RA-3 zone in North Saanich: Rural Agricultural 3

North Saanich, British ColumbiaDraft, not yet reviewedBylaw read 2026-11-07

In short

Rural lots with residential and limited commercial uses, not on a community sewer system but possibly on community water

Zone rules

Purpose	Rural lots with residential and limited commercial uses, not on a community sewer system but possibly on community water
Main uses	Farm uses Horse Riding Stables Nurseries & Commercial Greenhouses Single family residential ALR cannabis production and sale
Also allowed (secondary uses)	Guest Cottage Farm Retail Sales Home Occupation Breeding and Boarding of Cats or Dogs Accessory Uses Accessory Buildings and Structures Farm Worker Housing Agri-Tourism Activity Secondary Suite
Minimum lot area	2 hectares
Minimum lot width	10% of the perimeter of the lot
Maximum lot coverage	25% if lot is under 4000 m²; no restriction otherwise (greenhouses are exempt)
Maximum height	11.5 m
Maximum height, accessory buildings	5.6 m
Front setback	7.6 m
Rear setback	7.6 m
Interior side setback	7.6 m; 3 m for a single family dwelling if the two interior setbacks total at least 7.6 m or the lot is a corner lot
Street side setback	7.6 m
Accessory building setbacks	front 7.6 m, rear 7.6 m, interior side 7.6 m, exterior side 7.6 m; 3 m for all if used for Farm Retail Sales
Other rules	Up to 2 principal buildings, but only 1 may be a single family dwelling Single family dwelling floor area limit: 465 m² if lot is under 4000 m²; 500 m² if 4000 m² or more and in the ALR; 650 m² if 4000 m² or more and not in the ALR In the ALR, the farm residential footprint must be within 60 m of the front lot line (lots narrower than 33 m are exempt) and is limited to 2000 m² plus 1000 m² for a guest cottage plus 35 m² for each farm worker housing space

Source: District of North Saanich Zoning Bylaw No. 1255 (consolidated for convenience only, as of February 2023), s. 501.3 (read 2026-11-07)

Rules in the bylaw's general sections (parking, fences, suites, home businesses) also apply, and a lot can have site-specific rules. The District says this consolidation is for convenience only and anyone using it should confirm the content against the original bylaws; it covers amendments through Bylaw 1538/1535 as of February 2023, so later amendments (if any) are not in it. The District's Zoning page says Bylaw 1255 remains in force while a rewrite (draft Zoning Bylaw No. 1606) is under Council review as of October 2026; the draft is not adopted and is not used here. Zone C-6 and CD-5 to CD-7 are in the text but not in the bylaw's own zone list (s. 500). Zone pages are taken from the bylaw text by a research agent and have not yet been reviewed by a person: confirm with the bylaw before you rely on them. How answers are checked.

This zone as Markdown · JSON · all North Saanich zones · Report an error