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.
What changed
- June 30 2026: By-law 14747 in force (enacted June 3)
- 51,876 R1-1 lots on our map that qualify for a multiplex
- 1.00 FSR now the outright multiplex limit in R1-1, with no amenity shares
Until June 30, 2026, a lot of Vancouver's housing density was sold, not zoned. In R1-1, RT-7, RT-9 and most RM zones the bylaw set a low base floor space ratio (FSR), and the Director of Planning could raise it to a higher figure. You got the higher figure by making every unit secured rental or by buying amenity shares. One amenity share bought one square metre of extra floor area, at a price set in Schedule F of the zoning bylaw.
By-law 14747 removed that system. Council repealed Schedule F, Schedule G and Schedule H and deleted the defined terms Affordable Housing Share and Amenity Share. In each affected zone, the higher figure that used to be discretionary is now simply the maximum FSR, whatever the tenure.
The City did this because it had to. The by-law's own title says it implements changes required by section 634 of the Vancouver Charter, which required the City to bring its bonus density rules in line with the Province's Bill 16 (2024) by June 30, 2026. Bill 16 limited how BC local governments can use density bonusing.
R1-1 multiplexes: 1.00 FSR, no payment
R1-1 is the zone that covers most of Vancouver's residential land: 63,104 lots on our map, 51,876 of which meet the multiplex tests. Before June 30, a multiplex there had a base FSR of 0.70. Getting to 1.00 meant securing all units as rental (up to 8 units), including a below-market ownership unit, or paying for amenity shares (up to 6 units).
Now section 3.1.1.2 of the R1-1 schedule simply says the maximum FSR is 1.00. The unit caps stay the same: 8 units if 100% of the floor area is secured rental (one unit may be owner-occupied), and 6 units for any other tenure.
There is one new condition. A strata or other non-rental multiplex on a site of at least 623 m² with at least 17.1 m of frontage, west of the centre line of Ontario Street or Carrall Street, must provide 5% of its residential floor area as social housing or pay cash in lieu. On our map, 6,268 multiplex-eligible R1-1 lots meet the size and frontage tests. Most of them are on the west side, but only a site west of that line is affected.
| R1-1 multiplex | Before June 30, 2026 | From June 30, 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| Base FSR | 0.70 | 1.00 |
| FSR 1.00 for strata | Only by buying amenity shares or including a below-market ownership unit | Allowed outright |
| FSR 1.00 for rental | Discretionary, all units secured rental | Allowed outright, all units secured rental |
| Max units | 6 strata, 8 rental | 6 strata, 8 rental (unchanged) |
| Large west-side strata sites | Amenity shares at the top Schedule F rate | 5% of floor area as social housing, or cash in lieu |
R1-1 zone page · R1-1 guide · Vancouver Bill 44 map
What the old payment cost on a typical lot
Schedule F priced amenity shares per square metre of bonus floor area. The rate depended on the lot's size band and, for R1-1, on which of three sub-areas the lot sat in. Going from 0.70 to 1.00 FSR meant buying 0.30 FSR of extra floor area. That makes it easy to work out what a strata multiplex used to pay before it could start.
| Lot (frontage x depth) | Bonus floor area bought | Schedule F rate | Old cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| 33 x 122 ft (374 m²) | 112 m² | $32.29 / m², all sub-areas | about $3,600 |
| 50 x 122 ft (567 m²) | 170 m² | $322.92 to $699.65 / m² | about $55,000 to $119,000 |
| 66 x 122 ft (748 m²) | 224 m² | $753.47 to $1,506.95 / m² | about $169,000 to $338,000 |
RT-7 and RT-9: 1.00 FSR on every lot size
RT-7 and RT-9 worked like R1-1 on a smaller scale. A multiplex, infill or conversion with three or more units got 1.00 FSR on lots under 317 m², but only 0.70 on lots of 317 m² or more unless it went rental, included a below-market ownership unit or bought amenity shares.
Both schedules now say the maximum FSR is 1.00, with 8 units for 100% rental and 6 for any other tenure. The 317 m² split is gone. On our map that matters most for the 621 RT-7 lots and 182 RT-9 lots of 317 m² or more.
