City of Langley zoning bylaw, section C2

Zone C2: C2 Service Commercial

A zone for service businesses that do not usually fit in the core commercial and mixed-use areas, such as car sales and service, gas stations, garden centres and equipment rental.

139 lots and 3 strata properties carry this zone in the City of Langley lot records.

How many homes

The only home this zone allows is a caretaker's dwelling unit (a home for a caretaker or security guard, inside the main building, at most 93 m² (1,001 sq ft)). The zone does not say how many. (section C2, 1. Permitted Uses and 2.4 g))

A caretaker's home (section C2, 1. Permitted Uses)

The rules of zone C2

What the zone allows

Assembly halls, auction houses, car sales and rental, car service, commercial business services, child care centres, convenience stores, places to eat, equipment sales, service and rental, garden centres and gas stations. (section C2, 1. Permitted Uses)
General services limited to freight depots, courier services, veterinary clinics and pet grooming. (section C2, 1. Permitted Uses)
Indoor recreation, microbreweries, offices, personal services, recycling depots, retail stores, repair shops, small recycling facilities, hotels and vintners. (section C2, 1. Permitted Uses)
A caretaker's dwelling unit, as an accessory use. (section C2, 1. Permitted Uses)
An auction house may be in an enclosed building (meeting the BC Building Code and NFPA standards) or outdoors on the lot. (section C2, 10. Other Regulations)

Lot size for new lots

New lots must be at least 920 m² (9,903 sq ft). The zone sets no minimum frontage. (section C2, 2. Lot)

How much of the lot buildings may cover

The main building may cover at most 90% of the lot. (section C2, 5. Lot Coverage)

Floor area and density

Floor area may be at most half the lot area (0.500 FAR). (section C2, 3. Density)
FAR (floor area ratio) is the total gross floor area of all buildings on the lot divided by the lot area. Where land is taken from the lot for public use, FAR is worked out on the lot area before the taking. (section 1.3 Floor Area Ratio)
Gross floor area is measured to the inside of the outer walls. It leaves out elevator shafts and stairwells, balconies, decks, patios and roofs, crawlspaces, basements and parkades, mechanical rooms above ground, and storage and bicycle parking areas. (section 1.3 Gross floor area)

Height

Main buildings may be up to 15 m (49 ft 3 in) high. (section C2, 4. Height)
The zone sets no height limit for accessory buildings. (section C2, 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

Main buildings: at least 4.5 m (14 ft 9 in) from the front lot line and from a side lot line on a street, and 0 m (0 in) from the rear and interior side lot lines. (section C2, 6. Setbacks)
Gas pumps and pump islands must be at least 4.5 m (14 ft 9 in) from every lot line. (section 2.4 f) v))
Marquees and canopies may reach into a setback if they stay at least 1 m (3 ft 3 in) back from a line straight above the curb and their underside is at least 2.5 m (8 ft 2 in) above the ground. (section 2.4 f) iii))
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

Commercial uses need 2.5 spaces per 100 m² (1,076 sq ft) of gross floor area, or 1.5 per 100 m² (1,076 sq ft) in the University District land use. In the Core and Shoulder areas of the Official Community Plan the rate is 1.5 per 100 m² (1,076 sq ft), and 2.0 per 100 m² (1,076 sq ft) for a business over 1,000 m² (10,764 sq ft) in the Shoulder area. (section 3.7)
In the area outlined on the map in Section 3.6, commercial parking is 1.0 space per 100 m² (1,076 sq ft) of gross floor area, and required commercial spaces may be reduced by paying the City $40,000 for each space not provided. (section 3.6 c. and d.)
A caretaker's home needs 1 parking space. (section 3.7)
Parking for uses other than homes may be on another lot within 160 m (525 ft), if that lot is zoned for it or held for it by a covenant on title. (section 3.2 a.)
Commercial, industrial and institutional uses need at least 2 Level 2 electric car chargers, and 20% of the other spaces need power outlets for future chargers. Hotels and motels need a Level 2 charger at every space. (section 3.4 g.)
Bicycle parking: 0.1 secure spaces per 100 m² (1,076 sq ft) of gross floor area for staff, plus 6 visitor spaces per lot. (section 3.8 b) 2.)
Each commercial or industrial building needs 1 loading space. A building with both apartments and commercial space needs at least one loading space for each use. (section 3.9 b))

Other rules

A caretaker's dwelling unit is a home for a caretaker or security guard who looks after the business premises. It must be inside the main building and may have at most 93 m² (1,001 sq ft) of floor area. (section 1.3 Caretaker dwelling unit and 2.4 g))
Landscaping follows Section 4: trees, shrubs or a fence at least 1.2 m (3 ft 11 in) high along any lot line next to a lot zoned for different uses; a planted or paved strip at least 1 m (3 ft 3 in) wide along the front lot line and any side lot line on a street; a screen at least 1.2 m (3 ft 11 in) high for parking within 6 m (19 ft 8 in) of a street; screens for loading areas, open storage and garbage containers; and a planted strip at least 3 m (9 ft 10 in) wide along a provincial highway. (section 4.1)
Where garbage rooms are underground, garbage containers must sit fully on the lot, on a concrete pad with a floor drain to the sanitary sewer and a frost-free hose tap. (section 2.4 h))
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 C2

What is zone C2 in the City of Langley?

C2 is the C2 Service Commercial in the City of Langley zoning bylaw (section C2). A zone for service businesses that do not usually fit in the core commercial and mixed-use areas, such as car sales and service, gas stations, garden centres and equipment rental.

How many homes can I build in zone C2?

The only home this zone allows is a caretaker's dwelling unit (a home for a caretaker or security guard, inside the main building, at most 93 m² (1,001 sq ft)). The zone does not say how many.

How tall can I build in zone C2?

Main buildings may be up to 15 m (49 ft 3 in) high. The zone sets no height limit for accessory buildings.

How many lots are zoned C2?

The City of Langley lot records list 139 lots and 3 strata properties in zone C2, on 18 streets.

Streets with lots in zone C2

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