R2: Rural

What the zone allows

Homes allowed

One home on a lot under 8 ha (s. 5.3(c)); on 8 ha or more, one home for each full 4 ha if the owner grants a covenant against subdividing the lot, else one (s. 5.3(d)); one guest cottage on a lot of 0.8 to 8 ha, and one per home on 8 ha or more (s. 5.3(e), (f)); no secondary suite (our reading)

Main uses

Residential; home occupations, agriculture, and a guest cottage on 0.8 ha or more (s. 5.1)

Smallest lot for a subdivision

2 ha, and 4 ha on average (s. 5.5)

Lot coverage

10% (s. 5.3(g))

Height limit

11 m for all buildings and structures (s. 5.4(a))

Setbacks

7.5 m from the front lot line, 6 m from the rear, 3 m from the interior sides, 4.5 m from a side along a road (s. 5.4(b)); 7.6 m from the sea (s. 2.2.6)

The zone is for homes and farming on larger rural lots (our reading of its uses and lot sizes).

Short-term rental (s. 2.3.5 and its definition in s. 1.1): a guest cottage may be rented for under 30 days as a home occupation, only on a lot with both a house and a cottage, and only while the operator lives in the house. The bylaw doesn't say whether the house itself may be rented by the night; that's unclear, so ask the Islands Trust.

Guest cottage (s. 1.1): a home of up to 65 m² of floor area, not counting an open sleeping loft over half the floor below at most.

The bylaw makes no provision for a secondary suite, and a home is defined as a building with one set of cooking facilities (s. 1.1), so a suite in the house isn't allowed (our reading).

Bed and breakfast (s. 2.3.4): a home occupation inside a home, up to three guest bedrooms and four people a room, breakfast only and only for overnight guests, a parking space per guest room and one sign up to 0.7 m².

Home occupations (s. 2.3.2): run by someone living in the home, with up to four more full-time-equivalent workers, inside, in an accessory building or outdoors (screened from neighbours and roads), with all their parking on the lot.

Home occupations may not store more flammable materials than a household would, or be feed lots, boarding kennels, fur farms, restaurants or cafes (s. 2.3.3).

In the Water Resources Area the bylaw's map shows, no garbage dump or livestock grazing (s. 5.4(c)).

Water (s. 2.2.6): no building but a boathouse or pumphouse within 7.6 m of the sea, or within 30.5 m of any other watercourse or source of water supply. Where the lot is in the bylaw's riparian Development Permit Area No. 1, building, clearing, paving or subdividing there needs a development permit first (s. 11.1).

Never allowed in any zone: campgrounds, storing or wrecking derelict vehicles, moorage of float homes, renting out personal watercraft (s. 2.1.3).

Subdividing for a relative's residence under the Local Government Act needs a lot of 20.2 ha unless it's in the ALR (s. 2.6.6).

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 5.1 of Thetis Island Land Use Bylaw, 2011 (Bylaw No. 89) (summarised in our words, checked 2026-10-11); zone map: Open Government Licence – Islands Trust.