PlaceDossier / Zoning / City of Vancouver

M-1: Industrial

A zone in Zoning and Development By-law No. 3575 (City of Vancouver). Our summary of the M-1 District Schedule (November 2025) of the bylaw as consolidated to July 2026.

What the zone allows

Homes allowed
No homes, except a caretaker's home where it is essential to the business, and a home with a Class B artist studio in floor space that stood on February 26, 2013 (additions up to 10%); both conditional (ss. 2.1, 2.2.3, 2.2.4)
Main uses
Industry: most kinds of manufacturing, storage warehouses, cold storage, packaging, laundry plants, motor vehicle repair and washes, a full-serve gas station, catering, production studios, Class A wholesaling and vocational and business schools, mostly outright; brewing, heavier manufacturing, storage yards, truck terminals, rail yards, offices (not lawyers', accountants', real estate, insurance or travel offices), shops, restaurants, a pub, fitness centres and child day care, conditional. No bulk storage of explosives, fuel, coal tar, fertilizer or the like (ss. 2.1, 2.2.1, 2.2.2, 2.2.5)
Smallest lot for a subdivision
None set in the district (our reading)
Lot coverage
None set. Floor space ratio 5.00 for manufacturing, transportation and storage and Class A wholesaling; 1.00 for all other uses together, with shops at most 1,000 m² and general offices at most 235 m² or a quarter of the floor area, whichever is more (s. 3.1.1.1)
Height limit
30.5 m; the Director of Planning or Development Permit Board may allow more. Accessory buildings 3.7 m (4.6 m at the peak), at most 10% of the lot together (ss. 2.2.9, 3.1.2.1, 3.1.2.4)
Setbacks
No front yard; sides 1.5 m beside an RM district and 0.9 m beside an RA, R1 or RT district with no lane between, else none; rear 3.1 m, less the distance from the rear line to a lane's centre line, and the Director of Planning may waive it where rear access isn't needed (ss. 3.1.2.2, 3.1.2.3, 3.1.2.5 to 3.1.2.8)

The schedule's aim is industry and other uses that don't sit well beside homes but give jobs or serve the city, short of uses dangerous or harmful near residential districts (s. 1.1).

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).

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 M-1 District Schedule (November 2025) 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.

Zoning and Development By-law No. 3575 applies in Vancouver.

Other residential districts R1-1, RT-2, RT-3, RT-5, RT-7 to RT-11, R3-1 to R3-3, R4-1, R5-1 to R5-4, RM-1 to RM-4, RM-5 to RM-5D, RM-7 to RM-9B, RM-11, RM-12, FM-1, RA-1 and First Shaughnessy (FSD), the C-1, C-2, C-2A, C-2C, C-2C1, C-3A, C-5, C-5A, C-6 and FC-2 commercial districts, the I-1, I-2, IC-2, IC-3, M-1, M-2, MC-1 and MC-2 industrial districts and the HA-1, HA-1A and HA-2 historic areas zones in this bylaw

R1-1 Residential Inclusive, RT-5 Two-Family Dwelling, character retention, RT-2 Two-Family Dwelling, RM-4 Multiple Dwelling, C-2A Commercial, R3-1 Low-Rise Apartment, R3-2 Low-Rise Apartment, R3-3 Low-Rise Apartment, RT-10 Two-Family Dwelling, small houses and duplexes, RT-11 Two-Family Dwelling, small houses, suites and lock-offs, RT-8 Two-Family Dwelling, Kitsilano character, RT-7 Two-Family Dwelling, multiplex, RT-3 Two-Family Dwelling, Strathcona character, RM-3A Multiple Dwelling, RM-7 Multiple Dwelling, townhouses, RM-7A Multiple Dwelling, courtyard townhouses, R5-1 High-Rise Apartment, R5-2 High-Rise Apartment, R5-3 High-Rise Apartment, R5-4 High-Rise Apartment, C-3A Commercial, I-2 Industrial, M-2 Industrial, heavy, I-1 Industrial, light, IC-2 Industrial-Commercial, C-1 Commercial, neighbourhood, FSD First Shaughnessy, RM-1 Multiple Dwelling, courtyard townhouses, RM-3 Multiple Dwelling, RM-9A Multiple Dwelling, 4-storey apartments, RM-8 Multiple Dwelling, townhouses, RM-8A Multiple Dwelling, townhouses with family homes, RM-5 Multiple Dwelling, West End, RM-5A Multiple Dwelling, West End, RM-5B Multiple Dwelling, West End, RM-5C Multiple Dwelling, West End mixed uses, RM-5D Multiple Dwelling, West End social housing, RM-11 Multiple Dwelling, 4-storey apartments, C-2C Commercial, district shopping, C-2C1 Commercial, district shopping, HA-2 Gastown Historic Area, RM-12 Multiple Dwelling, 4-storey townhouses, RA-1 Limited Agricultural (Southlands), RT-9 Two-Family Dwelling, multiplexes, MC-1 Industrial-Residential Mixed Use, MC-2 Industrial-Residential Mixed Use, homes limited, C-2 Commercial, HA-1 Chinatown Historic Area, heritage core, HA-1A Chinatown Historic Area, C-5 Commercial, West End, C-5A Commercial, West End with homes, C-6 Commercial, West End to Downtown, RM-9 Multiple Dwelling, 4-storey apartments and townhouses, RM-9B Multiple Dwelling, 4-storey apartments, shops kept, RM-2 Multiple Dwelling, 3-storey apartments, R4-1 Mid-Rise Apartment, IC-3 Industrial-Commercial, False Creek Flats, FM-1 Fairview Slopes Multiple Dwelling, FC-2 False Creek Flats Innovation Hub.