Apply to rezone your property

Steps to make a rezoning enquiry and application

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  Step 1: Find your property's zoning

  Vancouver is divided into zoning districts. Our Zoning and Development By-law sets out the rules for development in each zoning district.

  Find your zone in VanMap Property Viewer​​​​​​​

   Need help? Read the section "Look-up property information" on VanMap's How to page.

  Read the zoning district schedule to check if it allows for your proposed development ​​​​​​​

   Need help? Email our Building and Development Services Centre at permitquestions@vancouver.ca.

  •  If the zone allows for your proposed development, apply for a development permit – not a rezoning.
  •  If the zone doesn't allow, go to step 2.
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  Step 2: Find out if policy supports your proposal

  You can apply to rezone a site if a Council-approved rezoning policy supports your proposal.

  View rezoning policies

   Need help? Email our Rezoning Centre at rezoning@vancouver.ca to find out if a rezoning policy supports your proposal. Include the property address, zone, and a detailed description of your proposed zoning changes. We'll let you know if policy supports your proposal and may identify issues to consider or address in your rezoning enquiry and application.

  •  If rezoning policy supports your proposal, go to step 3.
  •  If it doesn't, your application will not likely be supported.
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  Step 3: Make a formal rezoning enquiry (optional)

  Get early advice on your proposal and get drawings reviewed before making a rezoning application.

  Complete the rezoning advice (enquiry) application form PDF file (62 KB)

  This form has information on required documents to provide (varies based on our advice in step 2), how to apply, and how to pay the fee.

  We'll dedicate a rezoning planner as your City staff liaison, who will aim to respond around 12 weeks after you apply for your enquiry. We'll let you know if there is support for your rezoning proposal and may provide specific advice about policy or design. If there's support for your proposal, we'll send you a letter with next steps and further work before you make a rezoning application.

  •  To prepare your rezoning application, go to step 4.
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  Step 4: Prepare your application

  Prepare your application materials after refining your proposal and hosting pre-application meetings.

  Consider holding pre-application meetings with the public, such as open houses and tenant meetings, to get early feedback on your proposal to inform your application.

  CD-1 rezoning applications

  As you prepare your application, we:

  • May suggest that you meet with other City departments who can help identify issues or refine the scope of your proposal
  • Will attend your pre-application open house to help answer questions from the public about the rezoning process
  • Will coordinate with our housing planners to attend a meeting with any existing tenants
  • Will provide a checklist of the required documents and fee for your rezoning application

  Cambie Corridor townhouse rezoning applications

  To rezone a property in the Cambie Corridor to develop townhouses, view the simpler rezoning process in the Cambie Corridor Townhouse Rezoning Guide PDF file (65 KB).

  •  To apply for rezoning, go to step 5.
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  Step 5: Apply for rezoning

  When you have a complete application, contact us to schedule an intake meeting to submit your application.

  Finish preparing your rezoning application. Only complete applications are accepted. Include all required documents in the checklist that we gave you in step 4:

  • Architectural and landscape drawings​​​​​​​
  • 3D renderings and perspectives
  • Project description and statistics
  • Supporting studies and reports
  • Legal documents

  Contact us to schedule a meeting to apply and pay the application fee in full.

  View the fee schedule in the Zoning and Development Fee By-law, Schedule 2 - Zoning Bylaw Amendments PDF file (610 KB)

  Rezoning applications take at least one year to process (from application to public hearing). Cambie Corridor townhouse rezoning applications take four to five months to process. The duration may vary based on:

  • Complexity of your proposal
  • Issues raised during our review of your application
  • Further study and information that is needed
  • Application revisions

  •  To find out what happens in the review process, go to step 6.
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  Step 6: Application review and referral to public hearing

  We ask for public feedback, review your application, and make a recommendation for referral. City Council decides whether to refer the rezoning application to a public hearing.

  A: We ask for public feedback

  We notify the public about rezoning applications to get their feedback by:

  • Preparing the site sign information for you to install on the property
  • Creating a project webpage on the Shape Your City rezoning and development website
  • Mailing notification postcards to surrounding properties

  We may hold a public open house to present your application and get public input, and your application may be reviewed at an advisory committee meeting, such as the Urban Design Panel. You may need to provide additional submission materials and participate in these events.

  B: We review your application

  We evaluate your application based on:

  • Council-approved plans, policies, and guidelines
  • Input from the public, advisory committees, and other City departments

  We complete a technical review to verify your project's statistics. Our review informs the new zoning regulations, such as density (floor space ratio or FSR) and height.

   Your application may take longer to review and process if we:

  • Need you to provide more information
  • Raise an issue with your application and you need to revise it or reapply

  C: We make a recommendation for referral

  We write a report for City Council that:

  • Analyzes your application
  • Summarizes the feedback we received
  • Recommends to refer your application to a public hearing and whether to approve or refuse your application
  • May set legal conditions and design requirements for approving your application, such as:
    • Site consolidation
    • Scope of service infrastructure required and associated costs
    • Provision of community amenity (CAC or in-kind amenities)
    • Dedication of land for transportation purposes
    • Building form and design modifications needed before you apply for your development permit (applies to CD-1 rezonings)

  D: City Council decides on whether to refer the report to a public hearing

  We liaise with our meeting coordinators to add the report to a Council meeting agenda. At this meeting:

  • City Council may ask us questions about the application and public engagement process to inform their decision.
  • You can let Council know why they should still consider your application if we recommend that they refuse it.
  • Council decides to either refer your application to a future public hearing or refuse it.

  •  To hear the decision on your application at a public hearing, go to step 7.
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  Step 7: City Council decides on your application at a public hearing

  City Council must hold public hearings to consider and decide on rezoning applications (for zoning by-law changes) and heritage designations, according to the Vancouver Charter.

  To prepare for the public hearing, we:

  • Contact you to review the required materials and preparations necessary for your rezoning application to be heard at the public hearing
  • Update the site sign information for you to install on the property
  • Update a project webpage on the Shape Your City rezoning and development website
  • Mail notification postcards to surrounding properties
  • Advertise in newspapers

  At the public hearing:

  • Our meeting coordinators summarize the agenda item and correspondence they received about your rezoning application.
  • We present the application to City Council with a recommendation to either approve or refuse your application.
  • You may also present to Council and respond to questions from Council members.
  • Members of the public who register to speak present to Council.
  • Council discusses your application.
  • The mayor calls for a vote on the motion to approve, amend, or refuse your rezoning application after Council members have spoken.

  Learn more about public hearings

  •  If City Council approves your rezoning application in principle, go to step 8.
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  Step 8: Meet the conditions of approval

  Meet the conditions of approval for your rezoning application before Council enacts the zoning by-law.

  A: Apply for a development permit

  Start the development permit process after Council approves your rezoning application in principle at a public hearing. The development permit application needs to meet the conditions of approval of the form of development that's identified in the Council report (Appendix B, Part 1).

  Apply for a development permit

  Your development permit can only be issued after you meet all conditions of approval and Council enacts the zoning by-law.

  B: Zoning by-law enactment

  For enactment, you need to meet the conditions of by-law enactment identified in the Council report (Appendix B, Part 2), which may include payment of a community amenity contribution. When you're ready for enactment, we'll liaise with our meeting coordinators to add the new zoning by-law to a Council meeting agenda for Council to vote on. You can confirm enactment by reviewing Council meetings.