The Record: BC zoning analysis

Long-form analysis of BC zoning policy and housing data, built from the same parcel data and bylaw tables that power ZoneScout's lot reports.

• Bill 44 and Bill 47 in BC: What Each One Changed (2026 Guide) Everything ZoneScout has written on BC's 2023 housing laws in one place: what each law does, whether your lot qualifies, what fits on it, and a Bill 44 map and unit guide for every city we cover.
• What Is a Transit-Oriented Area in BC? Bill 47, Explained A Transit-Oriented Area is the land within 800 m of a listed rapid transit station or 400 m of a listed bus exchange. Bill 47 set minimum heights and densities there that a city cannot refuse at a rezoning. Here is what that means for a lot inside one.
• What Is Bill 44 in BC? 3, 4 or 6 Homes Per Lot, Explained (2026) Bill 44 is the 2023 provincial law that made BC cities allow 3, 4 or 6 homes on most single-family lots without a rezoning. Here is what it does, who it applies to, and what it does not do.
• What Is RS-1 Zoning in BC? Lot Sizes and Height by City RS-1 usually means a city's main single-detached residential zone, but the lot size behind it runs from 500 m² in Port Coquitlam to about 8,000 m² in West Vancouver. Here is RS-1 in 11 BC cities.
• What Is RU1 Zoning in BC? Lot Sizes in the Okanagan, City by City RU1 sounds like the same zone everywhere, but it is a 450 m² city lot in Kelowna and a 5,000 m² country lot in West Kelowna. Here are RU1, RU2, RU3 and the RR rural zones compared across the Okanagan.
• What Is A1 Zoning in BC? Lot Sizes and Height Limits by City A1 usually means a city's main agricultural zone, but the code is set by each municipality, not the province. Here is what A1 means in 13 BC cities, with the minimum lot area and height limit in each.
• What Is R2 Zoning in BC? It Depends on the City R2 is a townhouse zone in Burnaby, a quarter-acre zone in Surrey and a two-family zone in Victoria. Here is what R2 (or R-2) means in 10 BC cities, with the height and density limits in each.
• What Is RT Zoning in BC? Two-Family and Townhouse Zones Explained RT zones are usually a city's two-family or townhouse zones, but Vancouver, Coquitlam, New Westminster, Delta and others each define them differently. Here is what RT means in six BC cities.
• Can I Subdivide My Property in BC? Lot Size, Frontage and Approval Explained A large lot can look like two building sites on a map. Whether you can create those sites depends on the proposed boundaries, access, services and subdivision rules. Start with the lots you want to create.
• What Makes a Good Land Assembly Site? A BC Buyer's Checklist Two neighbouring properties can make a better development site. Start by finding the problem that joining them would solve, then test whether the combined site works under the applicable rules and acquisition costs.
• Four Homes Allowed, but Will They Fit? Understanding a Multiplex Building Envelope A permitted dwelling count is the beginning of a design. Setbacks, coverage, floor area, height and the shape of the site determine how much room those homes can use. Here is how to read the numbers together.
• Rezoning vs. a Variance in BC: Which Does Your Project Need? Start by identifying the exact rule your proposal needs to change. A setback problem, an extra dwelling and a new land use can lead to different approval routes, even on the same property.
• Can You Build a Second Home on ALR Land in BC? Some Agricultural Land Reserve properties can have an additional detached residence without an individual ALC approval. The answer depends on the parcel, the existing home, the proposed floor area and the local rules.
• Which BC Cities Allow the Most Homes per Lot? We Ranked 26 of Them We counted 509,291 residential lots across 26 BC municipalities to see how much housing their zoning really allows. In Burnaby, 99.5% of lots allow four or more homes. In the District of North Vancouver, none do.
• FSR, Lot Coverage, Setbacks: BC Zoning Terms Explained in Plain English Zoning bylaws are written in a language of ratios, percentages and defined terms. Here are the 24 you will meet when you look up a BC lot, what each one actually controls, and a worked example for the ones that involve maths.
• Can I Build a Fourplex or Sixplex on My BC Lot? Bill 44's Seven Tests, Explained Bill 44 says most single-family lots in BC must allow 3, 4 or 6 homes. Whether yours is one of them comes down to seven tests in the Local Government Act, then two measurements. Here is each one, with a checker you can run in a minute.
• Not on City Water and Sewer? How Bill 44's Servicing Exemption Changes Your Lot A lot on a well or a septic field is exempt from Bill 44's fourplex and sixplex rules, even inside city limits. The test is whether the lot is actually connected, not whether a pipe runs down the street, and it catches thousands of suburban lots.
• Bill 44 vs Bill 47: Which BC Housing Law Applies to Your Lot? Bill 44 lets you build up to six homes on a lot without rezoning. Bill 47 sets a minimum height and density near transit stations when you do rezone, and limits how the city can say no. A lot can only be under one of them.
• How to Check What You Can Build on a BC Lot Before You Buy A listing that says "zoned for a fourplex" is a starting point, not an answer. These are the seven checks that tell you what a lot can actually hold, in the order that saves the most time and money.
• Do You Need a Rezoning to Build a Laneway House or Coach House in BC? Almost never, any more. Since Bill 44, every single-family zone in BC must allow at least one extra home, and most allow three or four. What you still need is a permit, and a lot that can physically fit the unit.
• How Many Metro Vancouver Lots Can Take Six Homes? We Counted: 51,471 Bill 44's sixplex rule is the one most buyers ask about and the one cities apply most differently. Across 16 Metro Vancouver municipalities, 51,471 residential lots are zoned for 6 or more homes. Three cities hold 74% of them.
• Zoning Is Not Title: How Building Schemes and Covenants Can Block a BC Fourplex Bill 44 changed the zoning on most single-family lots in BC. It did not touch the private restrictions registered on their titles. On some streets, a 1980s building scheme still says one house per lot, and it still wins.
• RR1, RR2, RR3, RU-3 and A2 Zoning in BC: What You Can Build on Rural and Acreage Lots Most rural and acreage zones in BC allow 2 or 3 homes on a lot: a house, a suite and sometimes a carriage house. But the same code can mean something different in the next city over, so here is what each one allows, city by city.
• Vancouver Scrapped Density Bonus Payments on June 30, 2026: What By-law 14747 Changed The extra floor area that used to cost up to $1,507 per square metre is now allowed outright in R1-1, RT-7, RT-9 and eight RM zones. Here is what changed, zone by zone, and which lots it touches.
• Vancouver RS-1 Zoning Is Now R1-1: What Changed and What You Can Build Vancouver retired RS-1 and eight other RS zones on October 17, 2023. Here is what replaced them, and what an old RS-1 lot can hold today.
• A Tale of Four Cities: How the Okanagan Valley Mapped Bill 44 The province passed a single blanket mandate for multiplexes. But when you map Kelowna, West Kelowna, Penticton, and Vernon, you realize the Interior has reached a surprising consensus.
• One Law, Five Interpretations: Mapping Bill 44 Across Metro Vancouver The province passed a single blanket mandate for multiplexes. But when you map Vancouver, Burnaby, Surrey, Richmond, and Coquitlam, you realize there are five entirely different implementations.
• The Arithmetic of Density: How Bill 44 Added 175,000 Potential Homes to Vancouver We classified all 99,718 parcels in the City of Vancouver to see what the R1-1 rezoning actually did to the city's housing capacity. The numbers are larger than anyone expected.

See also the BC zoning guides, or look up any address.