RD-1: Two Family Dwelling

What the zone allows

Homes allowed

One house with a secondary suite, and a garden suite where s. 5.35 allows one (below); or small-scale multi-unit housing where s. 5.37 allows it: houseplexes and at most one house, up to 4 homes (3 on a lot of 279 m² or less, 6 on an eligible lot in a Transit Proximity Area) in at most 2 buildings (Schedule G)

Main uses

A house, small-scale multi-unit housing (houseplexes), a garden suite, a secondary suite, boarders in a house (at most 2), home occupations (bed and breakfast among them), accessory buildings, produce sales at the front of the lot

Smallest lot for a subdivision

750 m², 20 m wide or 1.3 times the smallest lot width of the largest single family zone next to it, whichever is more (no panhandle lots)

Lot coverage

30% (small-scale multi-unit housing: Schedule G); accessory buildings together 10%

Height limit

House 7.5 m, 6.5 m with a flat or low-pitched roof (under 3 in 12); a houseplex 11 m (Schedule G); garden suite 6.5 m; accessory buildings 3.75 m

Setbacks

House: front 7.5 m, rear 10.5 m, sides 3.0 m (both together at least 30% of the lot's width at the front of the house), street side 4.5 m; houseplexes as Schedule G sets; accessory buildings front 7.5 m, rear 1.5 m, sides 3.0 m, street side 4.5 m

A two family dwelling (duplex) isn't among the zone's listed uses despite its name (s. 301.1); a building with two or more homes is a houseplex (s. 2), allowed only as small-scale multi-unit housing (s. 5.37, Schedule G). Whether an existing duplex here can stay or be rebuilt is unclear: ask the District.

A house: floor space ratio at most 0.50, with no gross floor area cap in the schedule; garage or carport floor area over 50 m² counts (s. 301.4(c)).

Small-scale multi-unit housing (s. 5.37, Schedule G) needs a lot inside the Urban Containment Boundary and the Sewer Service Area, outside every Transit-Oriented Area, and under 4,050 m² in the Primary Growth Area; it needs at least one houseplex (a house with a suite or garden suite doesn't count). Under Schedule G: each home at most 260 m² (350 m² on a lot of 1,216 m² or more); coverage 55% on a lot of 279 m² or less, 50% from 280 to 1,215 m², 40% on bigger lots (60% with 5 or 6 homes near transit); floor space ratio 1.0 (0.6 from 1,216 m²), at most 520, 780 or 1,040 m² for 2, 3 or 4 homes (700, 1,050 or 1,400 m² on a large lot); a houseplex 11 m high, a house or any building in the rear yard 8 m; front 4 m, rear 7.5 m (5 m on a lot of 279 m² or less), sides 1.5 m (4.5 m together), street side 3.0 m (less on a corner lot). Which of these maps a lot is on we don't check: ask the District.

A garden suite only on a lot of 400 m² or more, at least 12 m wide, inside the Sewer Service Area or the Urban Containment Boundary, where the main building is a house; one per lot, at most 93 m², 6.5 m high (5.5 m with a flat or low-pitched roof), set back as the house in front, 1.5 m from the rear and sides (3.0 m if over 4.2 m high) and 3.5 m on a street, 4 m from the house, with 45% of the lot left open and 20 m² of outdoor space for its residents. No bed and breakfast, short-term rental or boarders in it (s. 5.35, Schedule H).

A secondary suite: one per property, inside the house or a houseplex, never on a title of its own, lived in only once the District has issued an occupancy permit, usually with one more parking space; no boarders in it (s. 5.24).

Accessory buildings (not garden suites): front 7.5 m, rear 1.5 m, sides 3.0 m, street side 4.5 m; at most 3.75 m high; together at most 10% of the lot; those for animals sited and sized as Table 5.2 sets (s. 301.6, s. 5.31); a bathroom in one at most 3.0 m² without a shower (s. 5.25).

Home occupations: residents only, at most 20% of the floor area or 50 m², indoors, no more than two clients at a time; a bed and breakfast at most 40 m² of guest rooms (s. 5.5).

Short-term rental (stays under 30 days) isn't among the zone's listed uses (s. 2 defines it apart from bed and breakfast); ask the District whether and how a home here may be rented that way.

Sections 5 (special regulations), 6 (landscaping) and 7 (parking) of the bylaw also apply.

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 District of Saanich's planning department before you buy or build.

Source: Schedule 301 of District of Saanich Zoning Bylaw No. 8200 (summarised in our words, checked 2026-10-04); zone map: Saanich Data Catalogue Licence (based on the Open Government Licence – British Columbia).