PlaceDossier / Zoning / City of Merritt
City of Merritt Zoning Bylaw No. 2284, 2020
The City of Merritt's zoning bylaw, which applies in Merritt. Our summary of its 25 zones, read from the consolidation to 2024-06-25.
The zones side by side
| Zone | Homes allowed | Smallest lot for a subdivision | Lot coverage | Height limit |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| AR1 Agricultural | One house or mobile home, plus one detached secondary dwelling and secondary suites | 8 ha in the Agricultural Land Reserve, 1 ha outside it; 40 m wide | 75% | Houses 12 m or 2.5 storeys; farm buildings 14 m; detached secondary dwellings 10.5 m or 2 storeys |
| R1 Low Density Residential | Houses, duplexes, townhouses or apartments: up to 3 homes on a lot of 280 m² or less; on a bigger lot 4, or 40 per hectare (60 for townhouses and apartments) if that is more. Secondary suites and detached secondary dwellings on top, within s. 4.36 | 270 m², 9 m wide (330 m² and 11 m on a corner) for a house; 540 m², 18 m wide for a duplex; 360 m², 18 m wide (420 m² on a corner) for townhouses or apartments | 75% | Main buildings 14 m or 3 storeys; detached secondary dwellings 10.5 m or 2 storeys |
| R3 Small Parcel Residential | Houses, duplexes, townhouses or apartments: up to 3 homes on a lot of 280 m² or less; on a bigger lot 4, or 60 per hectare (90 for townhouses and apartments) if that is more. Secondary suites and detached secondary dwellings on top, within s. 4.36 | 112.5 m², 7.5 m wide (135 m² and 9 m on a corner) for a house; 180 m², 12 m wide for a duplex; 225 m², 15 m wide (270 m² on a corner) for townhouses or apartments; 15 m deep | 85% | Main buildings 14 m or 3 storeys; detached secondary dwellings 10.5 m or 2 storeys |
| R4 Residential Modular Home | A modular home park of up to 60 homes per hectare; or houses, duplexes, townhouses or apartments: up to 3 homes on a lot of 280 m² or less, on a bigger lot 4, or 40 per hectare (60 for townhouses and apartments) if that is more; plus secondary suites | A modular home park 2,500 m², 50 m wide, with 160 m² home sites; 180 m², 9 m wide for a house (160 m² with lane access, 220 m² on a corner); 180 m² for a duplex; 225 m², 15 m wide for townhouses or apartments | 70% | 14 m or 3 storeys; in a modular home park 12 m or 2.5 storeys |
| R5 Mobile Home Park | Mobile homes in a rental park, one per space, up to 55 per hectare | 2,500 m², 50 m wide and deep; spaces of 180 m² (single-wide, 9 m wide) or 280 m² (double-wide, 14 m wide) | 70% | 7.6 m or 1 storey |
| R7 Medium Density Residential | Townhouses (3 to 8 homes a building) and apartments, up to 150 homes per hectare of usable site area; secondary suites in townhouses | 360 m², 18 m wide (400 m² and 20 m on a corner), 20 m deep | 80% | 18 m or 4 storeys |
| R8 High Density Residential | Apartments and townhouses (3 to 8 homes a building), at least 2 storeys, up to 225 homes per hectare of usable site area; secondary suites in townhouses | 360 m², 18 m wide (400 m² and 20 m on a corner), 20 m deep | 80% | Apartments 22 m or 5 storeys, townhouses 18 m or 4 storeys; at least 2 storeys |
| RC1 Residential Care Housing | Care housing only: community care facilities licensed under the Community Care and Assisted Living Act | 600 m², 20 m wide, 30 m deep | 60% | 14 m or 3 storeys |
| C1 Recreational Commercial | One caretaker's house or modular home | 450 m², 15 m wide, 30 m deep | 50% | 14 m or 3 storeys; caretaker's home 11 m or 2.5 storeys |
| C2 Tourist Commercial | Apartments, townhouses, or one or two homes in a main building, alongside the commercial use; a security or operator suite | 375 m², 15 m wide, 25 m deep | 70% | 22 m or 5 storeys |
| C3 Regional Commercial | Apartments, townhouses, or one or two homes in a main building, alongside the commercial use; a security or operator suite | 750 m², 25 m wide, 30 m deep | 70% | 22 m or 5 storeys |
| C4 Corridor Commercial | Apartments, townhouses, or one or two homes in a main building, alongside the commercial use; a security or operator suite | 375 m², 15 m wide, 25 m deep | 70% | 22 m or 5 storeys |
| C5 Neighbourhood Commercial | Apartments, townhouses, or one or two homes in a main building, alongside the commercial use; a security or operator suite | 500 m², 20 m wide, 25 m deep | 70% | 18 m or 4 storeys |
| C6 City Centre District | Apartments and townhouses, or one or two homes in a main building, with secondary suites; a security or operator suite | 120 m², 6 m wide, 20 m deep | 95%; 100% with a rooftop garden on 15% of the roof | 25 m or 6 storeys; main buildings at least 3 storeys |
