INS-1: Institutional

What the zone allows

Homes allowed

No house: seniors' housing, assisted and independent living, supportive and respite housing, care facilities and dormitories; as accessory uses a caretaker suite and the RM-3 zone's homes (apartments, fourplexes, townhouses, triplexes). The zone sets no count of homes; how the RM-3 zone's density applies here the bylaw doesn't say, so ask the City (ss. 24.2.1, 24.2.2)

Exceptions (1)

• Apartments as a main use on one lot the bylaw names

Listed in s. 24.2.1(a) of the bylaw.

Main uses

An assembly hall, assisted living, a community care facility, a community centre, emergency and protective services, government services, health services facilities, a hospital, independent living for seniors, a library, a school, scientific and research laboratories, a seniors care facility, seniors housing and a seniors lifestyle building, supportive living, respite housing; as accessory uses accessory buildings, a major daycare centre, a dormitory, a helipad with a hospital or emergency services, open space, a park, personal services, a retail store, a limited restaurant, the RM-3 zone's uses and a caretaker suite (s. 24.2; definitions in s. 3)

Smallest lot for a subdivision

1,110 m², 30.0 m wide (s. 24.3, Table 23)

Lot coverage

100% (s. 24.3, Table 23)

Height limit

35 m and 10 storeys (s. 24.3, Table 23)

Setbacks

Main building: front 7.5 m, inside sides 4.5 m, street side 4.5 m, rear 7.5 m (s. 24.3, Table 23). Accessory buildings: not in the front yard, 1.0 m from inside lines, 3.0 m from a street side and from a lot line next to a residential or park zone, 1.5 m from the rear (s. 4.18)

The zone is for community, government and emergency services (s. 24.1): most INS-1 lots hold schools, the hospital, halls, care homes and seniors' housing, so a lot here is rarely sold as a home lot (our reading); ask the City what a lot here may be used for before you buy.

More than one main building is allowed on a lot (s. 24.4). A caretaker suite follows the general rules: one per lot, at most 40% of the building's floor area or 90 m², with its own outside entrance (s. 4.19); those rules speak of a commercial or industrial use, so how they read with an institution is the City's to say.

Short-term rental of a home isn't a listed use; ask the City.

Parking and loading (Section 5), landscaping, fencing and the other general regulations (Section 4) also apply.

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 City of Fort St. John's planning department before you buy or build.

Source: Section 24 of City of Fort St. John Zoning Bylaw No. 2470, 2019 (summarised in our words, checked 2026-10-06); zone map: Open Government Licence – City of Fort St. John.