Venture Pacific

Township of Langley zoning bylaw, section 214

Zone RU-14: Rural Farm Market Zone RU-14

A rural zone for a farm market on a farm. It also allows all RU-1 uses, including up to 2 houses or mobile homes on a lot.

1 lots carry this zone in the Township of Langley lot records.

How many homes

  • Up to 4 homes: up to 2 houses or mobile homes on one lot, and each house may hold one secondary suite (a second home inside the house). This count applies because the lot is outside the Agricultural Land Reserve (ALR), the provincial farm land zone. Housing for farm workers and one temporary mobile home may be added under Sections 201.3 to 201.5. (section 214.1 2), 201.2 and 102)
  • Otherwise: On land in the Agricultural Land Reserve (ALR), the provincial farm land zone, the bylaw allows up to 2 houses or mobile homes on one lot, and each house may hold one secondary suite (a second home inside the house). The bylaw makes this subject to the provincial Agricultural Land Commission Act and does not state how many homes the Act allows, so no single number is given here. Housing for farm workers and one temporary mobile home may be added under Sections 201.3 to 201.5. (section 214.1 2), 201.2, 104.9 and 102)
  • A house (section 214.1 2) and 201.2)
  • A secondary suite (a second home inside the house) (section 102)
  • Mobile homes (section 214.1 2) and 201.2)
  • A farm house (section 201.2 b), c) and d))

The rules of zone RU-14

What the zone allows

  • Accessory buildings and uses. (section 214.1 1))
  • All uses allowed in the RU-1 zone: accessory buildings and uses, home businesses, parking of commercial vehicles, farm uses, commercial greenhouses, equestrian centres and riding stables, feedlots, intensive swine operations, mushroom farms, homes and veterinary clinics. (section 214.1 2))
  • A farm market in the Agricultural Land Reserve, where growing and selling produce from the farm stays the main use. The RU-14 site may be at most 0.4 ha (0.99 acres) and at most 5% of the whole farm. (section 214.1 3) a) and b))
  • In the Agricultural Land Reserve, the market building used to sell produce grown elsewhere may be at most 130 m² (1,399 sq ft), counting outdoor storage and display. A covenant (a legal promise on the land title) must say that 75% of produce sales are from BC, at most 10% are processed farm goods, no grocery or sundry items are sold, and the farm is at least 8 ha (19.77 acres). (section 214.1 3) c))
  • Every RU-14 site must have Township sewer and water service. Access to a provincial highway must be from a Township road or right of way. (section 214.1 3) d))
  • A farm market outside the Agricultural Land Reserve may sell produce grown on and off the farm, but grocery and sundry items may use at most 10% of the market building's floor area. (section 214.1 4))

Lot size for new lots

  • No subdivision will be approved to make room for an RU-14 farm market. (section 214.6 and 110.1)

How much of the lot buildings may cover

  • Buildings and structures may cover at most 33% of the lot, apart from commercial greenhouses. (section 214.2 and 201.6 1))
  • With commercial greenhouses, all buildings together may cover up to 66% of the lot, but the buildings other than greenhouses may still cover at most 33%. (section 214.2 and 201.6 2))
  • Accessory buildings not used for farming may have at most 200 m² (2,153 sq ft) of ground floor area in total. (section 214.2 and 201.6 3))

Height

  • A house may be up to 9 m (29 ft 6 in) high. (section 214.4 and 201.8 1))
  • Other buildings not used for farming may be up to 9 m (29 ft 6 in) high or 2 storeys, whichever is lower. (section 214.4 and 201.8 2))
  • Inside the Fort Langley area shown on the map in Section 104.5 3), buildings may be at most 9 m (29 ft 6 in) high and at most 2 storeys, with no room above the second storey. (section 104.5 2))

