How Many Units Can You Build on a Kamloops Lot?

Kamloops rewrote its residential zones around lot size and named them plainly. R1 through R3 allow four units. R4 allows six, and the thing that unlocks it is a rear lane.

Kamloops took the clearest route through Bill 44 of any city in the interior. Rather than bolting an override onto older districts, it rewrote its residential zones and named them for what they do. R1, R2, R3 and R4 are all described in the bylaw as small-scale multi-unit housing zones, graded by the size of lot they expect.

For most Kamloops house lots that makes the answer four units. The interesting zone is R4, which reaches six, and which the bylaw ties to a specific physical feature of the lot.

SituationUnitsCondition
R1, R2 and R34 unitsCompact, standard and larger urban lots
R46 unitsUrban lots with rear lane access
All four zones11 m, 40%Height and lot coverage

The four zones, and what separates them

Notice what does not change across the four: the height limit is 11 m in all of them, and lot coverage is 40% in all of them. Kamloops graded the zones by the lot they suit rather than by giving the bigger lots a bigger building.

The lane is the thing

What actually binds on a Kamloops lot

With height and coverage held constant across the four zones, the constraints that decide a Kamloops project are the ones that vary lot by lot: the lot's own dimensions against the zone's minimum, the setbacks, and the parking that has to fit alongside six units on a lot of 557 m².

Kamloops also has real topographic constraint in places, and a steep or bluff-adjacent lot can face hazard requirements that no zone table shows. Those sit on top of the zoning answer rather than inside it.

Kamloops' four small-scale residential zones

ZoneNameDwelling units
R1Residential 1Up to 4
R2Residential 2Up to 4
R3Residential 3Up to 4
R4Residential 4Up to 6

The four zones are graded by lot size: R1 from 370 m², R2 from 464 m², R3 from 929 m², and R4 from 557 m². All four share an 11 m height limit and 40% lot coverage, so what changes between them is the count and the lot they expect, not the envelope.

Every Kamloops zoning district, A to Z

Kamloops Bill 44 FAQ

How many units can I build on my lot in Kamloops?

Four dwelling units in the R1, R2 and R3 zones, and up to six in R4. The zones are graded by lot size: R1 from 370 m², R2 from 464 m², R3 from 929 m², and R4 from 557 m² with rear lane access.

What is R4 zoning in Kamloops?

Residential 4 is the zone for small-scale multi-unit residential development of up to six units on urban lots with rear lane access, with a minimum lot area of 557 m². It is the only Kamloops small-scale zone that reaches six.

Does being near frequent transit give me more units in Kamloops?

No. Unlike most Metro Vancouver municipalities, Kamloops does not run a transit-based bonus on its small-scale zones. The six-unit count belongs to the R4 zone, which is mapped, so proximity to a bus route does not change what an R1, R2 or R3 lot allows.

What is the height limit in Kamloops' residential zones?

11 m across all four small-scale zones, with lot coverage at 40%. The envelope does not change between R1 and R4; only the unit count and the minimum lot area do.

What is the difference between R2 and R3 in Kamloops?

Minimum lot area, and nothing else material. R2 is for standard urban lots from 464 m² and R3 for larger urban lots from 929 m². Both allow up to 4 dwelling units at 11 m and 40% coverage.

Why does a smaller Kamloops lot sometimes allow more units than a larger one?

Because R4, which reaches six units, accepts a lot from 557 m², while R3, which allows four, expects at least 929 m². The difference is rear lane access, which R4 requires and which changes what can physically be arranged on the site.

Next steps for your lot

Last reviewed September 2026.