RT-7 zone page · RT-9 zone page
RM zones: the bonus figures become the limit
The same pattern runs through the RM apartment and townhouse zones. In each one the bylaw used to set a base FSR and let the Director of Planning raise it for secured rental, social housing or amenity shares. The raised figure is now the outright maximum. Site size and frontage tests still apply, so a narrow lot does not get the top figure.
| Zone (lots on our map) | Before: base, then max with rental or shares | From June 30, 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| RM-8 / RM-8A (865) | Townhouse 0.75, up to 1.20 | Townhouse 1.20. In RM-8A, a single pre-June 30, 2026 lot of 623 m²+ with 17.1 m+ frontage west of Ontario/Carrall: 8% social housing or cash in lieu |
| RM-8 / RM-8A small triplex | 0.75, up to 0.90 under 445 m² or 12.8 m | 0.90 under 445 m² or 12.8 m |
| RM-9 / RM-9B (132) | 0.75 (RM-9B 0.70), up to 1.20 / 1.50 / 2.00 | 1.20 at 12.8 m frontage, 1.50 at 15.2 m, 2.00 at 27.4 m |
| RM-9A (213) | 0.70, up to 1.20 to 2.00 | 1.50 at 15.2 m, 1.75 on a 15.2 m corner, 2.00 at 27.4 m, 1.20 for locked-in lots |
| RM-10 (26) | 0.90, up to 2.40 / 2.60 | 2.40 at 30 m and 855 m², 2.60 at 40 m and 1,115 m², 2.00 for locked-in lots |
| RM-11 (174) | Apartment 0.75, up to 1.70 | 1.70 at 36.6 m frontage |
| RM-12 (188) | Apartment 0.75, up to 1.70 | Apartment 1.70; townhouse 1.45, hybrid townhouse 1.70 |
RM-8A · RM-9 · RM-9A · RM-10 · RM-11 · RM-12
What else the by-law touched
Character retention bonuses survive, but in a new form. RT-3, RT-5, RT-11, RM-1, RM-7, RM-9A and the R1-1 schedule each gained a Relaxations section. It lets the Director of Planning allow modestly more floor area, typically to between 0.65 and 0.90 FSR, when a character house or a pre-1940 building is kept.
The by-law also amended the R3, R4 and R5 schedules, First Shaughnessy, and several commercial and industrial districts (C-3A, C-5, C-6, FC-2, I-1, I-2, IC-3, MC-1 and others). Several of them now refer to Schedule J, the City's Affordable Housing Schedule, for developments that require social housing. This article covers the residential zones where the change affects what a typical lot can hold.
What it means if you own or are buying in these zones
If you were pricing a strata multiplex on a 50 ft R1-1 lot before June 30, the density bonus line in your budget is gone. If the lot is a 66 ft west-side lot, it has been replaced by a 5% social housing requirement. In RT-7, RT-9 and the RM zones listed above, the higher FSR no longer depends on a rental covenant or a negotiated payment. That makes the buildable floor area of a given lot much easier to state up front.
Applications already in progress may be handled under transition rules, and the new Amenity Cost Charge applies to applications submitted after September 30, 2026. Confirm the details with the City of Vancouver before you commit to a design.
ZoneScout reports and the Vancouver Bill 44 map read these zones from the current district schedules. Enter an address to see the FSR, unit count and site tests that apply to that specific lot.
Sources
- City of Vancouver, By-law No. 14747 (enacted June 3, 2026; in force June 30, 2026)
- City of Vancouver, Zoning and Development By-law No. 3575, consolidated district schedules (February 2026 and current)
- Zoning and Development By-law, Schedule F: Affordable Housing and Amenity Share Cost Schedule (April 2025, repealed June 30, 2026)
- City of Vancouver, Amendments to zoning and land use documents
- City of Vancouver, Amenity Cost Charges (ACC By-law effective September 30, 2026)
- Province of BC, Inclusionary Zoning and Density Bonusing guidance (Bill 16, 2024)
Frequently asked questions
Does Vancouver still charge a density bonus for multiplexes?
No. Since June 30, 2026, By-law 14747 makes 1.00 FSR the outright maximum for an R1-1 multiplex, and amenity shares no longer exist. Strata multiplexes on sites of 623 m² or more with 17.1 m or more of frontage, west of Ontario or Carrall Street, must instead provide 5% of the floor area as social housing or pay cash in lieu.
What is By-law 14747?
It is the Vancouver by-law, enacted June 3, 2026 and in force June 30, 2026, that removed density bonusing from the Zoning and Development By-law to comply with section 634 of the Vancouver Charter. It repealed Schedules F, G and H and rewrote the density sections of R1-1, RT-7, RT-9, the RM zones and others.
What is the maximum FSR for a multiplex in Vancouver now?
1.00 in R1-1, RT-7 and RT-9, for any tenure. The unit cap is 6 units, or 8 if all units are secured rental. The R1-1 site size and frontage bands still decide whether a lot qualifies for 4, 5, or 6 to 8 units.
How much did amenity shares cost before?
Under Schedule F, R1-1 rates ran from $32.29 per m² of bonus floor area on 306 to 464 m² lots up to $1,506.95 per m² on 623 m²+ lots in sub-area A. On a 50 x 122 ft lot that came to roughly $55,000 to $119,000 for a strata multiplex.
Did the RM zones change too?
Yes. In RM-8, RM-8A, RM-9, RM-9A, RM-9B, RM-10, RM-11 and RM-12, the FSR that used to require secured rental or amenity shares is now the outright maximum, still subject to each zone's frontage and site area tests.