Distance from the property lines

  • The house and other main buildings must sit at least 9.75 m (32 ft) from the front property line, 7.5 m (24 ft 7 in) from the rear property line and 3 m (9 ft 10 in) from each side property line. On a side that faces a side street, the distance is at least 7.5 m (24 ft 7 in). (section 214.3 and 201.7 1))
  • An accessory building must sit at least 9.75 m (32 ft) from the front property line, 1.5 m (4 ft 11 in) from the rear and side property lines, and 4.5 m (14 ft 9 in) from a side street. On a through lot with streets at both ends, the rear distance is the same as the front distance for the house. (section 214.3 and 201.7 5))
  • A building for animals or poultry must sit at least 15 m (49 ft 3 in) from every property line. (section 214.3 and 201.7 2))
  • Buildings for an intensive swine operation must follow the distances in Section 109. (section 214.3 and 201.7 3))
  • In a feedlot, buildings, pens and places where cattle are kept or manure is stored must sit at least 122 m (400 ft) from a road, 53 m (174 ft) from the nearest property line, 365 m (1,198 ft) from any school or institution, 365 m (1,198 ft) from a lot zoned SR, R, RM, MH-1 or P, and 100 m (328 ft) from any watercourse or existing well. They must sit at least 91.5 m (300 ft) from a home on Agricultural Land Reserve land and 180 m (591 ft) from a home on other land, unless the home belongs to the owner or the owner's employees. (section 214.3 and 201.7 4))
  • A commercial greenhouse must sit at least 15 m (49 ft 3 in) from every property line, and at least 30 m (98 ft) from a lot in any zone other than RU (rural) or M (industrial). (section 214.3 and 201.7 6))
  • Buildings next to 0 Avenue must sit at least 29.75 m (97 ft 7 in) from the Canada and USA border. (section 104.14)

Parking

  • Each home needs 1 parking space on the lot, and every lot needs at least 2 spaces. This rate covers houses and mobile homes, including a mobile home used as a temporary extra home. (section 107.3 a) i))
  • For each main home, one of the required spaces needs a power outlet beside it that can charge an electric car at Level 2 or faster. (section 107.3 a) i) and note (1))
  • Commercial vehicles heavier than 5,600 kg (licensed gross vehicle weight) may be parked with a home: 1 per lot on lots under 8,094 m² (87,123 sq ft), and 3 per lot on lots of 8,094 m² (87,123 sq ft) or more. (section 108.1 and 108.3)
  • The parking area for a commercial vehicle must sit at least 9.75 m (32 ft) from the front property line and 3 m (9 ft 10 in) from the rear and side property lines. A building for it may be at most 7.62 m (25 ft) high. (section 108.4 and 108.5)
  • Where greenhouses may cover more than 33% of the lot, they need 1 parking space for each 1,000 m² (10,764 sq ft) of greenhouse floor area, plus 1 space for each 15 m² (161 sq ft) of floor area used for retail sales. (section 107.3 e))

Secondary suites

  • A secondary suite is a second home inside a house. It must meet the BC Building Code and may have at most 120 m² (1,292 sq ft) of floor area. (section 102)
  • Each house may include one secondary suite. (section 102)
  • On land in the Agricultural Land Reserve, a secondary suite must also follow the rules of the Provincial Agricultural Land Commission. (section 102)
  • A home business may not be run inside a secondary suite. (section 104.3 a))

Coach houses and other backyard homes

  • One extra mobile home may stand on the lot as a temporary home if the owner lives in the main house and the mobile home is for an employee of a working farm on the lot, or for the owner's father, mother, son, daughter, grandparent, grandchild, brother or sister. (section 201.2 a), 201.4 a) and b))
  • For that temporary mobile home the lot must be at least 8,094 m² (87,123 sq ft). Council may approve an exception on medical grounds, when a doctor's letter says the extra home is needed to care for the owner or a close family member and the Township has asked the nearby owners for their approval. (section 201.4 c))
  • The temporary mobile home permit lasts 1 year and may be renewed each year. Additions to the mobile home are limited to 24 m² (258 sq ft), and the mobile home must be removed within 90 days once the conditions stop applying. (section 201.4 d), e) and f))
  • A mobile home used as a temporary extra home may be at most 5 m (16 ft 5 in) wide. On RU-zoned land in the Agricultural Land Reserve it may be up to 9 m (29 ft 6 in) wide. (section 102)
  • Housing for full-time farm help on a working farm is also allowed. (section 201.2 c))
  • Seasonal housing for farm workers is allowed on a working farm that needs seasonal help, on a lot of at least 4 ha (9.88 acres). Only the owner's employees may live there, and only from April 1 to November 30. It may house 10 people for each 4 ha (9.88 acres) of farm, up to 40 people per farm. (section 201.3 a), b) and c))
  • In seasonal farm worker housing, each person may have at most 10 m² (108 sq ft) of floor area, and the sleeping area must be between 4.6 m² (50 sq ft) and 5 m² (54 sq ft) per person. (section 201.3 d))
  • Housing for migrant farm workers (workers in the federal Seasonal Agricultural Worker Program or a similar federal program) is allowed on farms that need farm help, on lots of at least 4 ha (9.88 acres). (section 201.5 1) and 102)
  • Commercial greenhouse, mushroom and berry or vegetable processing farms may house 1 migrant worker for each 1,000 m² (10,764 sq ft) of main farm building floor area, up to 130 people per farm. Other farms may house up to 40 migrant workers. (section 201.5 2))
  • The owner must register a covenant (a legal promise recorded on the land title) that the housing is only for migrant farm workers, and that the owner will remove it and return the land to farming if it stands empty for 2 years in a row. (section 201.5 3))
  • Each year the owner must file a sworn statement with the Township giving the dates of use, the number of workers approved for the farm, and an inspection done in the last 30 days. The owner must also give the Township money as security, equal to the cost of removing or converting the housing. (section 201.5 5))
  • Each migrant worker needs at least 7.4 m² (80 sq ft) of living and sleeping space. Laundry, showers, washrooms and storage must be inside the housing. A shared space for the workers of at least 50 m² (538 sq ft), and at most 50 m² (538 sq ft) plus 5 m² (54 sq ft) per worker, must be on the same farm. (section 201.5 6), 7) and 8))
  • Migrant worker housing must be no more than 50 m (164 ft) from the front property line, with a continuous landscape screen on any side that can be seen from a road. (section 201.5 9) and 10))
  • An accessory building may be built only after the house is built, or while the house is being built. (section 104.15 1))

