Oak Bay zoning: find your zone and what it allows
How do I find out how my property is zoned in Oak Bay and what I can build on it?
To find your zone in Oak Bay, check the District's Consolidated Zoning Map (a PDF on its bylaws page) or its online GIS Mapping Service, or email planning@oakbay.ca. Then read your zone in Zoning Bylaw No. 3531.
Zoning map
ResidentialComprehensive developmentMixed useCommercialPublic
Click a lot on the map to see its zone and what it allows.
Zoning shown from the District of Oak Bay's Oak Bay Public Viewer (GIS) data, downloaded 2026-11-07. The bylaw's Schedule E is the legal Zoning Map; the District also publishes a PDF consolidated zoning map (April 27, 2026).
Zones in Oak Bay
From Zoning Bylaw 3531, 1986 (office consolidation to June 8, 2026). The cover reads 'Consolidated to June 8, 2026'. The District's older consolidations say reference should be made to Bylaw 3531 and its amendments for legal purposes. Each zone is its own Part (R zones Part 6, CD Part 7, RM Part 8, C Part 9, CS Part 10, P Part 11); the 'section' field holds the Part. 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
- R-1 Residential Use
- R-2 Residential Use
- R-3 Residential Use
- R-4 Residential Use
- R-5 Residential Use
- RM-1LD Low Density Multiple Dwellings Use
- RM-1MD Medium Density Multiple Dwellings
- RM-1HD High Density Multiple Dwellings
- RM-2 Two Storey Multiple Dwellings Use
- RM-3 Three Storey Multiple Dwellings Use
- RM-3HD High Density Three Storey Multiple Dwellings
- RM-4 Four Storey Multiple Dwellings Use
- RM-8 Eight Storey Multiple Dwellings Use
- RMS-7 Multiple Dwelling Supportive Housing Use – Seven Storey
Comprehensive development zones
- CD-1 Comprehensive Development Use – Waterfront Hotel Complex
- CD-3 Comprehensive Development Use – Bowker Village
- CD-4 Comprehensive Development Zone – 2326 Oak Bay Avenue
- CD-5 Comprehensive Development Zone – 291 King George Terrace
- CD-6 Comprehensive Development Zone – 2101 Sutherland Road
- CD-7 Comprehensive Development Zone – 57 Beach Drive
- CD-10 Comprehensive Development Zone – 1024 Transit Road
Mixed use zones
- RM-MC1 Multiple Dwelling / Commercial Mixed Use
- RM-MC4 Multiple Dwellings / Commercial Mixed Use Four Storey
Commercial zones
- C-1 Local Commercial Use
- C-2 Commercial Use
- C-3 Village Commercial Use (sub-zones C-3 ST. 1 street level, C-3 D. 1 below street level, C-3 UP 1 above street level, C-3 SP 1 mixed use)
- C-4 Local Commercial / Neighbourhood Deli Use
- C-5 Local Commercial / Neighbourhood Deli Use
- CS-1 Service Station Commercial Use
- CS-2 Marine Commercial Use
Public zones
Key facts
| How to find your zone | Look up the zone on the District's Consolidated Zoning Map (a PDF on the bylaws page, as of April 27, 2026) or its online GIS Mapping Service, or ask the Building and Planning Department at planning@oakbay.ca.GIS Mapping; Oak Bay Secondary Suites - District of Oak Bay, Where Are Secondary Suites Allowed?; Consolidated Zoning Map (PDF, April 2026), title block · Wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06Official wordingLaunch Oak Bay's GIS Mapping Service Check Oak Bay’s GIS Mapping Service Contact the Building & Planning Department at planning@oakbay.ca - Consolidated Zoning Map, as of Apr 27, 2026 - |
|---|---|
| Zoning bylaw | Zoning Bylaw No. 3531, adopted September 22, 1986, consolidated to June 8, 2026.Zoning Bylaw No. 3531 (PDF, consolidated June 8, 2026), cover · Wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06Official wordingZONING BYLAW 3531 adopted September 22, l986 CONSOLIDATED TO June 8, 2026 |
| What the zone controls | For each zone: permitted principal and secondary uses, accessory uses, and regulations for buildings and structures (setbacks, height, density, lot coverage, landscaping and impermeable surface limits).Zoning Bylaw No. 3531 (PDF, consolidated June 8, 2026), s. 6.1 · Wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06Official wordingPrincipal Uses Permitted Secondary Uses Permitted Regulations for Buildings and Structures Live Landscaping Coverage minimum is 50%. |
| Contact | Planning: planning@oakbay.ca, 250-598-2042 ext. 7616 (District page). Municipal Hall 250-598-3311.Zoning and Land Use, Questions About a Development? · Wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06Official wordingHave questions regarding a specific development? Curious if you can provide input on the development? Visit our Development Application Tracker page for more information. Development Application Tracker - planning@oakbay.ca - 250-598-2042 ext. 7616 ## Oak Bay Zoning and Land Use Resources planning@oakbay.ca - 250-598-2042 ext. 7616 ## Oak Bay Zoning and Land Use Resources ### Development Application |
| Bylaw | Zoning Bylaw No. 3531Zoning Bylaw No. 3531 (PDF, consolidated June 8, 2026), cover · Wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06Official wordingTHE CORPORATION OF THE DISTRICT OF OAK BAY ZONING BYLAW 3531 adopted September 22, l986 CONSOLIDATED TO June 8, 2026 |
How it works
Oak Bay's land use is governed by Zoning Bylaw No. 3531, adopted September 22, 1986 and consolidated to June 8, 2026. For each zone it sets the permitted principal and secondary uses, accessory uses, and rules for buildings and structures: setbacks, height, density, lot coverage, landscaping and impermeable surface limits. Parking is set separately by the Parking Facilities Bylaw No. 3540.
Steps
- Find your zone on the Consolidated Zoning Map (a PDF on the District's bylaws page) or through the District's GIS Mapping Service. The GIS page does not describe a zoning layer, so the map PDF is the safer start.
- Open the Zoning Bylaw and read the section for your zone (for example, R-1 is section 6.1).
- If you are unsure, email planning@oakbay.ca or call 250-598-2042 ext. 7616.
Good to know
- Check the bylaw's consolidation date; later amendments may exist.
- Rules for specific uses, such as secondary suites and residential businesses, are in section 4 of the bylaw.
Official forms and pages
The same question in other places
Victoria · Saanich · Esquimalt · View Royal · Colwood · Langford
Sources
- Zoning and Land Use, District of Oak Bay (read 2026-11-06)
- GIS Mapping, District of Oak Bay (read 2026-11-06)
- Zoning Bylaw No. 3531 (PDF, consolidated June 8, 2026), District of Oak Bay (read 2026-11-06)
- Consolidated Zoning Map (PDF, April 2026), District of Oak Bay (read 2026-11-06)
- Oak Bay Secondary Suites - District of Oak Bay (read 2026-11-06)
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.