PlaceDossier / Zoning / City of Maple Ridge
City of Maple Ridge Zoning Bylaw No. 7600-2019
The City of Maple Ridge's zoning bylaw, which applies in Maple Ridge. Our summary of its 9 single detached residential RS-1, RS-1a, RS-1b, RS-1d, RS-2 and RS-3 zones, the Urban Infill Residential zone RUR, the Upland Agricultural zone A-2 and the Low Density Townhouse Residential zone RM-1 zones, read from the consolidation to 2026-07-28 and checked 2026-10-05. Its other zones aren't summarised here.
The zones side by side
| Zone | Homes allowed | Smallest lot for a subdivision | Lot coverage | Height limit |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| RS-1 Single Detached Residential | One house with a secondary suite and a detached garden suite. Inside the Urban Containment Boundary (Schedule A), urban infill (s. 402.29): a house, duplex, triplex, fourplex, or courtyard or townhouse homes, with secondary suites and garden suites, up to 4 homes in all on a lot over 280 m² and up to 0.4 ha (3 on a lot of 280 m² or less, 6 within 400 m of a bus stop with service every 15 minutes, as the bylaw defines it); on a lot over 0.4 ha, 3 homes: a house, a secondary suite and a garden suite. Outside the boundary, 3 homes: a house, a secondary suite and a garden suite (s. 402.29(3)). Not in a Transit-Oriented Area (Schedule H; s. 402.29(7)(e)). Whether a lot is inside the boundary or near such a bus stop we don't check: ask the City | 668 m², 18 m wide, 27 m deep (s. 605.4, Schedule B) | 40%, all buildings together; urban infill 50% (60% with up to 6 homes) | House 8.0 m; accessory buildings 4.5 m; farm buildings and cannabis production 15.0 m; garden suite as s. 402.11 sets; urban infill 9.5 m |
| RS-1a Single Detached (Amenity) Residential | One house with a secondary suite and a detached garden suite. Inside the Urban Containment Boundary (Schedule A), urban infill (s. 402.29): a house, duplex, triplex, fourplex, or courtyard or townhouse homes, with secondary suites and garden suites, up to 4 homes in all on a lot over 280 m² and up to 0.4 ha (3 on a lot of 280 m² or less, 6 within 400 m of a bus stop with service every 15 minutes, as the bylaw defines it); on a lot over 0.4 ha, 3 homes: a house, a secondary suite and a garden suite. Outside the boundary, 3 homes: a house, a secondary suite and a garden suite (s. 402.29(3)). Not in a Transit-Oriented Area (Schedule H; s. 402.29(7)(e)). Whether a lot is inside the boundary or near such a bus stop we don't check: ask the City | 668 m², 18 m wide, 27 m deep (s. 606.4, Schedule B) | 40%, all buildings together; urban infill 50% (60% with up to 6 homes) | House 9.5 m; accessory buildings 4.5 m; garden suite as s. 402.11 sets |
| RS-1b Single Detached (Medium Density) Residential | One house with a secondary suite and a detached garden suite. Inside the Urban Containment Boundary (Schedule A), urban infill (s. 402.29): a house, duplex, triplex, fourplex, or courtyard or townhouse homes, with secondary suites and garden suites, up to 4 homes in all on a lot over 280 m² and up to 0.4 ha (3 on a lot of 280 m² or less, 6 within 400 m of a bus stop with service every 15 minutes, as the bylaw defines it); on a lot over 0.4 ha, 3 homes: a house, a secondary suite and a garden suite. Outside the boundary, 3 homes: a house, a secondary suite and a garden suite (s. 402.29(3)). Not in a Transit-Oriented Area (Schedule H; s. 402.29(7)(e)). Whether a lot is inside the boundary or near such a bus stop we don't check: ask the City | 557 m², 15 m wide, 27 m deep (s. 607.4, Schedule B); see the Albion note below for smaller lots | 40%, all buildings together; urban infill 50% (60% with up to 6 homes) | House 9.5 m; accessory buildings 4.5 m; garden suite as s. 402.11 sets |
| RS-1d Single Detached (Half Acre) Residential | One house or one duplex (two homes under one roof, sharing walls along at least 15% of the building's perimeter or one above the other, s. 609.11), each home with a secondary suite, and a detached garden suite. Inside the Urban Containment Boundary (Schedule A), urban infill (s. 402.29): a house, duplex, triplex, fourplex, or courtyard or townhouse homes, with secondary suites and garden suites, up to 4 homes in all on a lot over 280 m² and up to 0.4 ha (3 on a lot of 280 m² or less, 6 within 400 m of a bus stop with service every 15 minutes, as the bylaw defines it); on a lot over 0.4 ha, 3 homes: a house, a secondary suite and a garden suite. Outside the boundary, 3 homes: a house, a secondary suite and a garden suite (s. 402.29(3)). Not in a Transit-Oriented Area (Schedule H; s. 402.29(7)(e)). Whether a lot is inside the boundary or near such a bus stop we don't check: ask the City | 2,000 m², 30 m wide, 40 m deep (s. 609.4, Schedule B) | 15% with a house, 25% with a duplex, all buildings together; urban infill 50% (60% with up to 6 homes) | House or duplex 9.5 m; accessory buildings 4.5 m; garden suite as s. 402.11 sets |
| RS-2 Single Detached Suburban Residential | One house with a secondary suite and a detached garden suite: 3 homes. The zone is for lots outside the urban area (s. 610.1), where urban infill allows no more (s. 402.29(3)); a lot inside the Urban Containment Boundary would take urban infill as RS-1 does. Whether a lot is inside we don't check: ask the City | 0.4 ha, 36 m wide, 60 m deep (s. 610.4, Schedule B)Exceptions (3)
