S.H: Small Holding

What the zone allows

Homes allowed

Under 1 ha: one house and a secondary suite, or (in Electoral Areas D, E and F only) one manufactured home. 1 ha or more: one house with either a secondary dwelling or a secondary suite; or a manufactured home with a secondary dwelling; or a duplex (s. 16.1(3))

Main uses

Single family house, duplex or manufactured home; farming; assembly and civic uses; bed and breakfast, boarding house, home occupation, minor day care or group home, restricted farming, hens and bees

Smallest lot for a subdivision

1 ha (8 ha in the ALR, or as the Agricultural Land Commission approves); frontage 20 m

Lot coverage

20% (accessory buildings 7.5%)

Height limit

Main buildings 12 m; restricted farm buildings 10 m; secondary dwelling 8 m; other accessory buildings 6 m

Setbacks

Front, exterior side and rear 7.5 m (accessory buildings 2 m from the rear); interior sides 2 m

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.

Secondary dwelling (s. 3.25): one per lot, a second house or manufactured home beside the main one; never strata-titled, and not on a lot with a temporary residence. Outside the ALR it may have up to 186 m² of floor area, and may sit above or beside a garage, shop or farm building (which then has no plumbing and no rooms). In the ALR it is limited to 90 m² on lots of 40 ha or less and 186 m² on larger lots, under the Agricultural Land Commission's rules. On a lot under 1 ha it needs community water and community sewer.

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).

While a new home is built under a building permit, one temporary residence (an existing house or a manufactured home) is allowed on a lot of 0.4 ha or more without a secondary dwelling. It goes, or becomes an accessory building, within 90 days of the new home's occupancy permit, and at most a year from the building permit; the RDNO takes a covenant and security of 1.25 times the removal cost first. In the ALR only with the Agricultural Land Commission's approval (s. 3.22).

Manufactured homes must be built to CSA Z240, or in Electoral Areas D, E and F shown by professional reports to meet the codes (s. 3.21).

Bed and breakfast (s. 3.19): inside a single family house lived in by a registered owner; at most two guest bedrooms on lots under 0.1 ha, three on lots up to 0.99 ha and five on lots of 1 ha or more; one parking space per guest room (s. 8.1).

The bylaw doesn't list short-term or vacation rental of a home as a use, and uses it doesn't list are not allowed (s. 3.2); a bed and breakfast is allowed in this zone. Ask the RDNO before renting a home short term.

Home occupation (s. 3.17): run full time by the owner or a resident, entirely inside the home or accessory buildings with nothing showing outside, and two employees from elsewhere (four in Electoral Area E). Floor space: 75 m² on lots under 2 ha, 100 m² on lots of 2 to 7.2 ha, 185 m² on lots of 2 ha or more in Areas D and E or 7.2 ha or more in Areas B, C and F. In Areas B and C, on lots under 7.2 ha, it can't use an accessory building larger than 100 m². It sells only what it makes on the lot; no auto body or paint shops, car sales, wrecking or heavy equipment work.

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.

Restricted agricultural use (s. 3.6), off ALR land only: on lots of 1 ha or more with a house, up to three animal units of horses, sheep, goats or cattle per hectare; poultry, rabbits, bees and greenhouses for the owner's own use; no swine, fur farming or mushrooms.

Farming off ALR land (s. 3.5(4)): up to six animal units per hectare (one animal unit is about 455 kg of livestock: one cow or horse, five sheep, 250 laying hens); swine only for the owner's own use; no mushroom growing. Kennels need 2 ha outside the ALR (s. 3.12), and farm buildings keep the setbacks in s. 7 (barns and confined livestock areas 30 m from residential zones and lot lines).

Shipping containers (s. 3.29): only on lots of 1 ha or more, not stacked, up to 4.5 m tall, screened, and 15 m from every lot line in a rural zone; never for fuel or explosives. One may stand on any lot for up to a year during construction under a building permit, or 30 days for a move.

Parking and storage (s. 3.28): no more than one truck or commercial vehicle up to 6,350 kg, one RV up to 10 m and one boat up to 10 m on the lot, plus building materials while a building permit is open.

New lots in a rural zone need a building site of at least 2,000 m² under 30% natural slope, and a driveway within the lot that meets s. 5.6 (5.5 m wide for the first 6 m, at most 15% grade).

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

In the ALR, the Agricultural Land Commission's rules also apply and come first (s. 3.4): a house may have at most 500 m² of floor area (s. 3.23), and subdividing needs the Commission's approval (s. 5.1).

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, up to 2 m outside the front and exterior side setbacks, and up to 2.5 m for farm use outside the front setback; 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.