RS-4: Single 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 (at most 2 in a home), home occupations (bed and breakfast among them), accessory buildings, produce sales at the front of the lot

Smallest lot for a subdivision

460 m², 14 m wide (no panhandle lots)

Lot coverage

40% (small-scale multi-unit housing: Schedule G)

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, one storey

Setbacks

House: front 6.0 m and rear 7.5 m (15.0 m together), sides 1.5 m (4.5 m together), street side 3.5 m; houseplexes as Schedule G sets

A house: floor space ratio at most 0.50, and at most 261 m² of gross floor area, whichever is less; garage or carport floor area over 50 m² counts (s. 205.4(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 (15 m on a lot over 2,000 m²), rear and sides 1.5 m, street side 3.5 m; one storey, 3.75 m high, no home, basement or shower in them; together at most 10% of a lot under 1,330 m² (each 7% of a lot under 1,000 m², 70 m² on bigger lots), 7% up to 1,999 m², 5% from 2,000 m² (s. 5.34, s. 5.25).

The small-lot height rule (s. 5.27) doesn't apply in RS-4, so a house here may reach the zone's height on any lot (s. 5.27(c)).

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 205 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).