Listed in s. 610.11(5) to (7) of the bylaw. | 40%, all buildings together; farm buildings 10% (greenhouses 20%) | House 9.5 m; accessory buildings 6.0 m; farm buildings and cannabis production 15.0 m; garden suite 6.0 m, one storey |
| RS-3 Single Detached Rural Residential | One house with a secondary suite and a detached garden suite: 3 homes. The zone is for lots outside the urban area (s. 611.1), where urban infill allows no more (s. 402.29(3)). A farm worker's home only on a farm of 1.7 ha or more designated Rural Residential (2 ha Agricultural), with the Agricultural Land Commission's approval, an agrologist's report and a covenant (s. 402.2) | 0.8 ha where a community water system is available, else 2.0 ha; 60 m wide, 75 m deep (s. 611.4, Schedule B)Exceptions (1)
Listed in s. 611.4(4) of the bylaw. | 40%, all buildings together; farm buildings 10% (greenhouses 20%) | House 9.5 m; accessory buildings 6.0 m; farm buildings and cannabis production 15.0 m; garden suite 6.0 m, one storey (7.5 m above an accessory use on a lot in the ALR) |
| RUR Urban Infill Residential | Up to 4 homes in all on a lot over 280 m² (3 on a lot of 280 m² or less, 6 within 400 m of a bus stop with service every 15 minutes, as the bylaw defines it), as a house, duplex, triplex, fourplex, or courtyard or townhouse homes (up to 6), with secondary suites and garden suites counted (ss. 627.2, 627.3, 402.29); not in a Transit-Oriented Area (Schedule H). Whether a lot is near such a bus stop we don't check: ask the City | 450 m², 12 m wide (13.5 m on a corner), 24 m deep (s. 627.4, Schedule B)Exceptions (1)
Listed in s. 627.4(1)(d) of the bylaw. | 50% with up to 4 homes, 60% with up to 6, all buildings together | 9.5 m; accessory buildings 4.5 m; garden suite as s. 402.11 sets |
| A-2 Upland Agricultural | One house with a secondary suite and a detached garden suite: 3 homes (on a lot over 0.4 ha urban infill allows no more, s. 402.29). A farm worker's home as well only on a farm of 2 ha or more designated Agricultural in the Official Community Plan (1.7 ha Rural Residential), with the Agricultural Land Commission's approval, an agrologist's report and a covenant, and then no garden suite (ss. 402.2, 402.11). A campground's caretaker may have a home only where there's no house (s. 402.5) | 4.0 ha, 75 m wide, 150 m deep (s. 502.4, Schedule B) | 60%, all buildings together; within it farm and forestry buildings 20%, greenhouses 50%, the house 10%, a commercial kennel 20%, produce sales and other accessory buildings 10% or 279 m² of floor area, whichever is less (s. 502.6) | House 9.5 m; farm worker's home 7.0 m; farm, forestry and cannabis buildings 15.0 m; commercial kennel 4.5 m; accessory buildings 6.0 m; garden suite as s. 402.11 sets (s. 502.8) |
| RM-1 Low Density Townhouse Residential | Townhouses: two or more homes joined, at most 6 in a block no longer than 45 m; no set number, held by the floor space ratio of 0.6 (ss. 617.1, 617.5, 617.11)Exceptions (1)
Listed in s. 617.2(1)(c) of the bylaw. | 1,000 m², 27 m wide, 30 m deep (s. 617.4, Schedule B) | None set (s. 617.6); common open space as s. 617.11 sets (below) | Townhouses 9.5 m; accessory buildings 4.5 m, an indoor amenity building 9.5 m; apartments under the Albion density bonus 11.0 m (s. 617.8) |
"Not set" means the zone itself sets no figure; general rules elsewhere in the bylaw may still apply. Each zone's page has its uses, setbacks and the general rules that apply to it.
Where the bylaw is unclear
Points we couldn't settle from the bylaw's text. Ask before you rely on them.
- RS-1b: Albion Area Plan: applications complete before June 30, 2026 may use a density bonus of $3,100 a lot for lots of 450 to 557 m² under RUR rules (s. 402.8). The zone itself still names the deleted R-3 zone: lots of 371 m², 12 m wide (13.5 m on a corner) under the Albion bonus, and R-3 rules for any lot of 255 to 557 m² (ss. 607.4(3), 607.11). How a lot under 557 m² here is treated now is unclear: ask the City.
- A-2: A detached garden suite: in the rear yard only, no basement, never strata-titled or subdivided; at most 140 m² or 15% of the lot, whichever is less (90 m² in the ALR); 6.0 m high and one storey, or on the second storey above a garage or other accessory use (not a farm use) up to 7.5 m on an agricultural lot, though s. 402.11(4)(b)(iii) gives 6.0 m for the same case (unclear); set back 7.5 m from the rear line, 1.5 m from the sides, 3.0 m from a street side, 5.5 m from the front and 2.4 m from the house; a 1.5 m path to the front line and its own outdoor space (25% of its floor area or 10% of the lot, whichever is less); not with boarding, a caretaker's or farm worker's home or tourist accommodation on the lot; in the ALR inside the farm home plate (s. 402.11). It may be a manufactured home on a permanent foundation.
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 Maple Ridge's planning department before you buy or build.
Source: City of Maple Ridge Zoning Bylaw No. 7600-2019 (summarised in our words); zone map: Open Government Licence – Maple Ridge.