How Many Units Can You Build on a Port Moody Lot?
Port Moody counts units from a City map rather than from the zone alone. Most single detached lots reach 4, lots near a prescribed bus stop reach 6, and lots inside a Transit-Oriented Area are held to their ordinary zone count.
Port Moody zoning changes: see the sourced amendment timeline alongside this guide.
Port Moody did not rewrite its single detached zones to reach Bill 44. Zoning Bylaw 2937 keeps RS1, RS2, RS3 and the rest as they were, and adds a separate set of provisions in section 5.5 that raise the unit count on lots the City has mapped. The map is Schedule A, Map 3, and it is the deciding document: the zone tells you the floor, the map tells you the ceiling.
That split is why two neighbouring RS1 lots can answer differently. Lot size matters, but so does whether the City's map covers the lot at all, and whether a sewer connection or a heritage designation takes it out.
| Situation | Units | Condition |
|---|---|---|
| Zone count by right | 3 units | House, suite and additional dwelling unit |
| On the City's SSMUH map | 4 units | Set by lot size |
| Near a prescribed bus stop | 6 units | Where the City map shows it |
How the count is set: zone first, then the City map
Start with the zone. In RS1, RS1-S, RS2, RS3, RS5, RS6, RS7 and RS9 a house, a secondary suite and an additional dwelling unit is 3 units by right. RS8, the Heritage Woods large-lot estate zone, starts lower, at 2. The semi-detached RT zone counts 3 as two semi-detached units plus an additional dwelling unit.
Then check the map. Inside the City's small-scale multi-unit housing areas the count is set by lot size and the lot's position on Schedule A Map 3, from 3 to 6 units. A lot of 280 m² or less sits at 3. A larger lot reaches 4, and a larger lot the City flags near a prescribed bus stop reaches 6.
Transit-Oriented Areas switch small-scale housing off
This runs against the usual expectation. In most cities a station area is upside. In Port Moody the small-scale multi-unit housing provisions do not apply inside a Transit-Oriented Area, so a lot there keeps its ordinary zone count of 3 and does not climb to 4 or 6.
What holds a lot below its neighbours
- No mapped sewer connection. A lot without a mapped sewer connection is limited to 2 units, whatever its size.
- Heritage designation. Lots with a heritage designation are exempt from the small-scale housing provisions and keep their zone count.
- Split zoning. A lot that straddles two zones is read against both, and the answer is not always the same on each half.
- Not on the City's map. A lot that is residential but outside the mapped areas stays at its zone count, and the report says so rather than guessing.
None of these shows up in the zone code, which is why a lookup by address is more reliable than reading the zone table alone.
Floor area and height follow the zone
Floor space ratio is about 0.5 in the main RS zones, rising to 0.6 in RS3 and RS5 and up to 0.7 on small RS1-S lots in Moody Centre, Seaview and Pleasantside. Height is 10.5 m and 3 storeys in RS1, RS6, RS7 and RS9, 9 m in RS2, and 8 m in RS3 and RS5. Site coverage runs from 40% to 45%.
The Heritage Woods zones, RS5 to RS8, are North Shore Neighbourhood 2 zones with their own lot sizes and heights, so a Heritage Woods lot should be read against its own zone and not against RS1.
Comprehensive Development zones are mapped but not reported
Port Moody has a large number of Comprehensive Development zones, each written for a specific site. ZoneScout names the zone on the map but does not issue a full report for them, because the rules live in a site-specific bylaw and not in the shared residential framework. The A, RS, RT and RM zones are covered.
Port Moody's residential zones that carry small-scale multi-unit housing
| Zone | Name | Dwelling units |
|---|---|---|
| RS1 | Single Detached Residential | Up to 3 |
| RS1-S | Single Detached Residential | Up to 3 |
| RS2 | North Shore Single Detached Residential | Up to 3 |
| RS3 | North Shore Single Detached Residential | Up to 3 |
| RS5 | Heritage Woods Small Lot Single Detached Residential | Up to 3 |
| RS6 | Heritage Woods Single Detached Residential | Up to 3 |
| RS7 | Heritage Woods Estate Residential | Up to 3 |
| RS8 | Heritage Woods Large Lot Estate Residential | Up to 2 |
| RS9 | Single and Semi-Detached Residential | Up to 3 |
| RT | Semi-Detached Residential | Up to 3 |
The figure in the table is the count the zone grants by right: a house, a secondary suite and an additional dwelling unit makes 3. Where the City's small-scale multi-unit housing map covers the lot, the count rises to 4 or 6 as described above. RS8 starts at 2 by right. RT, the semi-detached zone, counts 3.
Every Port Moody zoning district, A to Z
Port Moody Bill 44 FAQ
How many units can I build on my lot in Port Moody?
In the main RS zones the zone itself grants 3 units by right. Where the City's small-scale multi-unit housing map covers the lot, the count is 4 on a lot above 280 m² and 6 where the City flags a prescribed bus stop within reach. A lot without a mapped sewer connection is limited to 2, and a lot inside a Transit-Oriented Area keeps its zone count.
Which Port Moody zones allow small-scale multi-unit housing?
RS1, RS1-S, RS2, RS3, RS5, RS6, RS7, RS8, RS9 and the semi-detached RT zone all list Small-Scale Multi-Unit Housing as a permitted use. The Port Moody map decides how many units a particular lot reaches.
Does a Transit-Oriented Area give me more units in Port Moody?
No. Small-scale multi-unit housing does not apply inside a Port Moody Transit-Oriented Area, so the lot keeps its zone count. Higher density there is reached by rezoning at the minimums the Province sets for each tier.
Why does my neighbour's Port Moody lot allow more units than mine?
Usually because of lot size, the City's map, or a sewer connection. A lot above 280 m² reaches 4 where the map covers it, and the prescribed bus stop flag lifts some lots to 6. A lot without a mapped sewer connection is limited to 2.
Does ZoneScout cover Port Moody's Comprehensive Development zones?
The map shows them and names the zone, but the full report covers the A, RS, RT and RM zones. Comprehensive Development zones are governed by site-specific bylaws.
Next steps for your lot
- Run your address for the exact permitted unit count and buildable envelope.
- Port Moody Bill 44 map
- Port Moody zoning districts
- See what Coquitlam lots allow
- See what Port Coquitlam lots allow
- See what New Westminster lots allow
Last reviewed September 2026.