R.7: Residential Dwelling and Recreational Vehicle

What the zone allows

Homes allowed

On a lot of 700 m² or more with community water and community sewer: one house with a secondary suite, or a duplex. Or, on a lot with no dwelling, one RV lived in seasonally

Main uses

Single family house or duplex, or seasonal use of an RV; home occupation, boarding house, minor day care or group home, hens and bees

Smallest lot for a subdivision

700 m² with community water and community sewer (350 m² for each half of a duplex split along its party wall); 1 ha without them. Frontage 18 m for a house, 23 m for a duplex, 11.5 m for each half

Lot coverage

35%

Height limit

Homes 10 m or two storeys, whichever is less; accessory buildings 4 m

Setbacks

Front and exterior side 4.5 m (6 m to a garage or carport entrance); rear 7.5 m (accessory buildings 2 m); interior sides 2.4 m (none at the party wall of a duplex being split)

The RV (s. 15.7(9)): one per lot, only on a lot with no dwelling, connected to community water and community sewer, within the zone's setbacks, not a park model, and not rented out. One accessory building of up to 12 m² per home or RV (s. 15.7(3), (4)).

The zone sets its count of homes only for lots of 700 m² or more on community water and sewer, so what a smaller or unserviced lot may have is unclear; ask the RDNO.

Storage: one RV of any length and one boat up to 10 m (s. 3.28(3)).

Seasonal means no one stays more than 182 days in a calendar year (s. 2, seasonal use).

Secondary suite (s. 3.24): one per lot, inside or attached to a single family house (sharing at least half of a wall or floor with it, s. 2), with its own entrance, kitchen and bathroom; never strata-titled. In the ALR, the house and suite together stay within 500 m² of floor area unless the Agricultural Land Commission agrees.

A two family dwelling (duplex): one per lot; on a lot under 1 ha it needs community water and community sewer; in the ALR only with the Agricultural Land Commission's approval (s. 3.26).

Home occupation (s. 3.17): run full time by the owner or a resident, entirely inside the home or an accessory building with nothing showing outside, up to 50 m² of floor space and one employee from elsewhere; it sells only what it makes on the lot; no auto body or paint shops, car sales, wrecking or heavy equipment work; no on-street parking from it.

Boarding house (s. 3.20): inside a single family house, up to five sleeping units rented monthly or longer, not on a lot under 1 ha with a septic system; in the ALR only with the Agricultural Land Commission's approval.

Minor day cares (generally up to 8 people) and minor group homes (up to 6 residents in care) are allowed inside a single family house, licensed by the province, with at most one staff member from elsewhere (s. 3.18).

Laying hens off ALR land (s. 3.7): four on lots under 4,047 m², ten on larger lots, kept in a coop behind the house, 2 m from lot lines; no roosters in residential zones or on rural lots under 1 ha. Hobby beekeeping (s. 3.8): two colonies on lots of 0.1 to 0.2 ha, four up to 0.4 ha and four more per extra 0.4 ha, behind a 2 m fence or hedge.

The bylaw doesn't list short-term or vacation rental of a home, nor a bed and breakfast, in this zone, and uses it doesn't list are not allowed (s. 3.2). Ask the RDNO before renting a home short term.

The access strip of a panhandle lot narrower than 14 m doesn't count toward the minimum lot size.

Parking (s. 8.1): 1.5 spaces per home in houses and duplexes up to four-plexes, 1.25 per home in multi-family buildings, and 1 per secondary suite or secondary dwelling up to 90 m² (1.5 if larger); gravel without curbs is fine in residential, rural and special use zones (in a residential zone only where three spaces or fewer are needed).

Fences and hedges up to 1.2 m anywhere on the lot, and up to 2 m outside the front and exterior side setbacks; retaining walls up to 1.2 m inside setbacks and 2.4 m outside them (s. 9.2).

Heights are measured from finished grade to the highest point of the building (s. 2); antennas, spires and fire towers are exempt, and chimneys, stair and elevator towers and rooftop equipment may rise 2.5 m above the limit (s. 4.3). Eaves, steps, decks and balconies may reach 1 m into a setback, chimneys and bay windows 0.6 m; sheds under 10 m² and 2.5 m tall that don't drain onto a neighbour are exempt from side and rear setbacks (s. 4.4).

Public parks and playgrounds are allowed in every zone except the comprehensive development zones (s. 3.2(3)). Banned everywhere (s. 3.3): living in a cellar; living or working in a tent, RV, park model or container, except one tent or one RV up to 10 m for 30 days a year outside a campground; storing wrecked vehicles in the open; pulp mills; and sewage plants that discharge to surface water.

Floodplain (s. 6.1): floors for living, business or storing goods sit above the flood construction level: the provincial floodplain maps where they exist; 351.1 m beside Mara Lake, 393.2 m beside Kalamalka Lake and 604.72 m beside Sugar Lake; 3 m above the natural boundary of Mabel Lake and of the Shuswap River between Shuswap Falls and Sugar Lake; 1.5 m above the natural boundary of any other stream, lake, marsh or pond. Buildings and fill stay 30 m from the Shuswap and Kettle rivers and Ashton, Bessette, Cherry, Duteau, Ferry, Kingfisher, Monashee, Tsuius and Wap creeks, and 15 m from other water bodies and dykes. Garages, carports, entrance foyers, renovations and most farm buildings are exempt from the level; the RDNO Board may grant exemptions on an engineer's report.

Streamside (s. 6.2): no development in the riparian assessment area (generally 30 m from a stream, lake or wetland under the provincial Riparian Areas Protection Regulation) unless a qualified environmental professional's assessment sets a smaller setback or the province approves.

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 RDNO's planning department before you buy or build.

Source: Regional District of North Okanagan Zoning Bylaw No. 3000, 2023 (summarised in our words); zone map: RDNO Digital Data Files terms of use; Source: Regional District of North Okanagan GIS Department.