PlaceDossier / Zoning / Regional District of East Kootenay
Columbia Valley Zoning Bylaw No. 3255, 2023
The Regional District of East Kootenay's zoning bylaw, which applies in East Kootenay, Electoral Area F, East Kootenay, Electoral Area G. Our summary of its 49 zones, read from the consolidation to 2026-08-14.
The zones side by side
| Zone | Homes allowed | Smallest lot for a subdivision | Lot coverage | Height limit |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| R-1 Single Family Residential | One house, with a secondary suite inside it | 555 m² | 30% | House 9 m, accessory buildings 5 m |
| R-1(A) Single Family Residential (A) | One house and a secondary suite | 1,670 m² (1,900 m² in strata plan NES113) | Not set | Not set |
| R-1(B) Single Family Residential – Small Lot | One house (or, in strata plan NES3039, a park model trailer or RV) | 280 to 400 m² on community water and sewer (up to 1,280 m² in NES3039) | Not set | Not set |
| R-1(C) Single Family Residential – Secondary Suite | One house and a secondary suite | 555 m² | 30% | House 9 m, accessory buildings 5 m |
| R-1(D) Single Family Residential (Resort) | One house and a secondary suite | 400 m² | 35% | House 9 m, accessory buildings 5 m |
| R-1(MH) Single Family Residential – Manufactured Home | One house (including a manufactured home) and a secondary suite | 555 m² | 30% | House 9 m, accessory buildings 5 m |
| R-2 Two Family Residential | One house or one duplex, and a secondary suite | 700 m² | Not set | Main building 9 m, accessory buildings 5 m |
| R-3 Multiple Family Residential – Medium Density | Multi-unit buildings, up to 30 homes per hectare of usable land | 1,000 m² | Not set | Main building 13 m, accessory buildings 5 m |
| R-4 Multiple Family Residential – High Density | Multi-unit buildings, up to 60 homes per hectare of usable land | 1,500 m² | Not set | Main building 13 m (16 m over an underground parkade), accessory buildings 5 m |
| R-4(A) Multiple Family Residential (Cluster) – Medium Density | Cluster housing, up to 12 homes per hectare of usable land; a secondary suite inside a home | 4 ha | Not set | Main building 9 m, accessory buildings 5 m |
| R-5 Multiple Family Residential – Community (Cluster) | Cluster housing, up to 18 homes per hectare of usable land; a secondary suite inside a home | 0.5 ha | Not set | Main building 9 m, accessory buildings 5 m |
| R-MP Manufactured Home Park Residential | Manufactured homes in a park, up to 18 per hectare of usable land, one per space of at least 370 m²; plus one house that isn't a manufactured home, on at least 700 m² | 2 ha | Not set | 7.6 m |
| W-1 Watershed Protection | One house and a secondary suite, plus a cabin | 125 ha | 10% | 10 m |
| EH-1 Employee Housing | Employee accommodation, up to 125 units per hectare of usable land and 4 beds per unit | 1,670 m² | 60% | Main building 16 m, accessory buildings 5 m |
| SH-1 Small Holding Residential | One house and a secondary suite | 0.4 ha | 20% | 10 m |
| SH-2 Small Holding Semi-Rural | One house and a secondary suite | 1 ha | 20% | 10 m |
| SH-3 Small Holdings Rural | One house and a secondary suite | 2 ha | 10% | House 10 m, accessory buildings 12 m |
| SH-3(A) Small Holdings Rural (Open Space) | One house and a secondary suite | 2 ha on a private water source; 1 ha on community water | 10% | 12 m |
| SH-4 Small Holdings Rural (4 Hectare) | One house and a secondary suite | 4 ha | 10% | House 10 m, accessory buildings 12 m |
| A-1 Rural Resource | One house, a secondary suite, and farm-hand dwellings on a farm | 60 ha (1 ha for a retiring farmer's homesite) | 10% (35% for farm buildings, 75% for greenhouses) | 10 m |
| A-2 Rural Residential (Country) | One house, a secondary suite, and farm-hand dwellings on a farm | 8 ha (1 ha for a retiring farmer's homesite) | 10% (35% for farm buildings, 75% for greenhouses) | 10 m |
| RES-1 Recreation Accommodation | One dwelling | 4 ha (strata campsites 140 m²) | Not set | 9 m |
| RES-1(A) Recreation Residential | A house, cabin, park model trailer or RV: one per 1,670 m² of usable land; a secondary suite inside a house | 4 ha | Not set | Main building 9 m, accessory buildings 5 m |
| RES-2 Resort Recreation | One dwelling | 0.5 ha | Not set | 12 m |
| RES-2(SF) Resort Development – Single Family | One house and a secondary suite, or a duplex | 555 m² | 35% | House or duplex 9 m, accessory buildings 5 m |
| RES-2(MF) Resort Development – Multi-Family | Duplexes and multi-unit buildings, up to 30 homes per hectare of usable site area | 1,000 m² | Not set | Main building 13 m, accessory buildings 5 m |
| RES-2(MD) Resort Development – Mixed Density | At most one house (with a secondary suite) and one duplex per lot, or multi-unit buildings up to 60 homes per hectare of usable site area | 400 m² | 35% for houses and duplexes; not set for multi-unit buildings | House or duplex 9 m, multi-unit buildings 13 m, accessory buildings 5 m |
| RES-3 Resort Lodge | Multi-unit buildings and duplexes, up to 60 homes per hectare of usable site area, on community water and sewer; a dwelling accessory to a permitted use | 0.5 ha | Not set | 16 m or four storeys, whichever is less |
