RR2: Rural Residential 2

What the zone allows

Homes allowed

One home on a lot of 2 ha or less, two on a larger lot (rules differ in Area G, see below), and a secondary suite with each house up to two a lot (s. 4.40(c))

Main uses

One or two homes, farming (no horse boarding stables in Area E), aquaculture, forestry, produce stand; home-based business, secondary suite

Smallest lot for a subdivision

Set by the lot's subdivision district on the RDN's map, from 400 m² to 50 ha by district and servicing (Part 5); a report on a lot names its district and size. No lot under that size may be created by a strata plan either, bare land strata aside (s. 4.40(c)).

Lot coverage

25%

Height limit

9 m

Setbacks

8 m from every lot line (on lots under 4,000 m², 2 m from an interior side line and 5 m from the others); farm buildings by s. 3.11

The zone is for rural homes with farming at up to two homes a lot (s. 4.40(a)).

A second home: in Areas A, C, E and H on a lot over 2 ha; in Area G only on a lot at least twice its subdivision district's minimum, or on one over the size the zone names created before February 22, 2011.

Accessory buildings: 400 m² in all.

Secondary suite (s. 3.21): at most one per house and two per lot, only one of them detached; up to 100 m², three bedrooms and its own entrance; never strata-titled apart from the house or rented for less than a month; without community sewer, Island Health must approve the septic. A detached suite needs a lot of 800 m² with community water and sewer, 2,000 m² with community water only, 4,000 m² otherwise, and is held to 8 m in height.

Bed and breakfast (s. 3.15): a home-based business inside the house (not in a suite), run by the people who live there, up to 4 bedrooms.

Short-term rental of a whole home isn't a use this zone lists, uses a zone doesn't list are prohibited (s. 1.3), and a home-based business may not offer accommodation other than a bed and breakfast (s. 3.15); ask the RDN before renting a home short term.

Watercourses (s. 3.9): no building within 15 m of a stream's or lake's natural boundary (9 m from the top of a bank where the ground within 15 m averages over 30% slope), 30 m from the Nanaimo, Englishman, Little Qualicum and Qualicum rivers; 8 m from the sea or the top of a steep shore bank (s. 3.10, other figures in Area E).

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 RDN's planning department before you buy or build.

Source: Section 4.40 of Regional District of Nanaimo Zoning Bylaw No. 2500, 2024 (summarised in our words, checked 2026-10-05); zone map: Open Government Licence – Regional District of Nanaimo.