W-1: Watershed Protection

What the zone allows

Homes allowed

One house and a secondary suite, plus a cabin

Main uses

Home, farming (only on the ALR part of the zone), forestry and Christmas trees, wildland use

Smallest lot for a subdivision

125 ha

Lot coverage

10%

Height limit

10 m

Setbacks

30 m from every lot line; 100 m from the high water mark of any lake or stream (power poles and towers 50 m)

Protects drinking-water watersheds: no herbicide, pesticide or fuel storage within 200 m of a lake or stream, fuel tanks above ground and dyked, new power and gas lines kept to existing corridors.

Secondary suite (s. 1.18): one per lot, at most 49% of the house's floor space, on approved sewage disposal and never strata-titled. A suite above a detached garage is allowed only where the zone permits a secondary suite outright (not "within the dwelling only"): 70 m² on lots under 0.4 ha, 90 m² on 0.4 ha or more.

Inside the ALR, the Agricultural Land Commission's rules apply to every use and building.

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 RDEK's planning department before you buy or build.

Source: Columbia Valley Zoning Bylaw No. 3255, 2023 (summarised in our words); zone map: Open Government Licence – Regional District of East Kootenay.