RC: Country Residential

What the zone allows

Homes allowed

One house, plus either a secondary suite or a carriage house; 1.25 homes a hectare with community water, 0.5 without

Main uses

One house, farming, backyard hens, parks and conservation land, public utility buildings; bed and breakfast, carriage house, major home occupation, secondary suite

Smallest lot for a subdivision

2 ha without community water or sewer, 0.8 ha with community water only; 60 m of frontage

Lot coverage

25%

Height limit

10 m; accessory buildings 7.5 m

Setbacks

Front 7.5 m, rear 7.5 m, interior sides 2 m, exterior side 4 m; accessory buildings the same but 3 m from the rear; buildings for livestock 7.5 m from every line and 12 m from any home

The zone is for rural homes on larger lots with limited or no services (s. 10).

Backyard hens (s. 6.5): up to four, no roosters, in one coop no higher than 2 m in a fenced side or rear yard, 1.5 m from the lot lines and 3 m from any home.

Secondary suite (ss. 6.30 to 6.32): inside a house or half a duplex, one per home, 32 m² to 125 m² and at most 40% of the home; not on a lot with a carriage house; 15 m² of outdoor space each for the home and the suite, and one more parking space with its own way to the street.

Carriage house (s. 6.7): one per lot, not with a secondary suite; up to 100 m² or 15% of the lot, whichever is less; no closer to the front than the house, 3 m from it and 3 m from the rear line (1.5 m on a lane); the accessory buildings' height and side setbacks; on Town water and sewer where they reach; 15 m² of outdoor space each and one more parking space.

Bed and breakfast (s. 6.6): in a single detached house, up to 3 bedrooms and 8 guests, no cooking in the guest rooms, no guest staying more than 30 days a year.

Major home occupation (s. 6.25): one per lot, inside the house, carriage house or suite, up to 75 m² or 25% of the home; one employee from outside, up to five clients at a time, parking for all of them; no vehicle repair, trades or industrial uses, or selling goods made elsewhere except by mail or online.

The bylaw doesn't list short-term rental of a whole home as a use in this zone, and the zone allows only the uses it lists: ask the Town of Princeton before renting a home short term.

Garages, carports, sheds and greenhouses together cover at most 75 m² on a residential lot, stand behind the house's front, and go up only with or after it; accessory buildings and a carriage house together are no larger than the house (ss. 6.3, 6.4).

Flood protection (s. 6.12): no building within 7.6 m of the landward toe of the Tulameen and Similkameen River dyke or 15 m of another watercourse's natural boundary; living space at least 0.6 m above the 200-year flood level, or 3 m above the watercourse's natural boundary where that level isn't known.

Fences up to 1.2 m in the front setback and 1.8 m in side and rear setbacks (ss. 6.10, 6.11).

On land in the Agricultural Land Reserve, the Agricultural Land Commission's rules also apply.

One principal building per lot (s. 6.28).

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 Town of Princeton's planning department before you buy or build.

Source: Section 10 of Town of Princeton Zoning Bylaw No. 880, 2013 (summarised in our words, checked 2026-10-05); zone map: Open Government Licence – Regional District Okanagan Similkameen.