RM-4: Multiple Dwelling

What the zone allows

Homes allowed

Apartments and other multiple dwellings up to 4 storeys (conditional) on a lot of 550 m² or more, 6 storeys of social housing; a single detached house or duplex (outright), a house with a secondary suite (conditional); infill beside an existing building; a 2-home conversion of an existing building (outright, no additions); a rooming house (outright). No laneway houses or lock-off units are listed (ss. 1.1, 2.1, 2.2.4, 3.1.2.1)

Main uses

Apartments, houses, duplexes, infill, conversions, rooming houses, seniors housing, a mixed-use building with a child day care (all homes social housing) or a neighbourhood grocery store; child day care, community care (Class A outright), churches, schools, bed and breakfast and short-term rental, mostly conditional (ss. 2.1, 2.2.3)

Smallest lot for a subdivision

550 m² for apartments and seniors housing (500 m² for a lot on title before March 9, 1976), at most 45.8 m of frontage; none set for a house or duplex (ss. 3.1.2.1, 3.1.2.2, 3.1.2.7, 3.4.2.1)

Lot coverage

None set, but parking at most 30% of the lot. Floor space ratio 1.45 for apartments, infill and seniors housing (3.00 when every home is social housing), 1.00 for a house or duplex, 0.75 for other uses (ss. 3.1.1, 3.2.1.1, 3.3.1.1, 3.4.1.1, 3.5.1.1, 4.2.1)

Height limit

10.7 m, under a plane rising from 7.3 m at the north, northeast or northwest lot line; up to 19.9 m when every home is social housing, at the Director of Planning's or Development Permit Board's discretion (ss. 3.1.2.3, 3.1.2.8, 3.1.2.11, 3.2.2.1, 3.2.2.5)

Setbacks

Front 6.1 m; sides 2.1 m (a corner lot's street side 20% of its width, 3.0 to 6.0 m; a house or duplex 10% of the lot's width up to 15.0 m wide, else 1.5 m); rear 10.7 m, with narrow parts of a building allowed 3.0 m into it. Where the rear of the lot meets a lane, the rear yard shrinks by the distance from the rear line to the lane's centre line (ss. 3.1.2.4 to 3.1.2.10, 3.2.2.2 to 3.2.2.6)

The Director of Planning may vary any rule but floor space ratio for social and community goals, such as keeping existing buildings (ss. 3.1.2.12, 3.2.2.7, 3.3.2.6).

Redeveloping a site with 3 or more homes that removes rental homes (or did within the 3 years before applying) falls under the Rental Housing Stock Official Development Plan (s. 2.2.2).

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).

A secondary suite: a smaller home inside a house or duplex with its own outside door (an inside door to the main home is allowed), one kitchen and a full bathroom, at least 37 m² (29.7 m² with the Director of Planning's approval); it may be in a basement (Section 2, ss. 10.20.3, 11.3.1.2, 11.3.3).

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).

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 RM-4 District Schedule (June 2026) of Zoning and Development By-law No. 3575 (summarised in our words, checked 2026-10-05); 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.