Other rules

  • Every RU-14 application needs a Development Permit (a Township permit that sets the design of the site), unless the farm market already exists with a valid building permit. (section 214.8)
  • Landscaping, screens and fences follow the Development Permit. (section 214.7)
  • Land in the Agricultural Land Reserve is also subject to the provincial Agricultural Land Commission Act, its regulations and the orders of the Agricultural Land Commission. (section 104.9)
  • Before a building permit for a commercial greenhouse, the owner must give the Township a noise report from an independent sound consultant, a storm water plan, and a well test by a Professional Engineer. (section 201.11)
  • On an RU lot larger than 1.7 ha (4.2 acres), home businesses may use up to 186 m² (2,002 sq ft) of floor space and may have up to 3 workers who live somewhere else. On an RU lot of 1.7 ha (4.2 acres) or less, the limits are 140 m² (1,507 sq ft) and 2 such workers. At most 4 people in total may run home businesses on one lot. (section 104.3 f) and g))

Source: Township of Langley Zoning Bylaw No. 2500, Section 200 Rural Zones. Section numbers are the bylaw's own.

Questions about zone RU-14

What is zone RU-14 in the Township of Langley?

RU-14 is the Rural Farm Market Zone RU-14 in the Township of Langley zoning bylaw (section 214). A rural zone for a farm market on a farm. It also allows all RU-1 uses, including up to 2 houses or mobile homes on a lot.

How many homes can I build in zone RU-14?

Up to 4 homes: up to 2 houses or mobile homes on one lot, and each house may hold one secondary suite (a second home inside the house). This count applies because the lot is outside the Agricultural Land Reserve (ALR), the provincial farm land zone. Housing for farm workers and one temporary mobile home may be added under Sections 201.3 to 201.5. Otherwise: On land in the Agricultural Land Reserve (ALR), the provincial farm land zone, the bylaw allows up to 2 houses or mobile homes on one lot, and each house may hold one secondary suite (a second home inside the house). The bylaw makes this subject to the provincial Agricultural Land Commission Act and does not state how many homes the Act allows, so no single number is given here. Housing for farm workers and one temporary mobile home may be added under Sections 201.3 to 201.5.

How tall can I build in zone RU-14?

A house may be up to 9 m (29 ft 6 in) high. Other buildings not used for farming may be up to 9 m (29 ft 6 in) high or 2 storeys, whichever is lower.

Are secondary suites allowed in zone RU-14?

A secondary suite is a second home inside a house. It must meet the BC Building Code and may have at most 120 m² (1,292 sq ft) of floor area. Each house may include one secondary suite.

Can I build a coach house in zone RU-14?

One extra mobile home may stand on the lot as a temporary home if the owner lives in the main house and the mobile home is for an employee of a working farm on the lot, or for the owner's father, mother, son, daughter, grandparent, grandchild, brother or sister. For that temporary mobile home the lot must be at least 8,094 m² (87,123 sq ft). Council may approve an exception on medical grounds, when a doctor's letter says the extra home is needed to care for the owner or a close family member and the Township has asked the nearby owners for their approval. The temporary mobile home permit lasts 1 year and may be renewed each year. Additions to the mobile home are limited to 24 m² (258 sq ft), and the mobile home must be removed within 90 days once the conditions stop applying.

How many lots are zoned RU-14?

The Township of Langley lot records list 1 lots in zone RU-14, on 1 streets.

Streets with lots in zone RU-14

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