50 m² per duplex home (s. 4(5), (6)) | 7.6 m (s. 4(7)) |
| City of Vancouver Two-Family Dwelling · Zoning and Development By-law No. 3575 | A single detached house (outright), with a secondary suite (conditional); a duplex (outright); a 2-home conversion of an existing building (outright, no additions); or a multiple dwelling (conditional) on a lot of 668 m² or more. No laneway houses or lock-off units are listed (ss. 2.1, 2.2.3, 3.1.2.1) | 445 m² for a duplex (353 m² for a lot on title before September 7, 1965, with the Director of Planning's approval), 668 m² for a multiple dwelling (ss. 3.1.2.1, 3.2.2.1, 3.2.2.7) | 45% of the lot for houses and duplexes; 40% for a multiple dwelling (55% when no building is over 6.1 m and one storey), counting driveways and parking. Floor space ratio 0.60, or 0.75 for a multiple dwelling or seniors housing (ss. 3.1.1.1, 3.1.2.6, 3.1.2.9, 3.1.2.10, 3.2.1.1, 3.2.2.6) | 9.2 m, and at most 2 storeys and a cellar or 1 storey and a basement. Accessory buildings 3.7 m (ss. 2.2.7, 3.1.2.2, 3.1.2.7, 3.2.2.2, 3.2.2.8) |
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 RT-2 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.