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.

The short answer

FSR (floor space ratio, also called FAR) is total floor area divided by lot area. A 1.0 FSR on a 400 m² lot allows 400 m² of floor space.
Lot coverage limits the building's footprint as a share of the lot. Setbacks are the minimum distances from each property line.
FSR caps how much you build, coverage and setbacks cap where it goes, and height caps how tall. The tightest one wins.
Unit counts can be a flat number, a number that changes with lot size, or a rate such as units per hectare.

How much you can build: density

Density rules cap the amount of building on a lot. BC bylaws use three kinds, sometimes in the same zone.

Interactive FSR calculator with sliders for lot area, FSR and lot coverage. It multiplies lot area by FSR to give total floor area, and divides that by the footprint the coverage allows to estimate the number of storeys, drawn as stacked floor plates on the lot.

Floor area = lot area x FSR. The number of storeys depends on how much of the lot the building covers. The real limit is whichever rule binds first.

FSR / FAR (Floor space ratio, floor area ratio): Total floor area divided by lot area. The two names mean the same thing; Vancouver says FSR, many other cities say FAR. What counts as floor area (basements, garages, stairs) is defined separately in each bylaw, and those exclusions can change the real figure a lot. Example: 0.75 FSR on a 560 m² lot allows 420 m² of floor area.
Units per hectare (A density rate): A count that scales with lot size. Multiply the rate by the lot area in hectares (m² divided by 10,000), then apply the bylaw's rounding rule, which differs between bylaws. Example: 45 units per hectare on 600 m² (0.06 ha) gives 2.7. Rounded down that is 2 units; rounded to the nearest it is 3.
Unit count (Maximum dwelling units): A flat maximum number of homes on the lot, sometimes with a higher number if conditions are met, such as all units being rental or the lot being near frequent transit.
Bonus density (Conditional extra floor area): Extra FSR available only if a condition is met: rental tenure, an affordable unit, or a payment. Vancouver removed its amenity share payments on June 30, 2026 and made the higher figure outright.

Vancouver's density bonus change

Where it can go: the building envelope

Envelope rules decide the shape and position of the building. On small or narrow lots they usually bind before FSR does.

Plan view of a lot between a lane and a street with front, rear and side setbacks shown as arrows from the property lines, leaving a smaller buildable area in the centre.

The buildable area is what is left after setbacks. Lot coverage then limits how much of that area the footprint can fill.

Lot coverage (Site coverage): The building footprint as a percentage of lot area. Some bylaws count decks, garages or accessory buildings; some set a separate limit on impermeable surfaces. Example: 40% coverage on a 600 m² lot allows a 240 m² footprint.
Setback (Front, rear, side, flanking): The minimum distance between a building and each property line. A corner lot has a flanking side setback on the street side, usually larger than an interior side setback.
Height (Metres or storeys): The maximum building height, measured from a defined point such as average grade or a datum, to the roof or its midpoint. How it is measured varies by bylaw, and on a sloping lot it can make a full storey of difference.
Frontage (Lot width at the street): The length of the lot line along the street. Many bylaws scale unit counts with it. Vancouver measures it in feet in practice; most other cities use metres. Example: A 33 ft Vancouver lot is about 10 m wide.
Lot area (In m²): The legal area of the parcel. 280 m² (about 3,014 sq ft) and 4,050 m² (about one acre) are the two thresholds in Bill 44.
Building separation (Between buildings on one lot): The minimum distance between the main building and a detached unit such as a laneway home. Often the rule that decides whether a backyard unit fits.

What kind of housing: types and categories

SSMUH (Small-scale multi-unit housing): The provincial name for the Bill 44 rules: 3, 4 or 6 homes on qualifying lots that used to allow only a house or a duplex.
Restricted zone (Defined in the Local Government Act): A zone that would otherwise allow only a detached house, a house with a suite or detached unit, or a duplex. Bill 44 applies only to these zones.
Multiplex (Triplex, fourplex, sixplex): Three or more homes in one or more buildings on a lot. Vancouver uses the term for its R1-1 form of up to 6 strata or 8 rental units.
Secondary suite (A unit inside a house): A self-contained home within a house, such as a basement suite. It counts as a unit in most bylaws.
Accessory dwelling unit (ADU: laneway home, coach house, garden suite): A small detached home on the same lot as the main house. Different cities use different names for it.
Transit-Oriented Area (TOA, from Bill 47): Land within 800 m of a listed rapid transit station or 400 m of a listed bus exchange, where a city cannot refuse a rezoning on density grounds up to a prescribed minimum height and density.

Bill 44 explained · Bill 44 vs Bill 47

How you change the rules: process terms

OCP (Official community plan): The city's long-range land use plan. It does not grant rights by itself, but a rezoning generally has to be consistent with it.
Rezoning (A zoning bylaw amendment): Council changes the zone on a lot. It takes a public process and usually months. Under current provincial law, many rezonings consistent with the OCP no longer require a public hearing.
Development permit (DP, within a DPA): A permit for land in a development permit area, covering things like building form and character, hazards or the environment. It cannot change the use or density the zoning allows.
Variance (DVP or Board of Variance): Permission to relax a specific rule, such as a setback or height, without rezoning. A development variance permit goes to council or staff; the Board of Variance handles minor hardship cases. Neither can increase density.

What is on the title: land terms

PID (Parcel identifier): The nine-digit number that identifies a parcel in BC's land title system. The surest way to know which land you are looking at.
Restrictive covenant (Land Title Act s.219): A registered promise about how land can or cannot be used, often in favour of the city. Some limit a lot to one house.
Building scheme (Land Title Act s.220): Restrictions registered across a whole subdivision by the developer, binding every lot. Many limit lots to one single-family house, and Bill 44 does not override them.
Statutory right-of-way (SRW): A registered right for a utility or a government to use part of the land, for pipes, wires or access. You usually cannot build over it.

Zoning vs title

Which rule wins?

The tightest one. Zones set several limits at once, and a design must satisfy all of them. A 4 unit allowance on a 33 ft lot can be capped first by setbacks and building separation; the same allowance on a large lot can be capped by FSR. That is why two lots in the same zone can hold very different buildings.

When you read a ZoneScout report, the unit count and FSR are the headline entitlement, and the height, coverage and setback figures are the envelope it has to fit inside. The report shows the maximum build form the zoning allows. Whether a particular design fits is a job for a designer.

Sources

Frequently asked questions

What does FSR mean in BC zoning?

Floor space ratio: the total floor area of all buildings on a lot divided by the lot area. An FSR of 1.0 on a 400 m² lot allows 400 m² of floor space, spread over however many storeys the height and coverage rules allow.

Is FSR the same as FAR?

Yes. Floor space ratio and floor area ratio are the same measure. Vancouver uses FSR; many other BC municipalities use FAR.

What is the difference between lot coverage and FSR?

Lot coverage limits the building's footprint as a share of the lot. FSR limits total floor area across all storeys. A two-storey house covering 40% of a lot has about 0.8 FSR.

How do I convert square metres to square feet?

Multiply by 10.764. A 374 m² lot is about 4,026 sq ft; 280 m² is about 3,014 sq ft.

What are setbacks?

The minimum distances a building must keep from the front, rear and side property lines. They are set zone by zone and can differ for the main house and for a detached unit.