| RES-3(TP) Resort Tourist Pension | One dwelling for the operator, inside the pension: 32.5 to 95 m², one kitchen, up to three bedrooms | 925 m² with community water and sewer, 2,500 m² with one of them, 4,000 m² with on-site water and sewage disposal (s. 2.2); at least 20 m of frontage | 35% | Pension 10 m, accessory buildings 5 m |
| RES-4 Resort Core | Multi-unit housing; the zone sets no count of homes, only a floor area ratio of 3.5 for all buildings | None set in the zone | Not set | 16 m (from the first floor to the middle of the main roof) or four storeys, whichever is less |
| C-1 Community Commercial | One dwelling, built into the commercial building above the first storey or behind the business, self-contained and with its own outside door; a hotel's or motel's dwelling is exempt from that and may stand apart | 1,670 m² on on-site water and sewage disposal, 1,390 m² with community water or sewer, 555 m² with both; hotels and motels 2,000 m² (s. 2.2) | Not set | Main building 12 m or 3 storeys, accessory buildings 5 m or 1 storey (whichever is less in each case); a detached dwelling for a hotel or motel 9 m |
| C-2 Service Commercial | One dwelling, built into the commercial building above the first storey or behind the business, self-contained and with its own outside door; a hotel's or motel's dwelling is exempt from that and may stand apart | 1,670 m² on on-site water and sewage disposal, 1,390 m² with community water or sewer, 555 m² with both; hotels and motels 2,000 m², gas stations 1,000 m², car, RV, boat, trailer and manufactured home dealers 1,500 m² (s. 2.2) | Not set | Main building 12 m or 3 storeys, accessory buildings 5 m or 1 storey (whichever is less in each case); a detached dwelling for a hotel or motel 9 m |
| C-3 Regional Commercial | None: the zone lists no dwelling | 1,670 m² on on-site water and sewage disposal, 1,390 m² with community water or sewer, 555 m² with both; gas stations 1,000 m² (s. 2.2) | Not set | Main building 12 m or 3 storeys, accessory buildings 5 m or 1 storey (whichever is less in each case) |
| I-1 Light Industrial | None: the zone lists no dwelling | 0.4 ha | Not set | 12 m |
| I-2 Heavy Industrial | None: the zone lists no dwelling | 0.8 ha | Not set | 12 m |
| P-1 Public Institutional | One dwelling, accessory to an institution on the lot | None set in the zone | Not set | Main building 12 m, accessory buildings 5 m, a detached dwelling 9 m, a manufactured home 5 m |
| P-2 Parks and Open Space | One dwelling, accessory to a park use | None set in the zone | Not set | Not set for park buildings; a detached dwelling 10 m, a manufactured home 5 m |
| P-3 Public Works and Utility | None: the zone lists no dwelling | None set in the zone | 60% | 10 m |
| NR-1 Nature Resort | No dwellings; guests and staff stay in glamping units, at most 45 sites per lot | 8 ha | 10% | Glamping cottages 6 m, glamping structures and prospector tents 5 m, other buildings 9 m |
| CD-1 Comprehensive Residential Development | One house (with a secondary suite inside it) or one duplex on a fee simple or bare land strata lot; duplexes and multi-unit buildings in a building strata up to 30 homes per hectare of usable site area | 400 m² for a house, 700 m² for a duplex (each half of a split duplex half the s. 2.2 size), 1,000 m² for multi-unit housing | 40% on fee simple and bare land strata lots; not set for building strata | House or duplex 10 m, multi-unit buildings 13 m; accessory buildings 5 m on fee simple and bare land strata lots |
Lake zones
These zone the water in front of shoreline lots: what a lot may have on it.
| Zone | On the water |
|---|---|
| CL-1 Columbia Lake (Recreation) | open water: winter fishing huts (up to 4 m²) and recreation only, so no docks or mooring buoys |
| CL-2 Columbia Lake (Community Amenity) | per lease or licence of occupation, one dock (up to 80 m²), one launch ramp and one swimming platform; day moorage only |
| CL-3 Columbia Lake (Group Moorage) | group moorage: per lease or licence of occupation, one dock, one launch ramp and one swimming platform, plus mooring buoys; overnight moorage allowed |
| LW-1 Lake Windermere (Residential) | per adjoining lot: one dock (up to 20 m²), one swimming platform and two mooring buoys, plus boat lifts; overnight moorage allowed |
| LW-2 Lake Windermere (Group Moorage) | group moorage, swimming platform, launch ramp, groynes and breakwaters; boat lifts; overnight moorage allowed |
| LW-2(A) Lake Windermere (Group Moorage) | group moorage for at most 45 boats in the zone, swimming platform and mooring buoys; boat lifts; overnight moorage allowed |
| LW-3 Lake Windermere (Institutional) | dock, swimming platform and launch ramp; day moorage only |
| LW-4 Lake Windermere (Commercial) | a marina, with boat lifts and overnight moorage |
| LW-5 Lake Windermere (Recreation) | open water: groynes, breakwaters and winter fishing huts (up to 4 m²), so no docks or mooring buoys |
"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.
- RES-2(SF): The zone caps houses at one per lot but sets no number for duplexes, and its setback table names only the house, not a duplex; unclear, so ask the RDEK.
- RES-2(MD): The zone allows one house and one duplex per lot but doesn't say whether both can share a lot; unclear, so ask the RDEK.
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.