HA-1: Chinatown Historic Area, heritage core

What the zone allows

Homes allowed

Homes of any kind (outright), at least a quarter with 2 or more bedrooms unless all social housing; micro dwellings, seniors housing, a home with a Class B artist studio and live-work units (conditional), with every floor of them at least 2.0 m above the street, entrances aside (ss. 2.1, 2.2.9, 2.2.10, 2.2.29)

Main uses

Shops, a grocery or drug store, offices, Class 1 restaurants, barbers, clubs, a community centre, fitness centres, child day care, churches, schools, labs, studios, small bakery, clothing and printing work, bed and breakfast and more, outright; Class 2 restaurants, a pub, a cabaret, a hotel, a casino, cannabis stores, pawnshops, storage warehouses, wholesaling, heavier manufacturing, parking, a social service centre and short-term rental, conditional. Carried on inside a building, patios and the like excepted (ss. 2.1, 2.2.1 to 2.2.26)

Smallest lot for a subdivision

A site at most 15.3 m wide along the front, or the lot's width on October 15, 2018; a shopfront at most 7.6 m, unless the Director of Planning allows more (ss. 3.1.2.1, 3.1.2.2, 3.1.2.7)

Lot coverage

None set. Floor space ratio up to 4.80, of which homes at most 2.95, with at least 1.50 in other uses, at the Director of Planning's or Development Permit Board's discretion weighing bulk, heritage and liveability; homes may exceed it when all social housing (ss. 3.1.1)

Height limit

15.2 m and 5 storeys, up to 22.8 m and 7 with the Director of Planning's or Development Permit Board's approval where no homes sit below the third storey (ss. 3.1.2.3, 3.1.2.8 to 3.1.2.10)

Setbacks

Front exactly 0.45 m; no side yards allowed, though recesses may be approved; rear 1.0 m for businesses, 7.0 m for homes, which the Director of Planning may reduce (ss. 3.1.2.4 to 3.1.2.6, 3.1.2.14 to 3.1.2.17)

The schedule's aim is to keep and restore Chinatown's significant early buildings, from between the Great Fire of 1886 and 1929, while fitting in the activities that keep it alive; HA-1 follows the protected heritage properties and the National Historic Site on Pender Street (s. 1.1).

Every new building, and any change to a building's outside facing a street, lane or neighbour, needs the Director of Planning's or Development Permit Board's approval of its design (s. 4.5).

Each habitable room needs a window on an outside wall (s. 4.4).

Outright uses get a permit once they meet the rules; conditional uses are at the Director of Planning's discretion, weighing the schedule's intent, Council's policies and guidelines and what neighbours, owners and tenants submit (s. 2.1).

One family to a home, plus at most 2 boarders or lodgers; no home rented for less than 30 days except as a hotel, bed and breakfast or short-term rental (ss. 11.3.1.1, 11.3.1.7). The smallest home is 37 m² (29.7 m² with the Director of Planning's approval) (s. 11.3.1.2).

Bed and breakfast is an outright use here; short-term rental is conditional (s. 2.1).

Short-term rental is a conditional use, only in the operator's principal residence (a home, secondary suite, laneway house or lock-off unit); never in an accessory building or a vehicle, or alongside a bed and breakfast; at most 2 adults to a bedroom and one booking at a time; its permit lasts 2 years (s. 11.9.1).

Bed and breakfast: at most 2 bedrooms and 4 guests, the operator living in the home, and no boarders at the same time (s. 11.9.2).

Sections 2 (definitions), 10 (general regulations) and 11 (use-specific regulations) of the by-law also apply. Parking is set by the separate Parking By-law, which we haven't summarised.

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 City of Vancouver's development, buildings and licensing department before you buy or build.

Source: the HA-1 and HA-1A Districts Schedule (February 2026) of Zoning and Development By-law No. 3575 (summarised in our words, checked 2026-10-05 and 2026-10-06); Section 11, Use-Specific Regulations (February 2026), Zoning and Development By-law No. 3575; Section 2, Definitions (June 2026), Zoning and Development By-law No. 3575; zone map: Open Government Licence – Vancouver.