Free PDF guide
Multiplex zoning rules in Metro Vancouver
The provincial small-scale housing law, Surrey's residential zones, how to read any zone, the bus stop and transit-oriented area rules, the routes past a zoning rule, and the zone names city by city.
48 pages, 7 parts, 24 sources. Written by Trent Praski. Figures re-verified 2026-10-23.
Free guide
Multiplex zoning rules in Metro Vancouver
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What is inside
Overview
Multiplex zoning rules in Metro Vancouver.
Part 1
What BC's small-scale housing law makes every city allow
Section 481.3, the 3, 4 and 6 unit minimums, the exemptions and the deadlines.
Part 2
Surrey's residential zones: RA and R1 to R6 explained
Surrey's RA and R1 to R6 zones, R3 houseplex rules and bus stop lots.
Part 3
How to find your lot's zone and read what it allows
Finding the zone, reading it in order, and checking the title.
Part 4
Six-unit bus stop lots and transit-oriented areas
The 400 metre bus stop rule, transit-oriented area tiers and parking.
Part 5
When zoning says no: rezoning, variance permits and the board of variance
Rezoning, development variance permits and the board of variance compared.
Part 6
Small-scale housing zone names across Metro Vancouver
Zone names and one-line notes for the cities we checked, with links to city guides.
Key points from the guide
- Section 481.3 of the Local Government Act and B.C. Reg. 262/2023 set minimums of 3, 4 or 6 units per lot by lot size and bus stop distance.
- Vancouver has the same numbers under section 565.03 of the Vancouver Charter and B.C. Reg. 264/2023.
- Bill 25 widened the rules in November 2025, with a compliance deadline of 30 June 2026 for affected cities.
- Surrey replaced its single-family zones with RA and R1 to R6 on 8 July 2024, and R3 is the only one of them that allows a houseplex.
- Land inside a transit-oriented area is exempt from the 3 to 6 unit minimums and instead gets provincial density limits of 3.0 to 5.0 floor area ratio for rezoning.
- A development variance permit and the board of variance cannot change use or density, so more homes than the zone allows means a rezoning.
- A covenant or building scheme on title can limit a lot below its zoning, and the board of variance cannot override a section 219 covenant.
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