RA: Resource Area

What the zone allows

Homes allowed

One house or mobile home and one secondary suite; plus accessory dwellings by lot size: 1 (125 m² in all) under 8 ha, 2 (250 m²) from 8 ha, 3 (375 m²) from 12 ha, 4 (500 m²) from 16 ha (s. 12.1.4)

Main uses

Farming, forestry, resource extraction, outdoor recreation, airstrip, cemetery, school, equestrian centre, veterinary clinic, one house or mobile home; home industry, home occupation, kennel, farm product packing and sales, short-term rental

Smallest lot for a subdivision

20 ha

Lot coverage

35% on lots under 2,500 m², 20% up to 2 ha, 5% over 2 ha (75% for a greenhouse)

Height limit

10 m

Setbacks

7.5 m from every lot line; livestock shelters, equestrian centres, greenhouses, generator sheds and indoor cannabis production 15 m from every lot line; incinerators and composting 30 m; gravel processing 50 m

The zone is for resource use, farming and homes on large rural lots (s. 12.1).

In the ALR, the secondary suite and accessory dwellings count only where the Agricultural Land Commission has approved them as a non-adhering residential use (the zone's dwelling rules, (d)), and the Commission's own rules apply to farm and other uses.

Inside the Radio Frequency Interference Area around the Dominion Radio Astrophysical Observatory near White Lake (Schedule 4), suites, accessory dwellings and mobile homes are limited to one in all (the zone's dwelling rules, (e)) and new lots must be 60 ha (s. 8.1.5).

Secondary suite (s. 7.10): inside the house, sharing one unbroken foundation and roof with it (a garage, carport or breezeway counts as a break); on a lot under 1 ha it uses the house's own septic system or community sewer.

Accessory dwelling (s. 7.2): a separate home, not joined to the house, up to 125 m² unless the zone allows more, with at least 15 m² of its own outdoor space; never strata-titled; not on a lot under 1 ha unless it is on community sewer; on a lot over 1 ha it may be a mobile home.

Short-term rental (s. 7.11) is a listed use: in a home someone lives in, or on a lot with a home someone lives in; up to 2 guests per bedroom; one rental unit per lot in Areas E and F (Naramata, Okanagan Lake West and West Bench), two in Areas A, C, D and I; in Areas A, C and E the operator lives in the same home and is there during the stay. In the ALR only as far as provincial law or the Agricultural Land Commission allows.

New lots must be at least a quarter as wide as they are deep.

Only the uses the zone lists are allowed (s. 5.4).

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 RDOS's planning department before you buy or build.

Source: Section 12.1 of Okanagan Valley Zoning Bylaw No. 2800, 2022 (summarised in our words, checked 2026-10-05); zone map: Open Government Licence – Regional District Okanagan Similkameen.