Zoning and land use document library

What you need to know

Development in Vancouver is guided by a collection of regulations and other related documents that set out the rules and expectations for what is possible.

Rules generally vary depending on where a property is located, and the type of project that is being proposed.

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Contents

Zoning and Development By-law 

Official development plan by-laws

Policies

Guidelines

City-owned or leased facility guidelines

Bulletins

Find documents related to your property

To determine what can be built on a property, find the regulations and policies that apply for an address.

When you are ready to design a project in preparation for a permit application, review the applicable guidelines and bulletins.

Find the zoning district

Helpful resources

Looking for other regulations or development-related resources not included in this document library? Other resources that may be helpful:

What's changed?

Find out what’s changed recently with our by-laws, policies, guidelines, and bulletins. Review amendments

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  3. Enter a search term to find documents within the category.

 Zoning and Development By-law

The use and development of land in Vancouver is regulated by the Zoning and Development By-law and the official development plan by-laws.

If this document format is not accessible to you, phone 3-1-1 to request the document in an alternative format.

Sections

Sections 1 to 15 include administration, definitions, general regulations, use-specific regulations, and enforcement.

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Zoning district schedules

The city is divided into zoning districts, which are organized into five broad categories (limited agriculture, residential, commercial, industrial, and heritage), and comprehensive development districts, which are either area specific or site specific.

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General schedules

General schedules include regulations on landscaped setbacks, building lines, costs schedules, and stipulated rents at initial occupancy for secured market rental housing.

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Consolidated by-law

All sections, zoning district schedules, and general schedules in one document for convenience only.

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 Official development plan by-laws

Official development plans (ODPs) are plans for the future physical development of the city or a certain part of the city that Council has adopted by by-law. After Council adopts an ODP, Council cannot authorize, permit, or do any development that is different from or not in line with that ODP.

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 Policies

Policies provide Council-approved direction about issues such as planning principles, specific land uses, development in specific areas, and rezoning to guide decision-making and land use.

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Rezoning policies

Rezoning policies provide Council-approved direction for changing the use and density of a specific area or site. They allow for development that the existing zoning doesn't permit.

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 Guidelines

Guidelines provide Council-approved statements. They provide guidance on a range of topics, including how discretion in the Zoning and Development By-law is applied, the application of regulations and standards, built form, use-specific requirements, or how policies are interpreted. These documents are used at the same time with a section or district schedule in the Zoning and Development By-law.

The guidelines here are organized by location and project type.

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 City-owned or leased facility guidelines

These guidelines are issued by the Real Estate, Environment, and Facilities Management Department to provide guidance for planning and developing City-owned or leased facilities.

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 Bulletins

Bulletins provide Director of Planning-approved clarification on how regulations are applied and interpreted in specific instances. 

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