Zoning Bylaws

Zoning bylaws govern how development may occur in specified zones of the Regional District.  This legal mechanism is used by local governments to promote orderly development and prevent conflict between land uses by dividing an area into “zones” and defining specific “permitted uses” for each zone.  Zoning regulations typically include specific requirements for building height, size, setbacks from property lines, density, and minimum lot area, and are contained within a “Zoning Bylaw” that is adopted by a Council or Board of Directors

RDNO Zoning Bylaw No. 3000, 2024

Silver Star Zoning Bylaw No. 1926, 2004

RDNO Zoning Bylaw No. 3000, 2023 was Adopted on February 7, 2024

At the Special Meeting of the Board of Directors held on February 7, 2024,  the Regional District of North Okanagan Zoning Bylaw No. 3000, 2023 was Adopted. Zoning Bylaw No. 3000 applies to all Electoral Areas within the Regional District of North Okanagan except the Silver Star area of Electoral Area “C”.

Zoning Bylaw No. 3000 replaces Zoning Bylaw No. 1888 which was Adopted in 2004. Zoning Bylaw No. 3000 has been drafted to ensure that the language in the Bylaw is clear and up-to-date, the format is user-friendly and all sections are consistent with each other. The Bylaw has also been written to reduce the number of commonly supported variance requests and to minimize the creation of non-conforming situations. As such, the Bylaw does not change the zoning designation of any properties, the uses permitted in the existing zones or make the existing regulations associated with the siting, size and dimensions of buildings and structures more restrictive. Additionally, the changes in Zoning Bylaw No. 3000 will allow for increased flexibility related to number and form of dwelling units.

The following outlines some of the differences between Zoning Bylaw No. 1888 and the new Zoning Bylaw No. 3000.

• Removed provisions in the Residential and Small Holding zones related to the size and number of accessory buildings and replaced with lot coverage ratio.
• Increased maximum allowable height of accessory buildings and residential dwellings in Residential and Small Holding zones.
• Reduced setbacks to front and exterior side lot lines for dwellings in Residential zones and side yard setbacks in the Small Holding zone.
• Added language to reduce the need for lot frontage waiver applications for subdivisions.
• Added language to permit modular storage containers as accessory buildings in rural zones.
• Removed regulation that restricts the size of suites to 40% of a single family dwelling.
• Removed size restriction (90 m²) of secondary suites.
• Increased floor area for secondary dwellings from 75 m² to 90 m² within the Agricultural Land Reserve (ALR); decreased floor area for secondary dwellings within Electoral Areas “D” and “E” outside the ALR from 222 m² to 186 m²; increased floor area of secondary dwellings from 90 m² to 186 m² outside the ALR in Electoral Areas “B”, “C” and “F”.
• Increased number of unrelated persons that may occupy a dwelling from 3 to 5.
• Removed minimum required size for dwellings in residential and rural zones.
• Increased number of dwellings units by:-
  • allowing a single family dwelling and a secondary suite on lots which are 0.4 ha or larger;
  • allowing a single family dwelling and a secondary suite or a secondary dwelling on lots which are 1 ha or larger;
  • allowing a single family dwelling, a secondary suite and a secondary dwelling on lots which are 2 ha or larger.
• Added ALR boundary as a layer to the Zoning Maps.
• Added sections to clarify that agricultural uses are permitted on properties in the ALR.
• Added sections to clarify that subdivisions and uses not permitted in the ALR must comply with the Agricultural Land Commission Act.
• Added sections to require a minimum lot size of 8 ha for properties in the ALR or as approved by the Agricultural Land Commission (ALC).
• Reduced maximum required setbacks of agricultural buildings to residential zones from 60 m to 30 m.
• Increased the maximum allowable size of an agricultural cannabis production facility on properties in the ALR and in Electoral Area “D” from 500 m² to 1,900 m².
• Added provisions to allow agri-tourism accommodations in Electoral Areas “B” and “C”.
• Removed requirement for buffering between ALR lands and non-ALR lands.

Housing Statutes (Residential Development) Amendment Act (Bill 44) - Amendments Adopted June 19, 2024

The RDNO has made amendments to the RDNO Zoning Bylaw No. 3000 and Silver Star Zoning Bylaw No. 1926 to comply with the Provincial Housing Statutes (Residential Development) Amendment Act (Bill 44). The amendments:

• allow one single family dwelling and one secondary suite on properties previously zoned to allow only one single family dwelling;
• relax the setback, height and parking regulations in Bylaw No. 3000 for dwellings;
• add a new zone to Bylaw No. 3000 entitled “Residential Small-Scale, Multi-Unit Housing (R.8) Zone” which allows up to four dwelling units; and
• rezone certain properties in the Mabel Lake Water and Sewer Service Areas and the Swan Lake Corridor where they are within both the Greater Vernon Water Utility Service Area and the North Okanagan Wastewater Recovery Service Area (when the service becomes available) from the R.1 and R.2 zones to the R.8 zone.