SR: Settlement Residential

What the zone allows

Homes allowed

One single family home per parcel; on a parcel over 2 ha, a guest cottage of up to 65 m² too (ss. 2.6, 3.1(c)(i))

Main uses

Single family residential use and guest cottages, with accessory buildings and structures (s. 3.1(a), (b)); public utilities and navigational aids, as in every zone (s. 2.1); on one property the bylaw names, boat launching, parking and access for the centralized moorage at Pirates Cove (s. 3.1(a)(iii), (b)(iv))

Smallest lot for a subdivision

Set by the subdivision district, not the zone: 0.6 ha in districts A to F, 2 ha in H, 30 ha elsewhere (s. 4.3); which district a lot is in is unclear from the zoning map

Lot coverage

15% (s. 3.1(c)(iv))

Height limit

9 m for every building and structure (s. 3.1(c)(ii))

Setbacks

5 m from every lot line, fences excepted (s. 3.1(c)(iii)); no separate setback from the sea (our reading)

The zone is for homes, seasonal or permanent (s. 3.1's purpose).

Guest cottage (ss. 2.6, 3.1(c)(i)): only on a parcel over 2 ha, up to 65 m² of floor area.

Short-term rental: the bylaw doesn't mention short-term or vacation rental, bed and breakfasts or guest accommodation for pay. The zone's uses are single family residential and guest cottages "and no others" (s. 3.1(a)), so whether a home or the cottage may be rented by the night is unclear (our reading); ask the Islands Trust.

Home occupations: the bylaw lists none, and the zone allows its listed uses and no others (s. 3.1(a)), so a business run from the home isn't among them (our reading); ask the Islands Trust.

Water: the bylaw sets no setback from the sea and no floor height above it beyond the zone's 5 m from lot lines (our reading); docks, floats and boat shelters for the upland home are in the Water General (W-1) zone in front, which needs Crown tenure for them, keeps them 6 m in from the side lines projected seaward and allows no living aboard a vessel or float house (s. 3.4).

Subdivision (Section 4): lots follow the subdivision districts of DeCourcy Island Subdivision Control Bylaw No. 18, which the zoning map doesn't show: in districts A to F the smallest new lot is 0.6 ha, with an average of 1.11 to 10.82 ha by district; district H 2 ha (average 2.43 ha); all other land (district G) 30 ha; each district also has a most-lots cap that prevails over the average (s. 4.3).

Steps, eaves, canopies, balconies and chimneys may reach up to 2 m into a lot line setback (s. 2.4); retaining walls, antennas, chimneys, water tanks and similar may exceed the height limit (s. 2.5).

On the land Map 1 shows, fire hall uses are allowed and homes aren't (ss. 2.1, 6.1, 6.2).

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 Islands Trust's office for the island before you buy or build.

Source: Section 3.1 of DeCourcy Island Zoning Bylaw, 1987 (Bylaw No. 44) (summarised in our words, checked 2026-10-11); zone map: Open Government Licence – Islands Trust.