| C7 Service Commercial | One security or operator suite | 450 m², 15 m wide, 30 m deep | 80% | 18 m or 4 storeys |
| C8 Airport Commercial | A security or operator suite; with the City's approval, one home in an airport hangar | 450 m², 15 m wide, 30 m deep | 85% | 18 m or 4 storeys, and below Transport Canada's obstacle limitation surfaces |
| M1 Light Industrial | A security or operator suite; with the City's approval, one home per industrial unit or bay | 450 m², 15 m wide, 30 m deep | 75% | 22 m; accessory buildings 16 m |
| M2 Heavy Industrial | A security or operator suite | 600 m², 20 m wide, 30 m deep | 75% | 18 m; accessory buildings 26 m (as printed) |
| P1 Park and Cemetery | None | 450 m², 15 m wide, 30 m deep (none for community gardens, playgrounds or plazas) | 30% | 16 m or 4 storeys |
| P2 Institutional and Public Use | Homes for staff, such as a church manse; a security or operator suite | 450 m², 15 m wide, 30 m deep | 85% | 22 m or 5 storeys |
| P3 Post-Secondary Educational | Apartments and townhouses for faculty and students, up to 90 per hectare; no limit for homes lived in by current students | 450 m², 15 m wide, 30 m deep | 75% | 18 m or 4 storeys; homes 22 m or 5 storeys |
| FD Future Development | One house or modular home per lot | 2 ha, 50 m wide, 30 m deep | 50% | 11 m or 2.5 storeys |
| CD01-RC Comprehensive Development – Residential Commercial | One house and one detached secondary dwelling (up to 65 m²) per lot, up to 90 house lots; multi-unit buildings up to 40 homes per hectare and 200 in all | 8,000 m² for a house; 3 ha for multi-unit buildings or a hotel | Not set | 12 m (no limit set for the hotel); accessory buildings 6 m |
| CD2-RC Comprehensive Development – Gateway 286 | Up to 450 homes in all: 300 in sub-area A (houses, duplexes, townhouses up to 90 per hectare, apartments up to 90 per hectare) and 150 in sub-area B, which adds a hotel or motel; secondary suites (sub-area A) and detached secondary dwellings | 4,000 m² for a block in a phased subdivision; then 112.5 m², 7.5 m wide for a house, 180 m² for a duplex, 225 m² for townhouses, 360 m² for apartments; 2.4 ha for a hotel or motel | 85% on lots under 400 m², 65% on bigger ones; hotels and motels 70% | Houses and duplexes 14 m or 3 storeys, townhouses 18 m or 4, apartments 22 m or 5, hotels and motels 25 m or 6 |
| CD3-GW Comprehensive Development – Gateway 286 | None | 375 m², 15 m wide, 25 m deep | 70% | Cell A 22 m or 5 storeys; cell B 14 m or 3 storeys, hotels and motels 25 m or 6 |
"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.
- R3: Whether a bed and breakfast is allowed. Section 4.33.1 allows one in a house in R3, but the zone's list of uses (s. 7.6.4) leaves it out, so this is unclear; ask the City of Merritt.
- R4: Whether a detached secondary dwelling is allowed. The zone lists it as a use (s. 7.7.3) and sets its size, but s. 4.38.1 allows them only in AR1, R1 and R3, so this is unclear; ask the City of Merritt.
- C5: Whether short-term rental needs the City's approval. The zone lists it as a permitted use (s. 7.17.4), but s. 4.34.1 makes it a discretionary use in C5, so this is unclear; ask the City of Merritt.
- C7: At 1750 Hill Street, 1531 Walnut Avenue and 1590 Fir Avenue, s. 7.19.8 limits the land "within the C3 zone" to a machine and welding shop with storage, though the clause sits in the C7 zone's section, so which uses those lots have is unclear; ask the City of Merritt.
- C8: The rear setback for buildings other than the airport's: the table points to s. 7.20.5(c), which doesn't exist (s. 7.20.6(c) is the Transport Canada obstacle rule and sets no setback), so it is unclear; ask the City of Merritt.
- P2: At 3191 Nicola Avenue (Lot A, Plan KAP47561), s. 7.24.7(b) allows the uses of the R2 zone, which Bylaw 2368 deleted and folded into R1, so what that lot may hold is unclear; ask the City of Merritt.
- CD01-RC: Whether a bed and breakfast is allowed. Section 7.28.5(h) sets rules for one (two guest rooms, four guests, stays up to 10 days), but the zone's uses don't list it, so this is unclear; ask the City of Merritt.
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 Merritt's planning department before you buy or build.
Source: City of Merritt Zoning Bylaw No. 2284, 2020 (summarised in our words); zone map: Open Government Licence – Thompson-Nicola Regional District.