---
title: "DT12 zone in Nanaimo: Gateway"
place: Nanaimo, British Columbia, Canada
place_path: ca/bc/nanaimo
zone: DT12
bylaw: Zoning Bylaw No. 4500 (consolidated 2026-MAR-23)
bylaw_read: 2026-11-07
review: draft
canonical: "https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/nanaimo/zoning/dt12/"
json: "https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/nanaimo/zoning/dt12.json"
---

# DT12 zone in Nanaimo: Gateway

A mixture of uses and active street frontages at the entrance gateway to downtown Nanaimo

## Zone rules

- **Purpose:** A mixture of uses and active street frontages at the entrance gateway to downtown Nanaimo
- **Main uses:** Arcade; Artist Studio; Assembly Hall; Auto Repair; Auto Sales and Rental; Club or Lodge; Commercial School; Convention Centre; Court of Law; Cultural Facility; Custom Workshop; Daycare; Electric Vehicle Charge Station; Financial Institution; Funeral Parlour; Hotel; Internet Centre; Laundromat; Library; Live / Work; Micro Brewery; Multiple Family Dwelling; Neighbourhood Pub; Office; Parking Lot / Parkade; Pawn Shop; Personal Care Facility; Personal Service Use; Pharmacy; Printing and Publishing Facility; Production Studio; Public Market; Recreation Facility; Refund Container Recycling Depot; Repair Shop; Religious Institution; Restaurant; Retail; Rooming House; Shopping Centre; Single Residential Dwelling; Social Service Resource Centre; Theatre; Transportation Terminal; Veterinary Clinic; Wholesale
- **Also allowed (secondary uses):** Accessory Dwelling; Boarding and Lodging; Home Based Business; Secondary Suites; Short-Term Rental
- **Extra uses on specific lots:** Cannabis Retail Store (only at the addresses listed in section 11.2.4); Fast Food Restaurant (only at the addresses listed in section 11.2.4); Liquor Store (only at the addresses listed in section 11.2.4)
- **Minimum lot area:** 750 m²
- **Minimum lot width:** 15 m
- **Maximum lot coverage:** 100%
- **Maximum density:** 1.00 FAR; +0.25 mixed use, +0.25 Tier 1, +0.25 Tier 2
- **Maximum height:** 19.8 m
- **Front setback:** 3.5 m minimum, 10 m maximum
- **Rear setback:** 0 m
- **Interior side setback:** 0 m
- **Street side setback:** 3.5 m
- **Other rules:** Minimum lot depth 30 m; Minimum building height 2 storeys; No parking between the front property line and the front face of the building; Residential uses are not permitted on the first storey

## Source

- [Zoning Bylaw No. 4500 (consolidated 2026-MAR-23), s. Part 11](https://www.nanaimo.ca/bylaws/ViewBylaw/4500.pdf#page=101) (read 2026-11-07)

Rules in the bylaw's general sections (parking, fences, suites, home businesses) also apply. All zones in Nanaimo: https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/nanaimo/zoning/index.json

_Draft: taken from the bylaw text by a research agent and not yet reviewed by a person. Gov Handbook is an independent guide. Canonical page: https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/nanaimo/zoning/dt12/_