RM-1: Multiple Family Residential

What the zone allows

Homes allowed

Townhouses (buildings of three or more homes, each with its own outside entrance), the zone setting no count of homes, only floor area: at most 0.40 times the lot area (s. 41(1), (2) and the definition of a townhouse). A house or a duplex 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))

Main uses

Townhouses and home occupation (s. 41(1)); a house or a duplex under s. 11(3)

Smallest lot for a subdivision

None set in the zone

Lot coverage

40% for all buildings and structures; accessory buildings and structures together 10%; floor area up to 0.40 times the lot area; usable open space at least 5% of the lot (s. 41(2), (4), (6))

Height limit

Main building 7.5 m; accessory buildings 4 m (s. 41(3))

Setbacks

Main building: front 7.5 m, sides 4.5 m (3.6 m beside a street), rear 7.5 m; accessory buildings behind the front of the main building, 1.5 m from the side (3.6 m beside a street) and rear, 2.5 m from the main building (s. 41(5))

The zone is for low-density townhouses (s. 41).

Fences at most 1.2 m high in front of the main building's front face and 2 m behind it (s. 41(7), subject to s. 22); parking as Parking Bylaw, 1992, No. 2011 sets (s. 41(8)).

A townhouse here is most often a strata lot: what an owner may do with a home (renting it, changes) is in the strata's bylaws as well, so read them.

Short-term rental isn't a use this zone lists; ask the Township of Esquimalt before renting a home short term.

Site-specific exceptions listed in the bylaw by legal description can add or change uses for one property, and development permit areas, the ALR and building rules apply on top. Confirm with the Township of Esquimalt's development services department before you buy or build.

Source: Section 41 of Zoning Bylaw, 1992, No. 2050 (summarised in our words, checked 2026-10-06); zone map: Open Government Licence – Corporation of the Township of Esquimalt.