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.
The short answer
- Bill 44 (small-scale multi-unit housing) changes what your zoning already allows: 3, 4 or 6 homes on a qualifying single-family lot, with no rezoning.
- Bill 47 (Transit-Oriented Areas) does not change your zoning. It sets a floor on height and density that the city cannot refuse on density grounds when you apply to rezone near a station or bus exchange.
- Near a SkyTrain station the floors run from 8 storeys and 3.0 FAR at 800 m up to 20 storeys and 5.0 FAR within 200 m.
- A lot inside a Transit-Oriented Area is outside Bill 44's 4 and 6 unit rules. It trades a guaranteed small multiplex for a much larger rezoning option.
Two laws, two different mechanisms
The difference in one sentence: Bill 44 changes what you can build on a single-family lot without rezoning (3, 4 or 6 homes), while Bill 47 sets minimum heights and densities near transit that a city cannot refuse when you apply to rezone.
Both bills passed in late 2023 as part of the same provincial housing package, which is why they get confused. They solve different problems.
Bill 44, the Housing Statutes (Residential Development) Amendment Act, 2023, targets the single-family neighbourhoods that cover most of BC's residential land. It made every city rewrite its zoning so that a qualifying lot already allows several homes. You apply for a building permit, not a rezoning.
Bill 47, the Housing Statutes (Transit-Oriented Areas) Amendment Act, 2023, targets land near rapid transit. It did not rezone anything. It designated Transit-Oriented Areas around listed stations and exchanges and set a minimum height and density for each distance band. If you apply to rezone a lot inside one, the city cannot refuse on the grounds of density or height up to that minimum. It also took away the city's power to require residential parking there.
Small-scale multi-unit housing
- Where
- Most single-family and duplex lots inside an urban containment boundary
- What it gives
- 3, 4 or 6 homes allowed by the zoning itself
- Do you need a rezoning?
- No. A building permit, sometimes a development permit
- Typical result
- A fourplex, sixplex, or house with suites and a laneway home
- Parking
- None can be required on 6 unit transit lots
- Legal home
- Local Government Act s.481.3; B.C. Reg. 262/2023
Transit-Oriented Areas
- Where
- Within 800 m of listed rapid transit stations and 400 m of listed bus exchanges
- What it gives
- A floor of up to 20 storeys and 5.0 FAR the city cannot refuse on density grounds
- Do you need a rezoning?
- Yes, unless the zoning already allows the density
- Typical result
- Apartments and towers, usually on assembled lots
- Parking
- No residential parking minimums
- Legal home
- Local Government Act Transit-Oriented Area provisions; B.C. Reg. 263/2023; Vancouver Charter equivalents
Bill 44's rules apply automatically. Bill 47's are a ceiling on how hard the city can push back, not an entitlement.
The Transit-Oriented Area tiers, drawn to scale
Each Transit-Oriented Area is a set of rings around a station or exchange. A parcel that the boundary crosses counts as fully inside, and a parcel in two rings takes whichever gives the higher density. The figures depend on what kind of transit it is and where in BC it sits.
Two ring diagrams drawn to scale. Around a SkyTrain station: within 200 m, at least 20 storeys and 5.0 FAR; 200 to 400 m, 12 storeys and 4.0 FAR; 400 to 800 m, 8 storeys and 3.0 FAR. Around a Metro Vancouver bus exchange: within 200 m, 12 storeys and 4.0 FAR; 200 to 400 m, 8 storeys and 3.0 FAR.
| Transit and distance | Min. storeys | Min. FAR |
|---|---|---|
| Rapid transit station, within 200 m | 20 | 5.0 |
| Rapid transit station, 200 to 400 m | 12 | 4.0 |
| Rapid transit station, 400 to 800 m | 8 | 3.0 |
| Metro Vancouver bus exchange, within 200 m | 12 | 4.0 |
| Metro Vancouver bus exchange, 200 to 400 m | 8 | 3.0 |
| Larger regional bus exchange (Kelowna, Victoria, Kamloops, Chilliwack), within 200 m | 10 | 3.5 |
| Larger regional bus exchange, 200 to 400 m | 6 | 2.5 |
| Smaller centre exchange (for example Penticton), within 200 m | 6 | 2.5 |
| Smaller centre exchange, 200 to 400 m | 4 | 1.5 |
Can a lot be under both?
No. B.C. Reg. 262/2023 s.3(2) switches off Bill 44's 4 and 6 unit minimums inside a Transit-Oriented Area. The Province's reasoning is that land beside a station should be planned for apartments, not locked into fourplexes. The one extra unit that every restricted lot gets still applies.
So a house 300 m from a SkyTrain station is not guaranteed a fourplex the way the same house 1 km away would be. Its owner instead has a rezoning path to 12 storeys that the city cannot block on density. For a single owner that is often less useful, because towers need land assembly, financing and a long approval. For a group of neighbours selling together, it is usually worth far more.
Cities handle the overlap differently. Chilliwack's bylaw explicitly keeps the zone's own count inside its two Transit-Oriented Areas. Coquitlam publishes its own rings as GIS layers; most cities do not, and ZoneScout draws them from the station coordinates in the regulation.
How to tell which one covers your lot
- Find the nearest station or exchange. Transit-Oriented Areas exist only around the stations and exchanges listed in the regulation: SkyTrain stations, and major bus exchanges in Metro Vancouver and the larger regional centres. If you are more than 800 m from a station and 400 m from an exchange, you are outside every TOA.
- Measure from the station, to the parcel. Distances run from the station point to the nearest edge of the parcel, so a lot whose back corner touches the ring is inside it.
- Check your zone. Outside a TOA, a single-family or duplex zone means Bill 44 applies, subject to its seven tests. A zone that already allows apartments sets its own numbers either way.
- Look up the address. ZoneScout reports both: the units the current zone allows by right, and a separate Transit-Oriented Area note with the tier, the nearest station and the rezoning floor.
Bill 44 checker · Vancouver Bill 44 map
Sources
- Local Government Act (BC Laws)
- Local Government Zoning Bylaw Regulation, B.C. Reg. 262/2023, s.3(2)
- Transit-Oriented Areas Regulation, B.C. Reg. 263/2023
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between Bill 44 and Bill 47 in BC?
Bill 44 requires most single-family zones to allow 3 to 6 homes per lot without a rezoning. Bill 47 creates Transit-Oriented Areas near rapid transit and bus exchanges, where a city cannot refuse a rezoning on density grounds up to a prescribed minimum height and density. Bill 44 is an entitlement; Bill 47 is a limit on refusal.
How far does a Transit-Oriented Area extend?
Up to 800 m from a rapid transit station and up to 400 m from a bus exchange, measured to the parcel. The highest densities are within 200 m.
Can I build a 20-storey building near a SkyTrain station without a rezoning?
Usually not. The 20 storey and 5.0 FAR figures within 200 m of a station are minimums the city must allow if you apply to rezone. They are not automatic.
Do Transit-Oriented Areas remove parking requirements?
Yes for housing. Cities cannot require residential off-street parking minimums inside a Transit-Oriented Area.
Does Bill 44 apply inside a Transit-Oriented Area?
Not its 4 and 6 unit minimums. B.C. Reg. 262/2023 s.3(2) exempts land in a Transit-Oriented Area from them. The requirement to allow one extra unit, such as a suite, still applies.