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Duncan zoning: find your zone and what it allows

How do I find out how my property is zoned and what I can build on it?

Duncan, British ColumbiaChecked against official textSources read 2026-11-05

Short answer

Every property in the City of Duncan has a zone under Zoning Bylaw No. 3166, 2017. Find yours on the City's Zoning and Address Map (PDF) on the Zoning page, then read that zone's section of the bylaw. Planning staff can confirm at 250-746-6126.

Zoning map

Find your zone on the Zoning and Address Map (February 2026, PDF), then look it up below.

Zones in Duncan

From City of Duncan Zoning Bylaw No. 3166, 2017 (with amendments to August 24, 2026). Consolidated for convenience only; the consolidation is not a legal document and certified copies of the original bylaws should be consulted. Each zone has its own page with its uses, lot sizes, heights and setbacks. Zone pages are drafts taken from the bylaw text and not yet reviewed by a person.

Residential zones

Mixed use zones

Commercial zones

Public zones

Key facts

How to find your zoneUse the City's Zoning and Address Map (PDF, February 2026) on the Zoning page, or view the Zoning Map at the Planning & Development Services Department at City Hall.Zoning, Zoning page · Wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06
Official wording
Zoning maps show the zoning category for every property in Duncan
You can review the Zoning Map online or at the City’s Planning & Development Services Department at City Hall
Zoning bylawZoning Bylaw No. 3166, 2017, consolidated (with amendments to August 24, 2026), for convenience only; certified copies govern.Zoning Bylaw No. 3166, 2017 (consolidated with amendments to August 24, 2026), Cover page · Wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06
Official wording
Zoning Bylaw No. 3166, 2017
(With Amendments to August 24, 2026)
Consolidated for Convenience Only
What the zone controlsWhich uses are allowed, plus maximum floor area and height, minimum distances to property lines, off-street parking, and other land-use factors. Zones: Low, Medium and High Density Residential; Downtown Comprehensive; Neighbourhood Commercial; Highway Corridor Commercial (HCC, HCC2, HCC3); Community Services; Community Park.Zoning, Zoning page; Zoning Bylaw No. 3166, 2017 (consolidated with amendments to August 24, 2026), Table of contents · Wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06
Official wording
Each zoning category specifies the activities that can take place on the properties within it.
maximum floor area and height of buildings, minimum distances between buildings and property lines, the amount of off-street parking required
Low Density Residential Zone
Highway Corridor Commercial Zone
Community Park Zone
Highway Corridor Commercial 2 Zone
Highway Corridor Commercial 3 Zone
ContactPlanning Department / Development Services: 250-746-6126, developmentservices@duncan.ca.Zoning, Zoning page · Wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06
Official wording
contact the Planning Department at developmentservices@duncan.ca or 250-746-6126
BylawZoning Bylaw No. 3166, 2017Zoning, Zoning page · Wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06
Official wording
Zoning Bylaw No. 3166, 2017

How it works

Every property in the City of Duncan has a zone set out in Zoning Bylaw No. 3166, 2017. The zone controls which uses are allowed, plus maximum floor area and height, minimum distances to property lines, off-street parking and other land-use factors. The consolidated bylaw (with amendments to August 24, 2026) is for convenience only; certified copies govern.

Steps

  1. Find your property on the Zoning and Address Map (PDF, February 2026) on the City's Zoning page, or view the Zoning Map at the Planning and Development Services Department at City Hall. No interactive online map was found.
  2. Open the bylaw and read the part for your zone: Low, Medium or High Density Residential; Downtown Comprehensive; Neighbourhood Commercial; Highway Corridor Commercial (HCC, HCC2, HCC3); Community Services; or Community Park.
  3. Before developing, contact Development Services at 250-746-6126 or developmentservices@duncan.ca to confirm what applies.

Good to know

  • The City's pages do not state a fee for a zoning enquiry.
  • Some uses are limited to certain zones. For example, short-term rentals are allowed only in Low Density Residential.
  • Not all housing forms are allowed on all parcels. Low Density Residential parcels east of the Trans Canada Highway are in a flood plain with extra requirements.

Official forms and pages

The same question in other places

North Cowichan · Ladysmith · North Saanich · Lake Cowichan · Sidney · Central Saanich

Zoning maps in British Columbia, by municipality →

Sources

  1. Zoning, City of Duncan (read 2026-11-05)
  2. Zoning Bylaw No. 3166, 2017 (consolidated with amendments to August 24, 2026) (PDF), City of Duncan (read 2026-11-05)

Checked by script, not yet by a person: the official wording behind 5 of 5 facts was matched to the official text. How answers are checked.