How Many Units Can You Build on a Victoria Lot?
Most Victoria residential lots now sit in GRD-1, which sets no unit maximum for a lot that meets the minimum size. A smaller group of lots stays under the older 1980 bylaw, where the answer is different.
Victoria zoning changes: see the sourced amendment timeline alongside this guide.
Victoria is the one big city where the headline unit number is not a number. The General Residential District 1 zone, GRD-1, gives no fixed maximum for a lot that meets its minimum area and frontage. The limit is the building, meaning floor space ratio, height, coverage and setbacks, rather than a count of units.
That makes Victoria easier to read for a developer and harder to summarise for a homeowner. The practical question is not how many units are allowed but how much building fits, and how many homes you can cut it into.
| Situation | Units | Condition |
|---|---|---|
| GRD-1, lot meets the minimums | 3 or more units | No fixed maximum, 1.6 base FSR |
| GRD-1 minimum lot | 360 m² | With 10 m of frontage |
| Below the minimums | Up to 2 units | Ordinary house and suite |
GRD-1: no unit cap, but a real minimum lot
A GRD-1 lot of at least 360 m² with at least 10 m of frontage can hold 3 or more units. The base floor space ratio is 1.6, height is 14 m and 4 storeys, and site coverage is up to 55%. Inside a Priority Growth Area the ratio rises to 2.75.
Larger lots have a second set of minimums. A lot above 540 m² must also have 15 m of frontage to reach the same tier.
Which bylaw is your lot under
Bylaw 2018 absorbed most residential lots into GRD-1 in 2025. About 1,600 lots were left under the older Zoning Regulation Bylaw 80-159, where zone codes such as R1-B, R-2, R1-G, R1-A, R-K, R3-1, R3-2 and R3-C still apply. A code is only unique within its bylaw, so the same letters can mean different things depending on which bylaw the lot is in.
On the older restricted zones R1-B, R1-G and R-2 the general provisions in section 52 allow small-scale multi-unit housing of 3, 4 or 6 units, subject to servicing, Transit-Oriented Area and heritage exclusions. R1-A, Rockland, is not restricted by the literal definition.
The Transit-Oriented Area changes height, not units
Victoria has a single Transit-Oriented Area, around the Legislature bus exchange, drawn as 200 m and 400 m rings. On a GRD-1 lot it changes storeys: up to 6, and up to 10 inside the 200 m ring where the lot has at least 36 m of frontage. It does not change the unit count or the base floor space ratio.
On a lot under the 1980 bylaw the area has the opposite effect on units: it switches off the section 52 small-scale housing provisions, and a taller building there needs a rezoning at the Province's minimums of 10 storeys and 3.5 FSR within 200 m, or 6 storeys and 2.5 FSR within 400 m.
Heritage and servicing can lower the answer
- Heritage designation. Designated lots are treated separately and do not follow the ordinary unit rule.
- Municipal servicing. The City's water and sewer connections are checked per lot, and a lot that cannot be shown to be connected is hedged rather than counted.
- Frontage. Frontage is measured along the addressed street, so a corner lot is read against the street its address is on.
Some parcels are not residential lots at all. City-owned parks, schools and road remnants appear on the map with a reason and do not offer a report.
Victoria Bill 44 FAQ
How many units does GRD-1 zoning allow in Victoria?
A GRD-1 lot of at least 360 m² with 10 m of frontage allows 3 or more units, with no fixed maximum and a base floor space ratio of 1.6. A lot below those minimums is limited to 2 units.
Does Victoria have a six-unit rule?
Section 49 of the 1980 bylaw allows a six-unit houseplex on lots in the Residential Fabric designation, but the City does not publish that designation as map data. ZoneScout therefore does not award it to any lot. Confirm with the City.
What does the Transit-Oriented Area change in Victoria?
On GRD-1 lots near the Legislature bus exchange it raises the allowed storeys, to 6 and to 10 within 200 m where the frontage is at least 36 m. It does not change the unit count or the base floor space ratio.
Why is my Victoria lot in a different bylaw from my neighbour's?
Roughly 1,600 lots were left under the Zoning Regulation Bylaw 80-159 when Bylaw 2018 moved the rest into GRD-1. The zoning layer records which bylaw each lot is under, and a zone code is only meaningful together with its bylaw.
Which older Victoria zones does ZoneScout price?
R1-B, R-2, R1-G, R1-A, R-K, R3-1, R3-2 and R3-C. Lots in other older zones show their zone name on the map but not a unit figure.
Next steps for your lot
- Run your address for the exact permitted unit count and buildable envelope.
- Victoria Bill 44 map
- Victoria zoning districts
- See what Vancouver lots allow
- See what Surrey lots allow
- See what Coquitlam lots allow
Last reviewed September 2026.