Venture Pacific

City of Langley zoning bylaw, section A1

Zone A1: A1 Agricultural

A zone for farming on lots of at least 2 ha (4.94 acres), in the Agricultural and Parks and Open Space areas of the Official Community Plan. One house is allowed.

3 lots carry this zone in the City of Langley lot records.

How many homes

  • 1 home: one single detached house. The zone allows at most 1 dwelling unit, and secondary suites are not among its uses. (section A1, 3. Density)
  • A house (section A1, 1. Permitted Uses)

The rules of zone A1

What the zone allows

  • Agriculture: growing crops or raising livestock, and on Agricultural Land Reserve land the farm uses the provincial regulation allows. (section A1, 1. Permitted Uses and 1.3)
  • One single detached house. (section A1, 1. Permitted Uses)
  • Home businesses, as an accessory use. (section A1, 1. Permitted Uses)

Lot size for new lots

  • New lots must be at least 2 ha (4.94 acres), with frontage of at least 10% of the lot's perimeter. (section A1, 2. Lot)

How much of the lot buildings may cover

  • The zone sets no lot coverage limit. (section A1, 5. Lot Coverage)

Height

  • The house may be up to 10 m (32 ft 10 in) high. (section A1, 4. Height)
  • Height in metres is measured from the top of the first storey floor to the ceiling of the top storey. (section 1.3 Height (b))
  • Fences may be at most 2.5 m (8 ft 2 in) high. (section 2.3 b) iv))
  • The height limits do not apply to monuments, hydro towers, flag poles or telecommunication aerials. (section 2.3 b) ii))

Distance from the property lines

  • The house: at least 15 m (49 ft 3 in) from the front and rear lot lines and 7.5 m (24 ft 7 in) from the side lot lines. (section A1, 6. Setbacks)
  • Accessory buildings and structures: at least 7.5 m (24 ft 7 in) from every lot line. (section A1, 6. Setbacks)
  • Eaves, gutters, cornices, sills, bay windows, sun shades, chimneys, steps and similar parts may reach up to 1 m (3 ft 3 in) into a required setback. (section 2.4 f) i))
  • Basements must be at least 2 m (6 ft 7 in) from the front lot line and from a side lot line along a street. Swimming pools may not sit in the front setback. (section 2.4 f) iv))
  • No building or structure may be built within 30 m (98 ft) of the natural boundary (the usual high water mark) of a Class A watercourse, 15 m (49 ft 3 in) of a Class B watercourse, or 5 m (16 ft 5 in) of a Class C watercourse. The Schedule B map in the bylaw gives each watercourse its class. A different distance may apply where a Qualified Environmental Professional sets one and the Province accepts it. (section 2.3 f) i) and ii))
  • These watercourse distances do not apply where the lot's subdivision was approved with a stream-side study and the building follows the covenant on title, or where a development permit for protecting nature sets where the building goes. (section 2.3 f) iii))
  • If the lot fronts a provincial highway and the Ministry of Transportation and Transit asks for a larger front setback than this bylaw, the Ministry's setback applies. (section 2.3 d))

Parking

  • The parking table sets 2 spaces per home for single detached houses in its row for R1 zone uses. It has no row of its own for the A1 zone. (section 3.7)
  • Parking for homes must be on the same lot as the homes. (section 3.2 b.)

Other rules

  • Land in the Agricultural Land Reserve is set up and regulated by the provincial Agricultural Land Commission Act. (section A1, 9. Other Regulations)
  • Transit-Oriented Areas are the areas shaded on the TOA map in Section 2.5: rings of 200 m (656 ft), 400 m (1,312 ft) and 800 m (2,625 ft) around the Willowbrook and Langley City Centre SkyTrain stations, and rings of 200 m (656 ft) and 400 m (1,312 ft) around the Langley Centre bus exchange. If any part of a lot is inside one, the whole lot counts as inside. A lot in more than one ring takes the ring with the higher height and density. (section 2.5 i) and TOA Table)
  • Inside a Transit-Oriented Area, a lot zoned for homes may be developed to the heights and densities in the TOA Table once the owner applies for, and the City adopts, a change to this bylaw. The zone's other rules still apply. The table's minimum allowable height and density are: within 200 m (656 ft) of a SkyTrain station, 20 storeys and 5 FAR; within 400 m (1,312 ft), 12 storeys and 4 FAR; within 800 m (2,625 ft), 8 storeys and 3 FAR; within 200 m (656 ft) of the bus exchange, 12 storeys and 4 FAR; within 400 m (1,312 ft) of it, 8 storeys and 3 FAR. The heights are subject to the Airport Zoning Regulation. (section 2.5 ii) and TOA Table)
  • Home businesses must be run by a person who lives in the home, may have at most one worker who lives elsewhere, and may show no sign of the business outside except a name plate of at most 0.2 m² (2 sq ft). (section 2.4 b) i) to iii))
  • The zone has no landscaping requirement. (section A1, 8. Landscaping)
  • On land listed in the City's Floodplain Elevation Bylaw, the living space of any building must meet the floor heights and distances that bylaw sets. (section 2.3 e))
  • On a corner lot, a swimming pool may not sit inside the triangle formed by the two street lot lines and a line joining the points 9 m (29 ft 6 in) from where those lot lines meet. (section 2.3 c))
  • On a corner lot, the triangle formed by the two street lot lines and a line joining the points 3 m (9 ft 10 in) from the corner must stay clear: no building, structure or planting, and no fence or retaining wall over 0.5 m (1 ft 8 in) high. Out to the points 6 m (19 ft 8 in) from the corner, nothing built or planted may be more than 1 m (3 ft 3 in) above the ground. (section 2.4 e))

Source: City of Langley Zoning Bylaw, 2025, No. 3300. Section numbers are the bylaw's own.

Questions about zone A1

What is zone A1 in the City of Langley?

A1 is the A1 Agricultural in the City of Langley zoning bylaw (section A1). A zone for farming on lots of at least 2 ha (4.94 acres), in the Agricultural and Parks and Open Space areas of the Official Community Plan. One house is allowed.

How many homes can I build in zone A1?

1 home: one single detached house. The zone allows at most 1 dwelling unit, and secondary suites are not among its uses.

How tall can I build in zone A1?

The house may be up to 10 m (32 ft 10 in) high. Height in metres is measured from the top of the first storey floor to the ceiling of the top storey.

How many lots are zoned A1?

The City of Langley lot records list 3 lots in zone A1, on 3 streets.

Streets with lots in zone A1

Contains information licensed under the City of Langley's Open Government License.