AG3 zone in Richmond: Agriculture

Richmond, British ColumbiaDraft, not yet reviewedBylaw read 2026-11-07

In short

Farming and compatible uses consistent with the Agricultural Land Reserve.

Zone rules

Purpose	Farming and compatible uses consistent with the Agricultural Land Reserve.
Main uses	animal breeding and boarding animal day care animal grooming animal shelter equestrian centre farm business housing, single detached kennel, hobby dog
Also allowed (secondary uses)	agri-tourist operation boarding and lodging child care community care facility, minor home business roadside stand secondary suite winery, farm-based bed and breakfast seasonal farm labour accommodation utility, major (needs Agricultural Land Commission approval; limited to a public sewage treatment plant) veterinary clinic (needs Agricultural Land Commission approval)
Minimum lot area	2.0 ha where Agricultural Land Commission approval is not required for subdivision (ALR subdivision needs Commission approval); single detached housing not allowed on a lot under 828.0 m²
Minimum lot width	Hobby dog kennel 18.0 m frontage; animal day care 38.0 m; animal shelter 60.0 m
Maximum lot coverage	75% for greenhouses; 35% for all other agricultural buildings and structures
Maximum density	Floor area ratio 0.60 (0.75 with greenhouses, at least 0.70 of it greenhouses); one principal dwelling unit per lot
Maximum height	Single detached housing 2 storeys, not over 9.0 m; agricultural buildings and structures 35.0 m
Maximum height, accessory buildings	Accessory buildings to the house 5.0 m or 1 ½ storeys; accessory structures to the house 9.0 m; all other accessory structures 20.0 m
Front setback	Single detached housing: 6.0 m; agricultural buildings 7.5 m (15.0 m for mushroom barns, livestock barns, poultry brooder houses and similar)
Rear setback	Single detached housing: 10.0 m; agricultural buildings 4.5 m (7.5 m for mushroom barns, apiculture hives, honey houses; 15.0 m for livestock barns, stables and similar)
Interior side setback	Single detached housing on an interior lot: 1.2 m on one side and 4.0 m on the other (lots under 0.8 ha) or 6.0 m on the other (lots 0.8 ha or larger); corner lot 1.2 m; agricultural buildings 4.5 m (7.5 m or 15.0 m for some livestock and similar buildings)
Street side setback	Single detached housing: 4.0 m; agricultural buildings 7.5 m (15.0 m for livestock barns, stables and similar)
Accessory building setbacks	Accessory buildings to the house use the same minimum yards as the house and must be 1.2 m apart
Other rules	Farm home plate: no more than 50% of the lot for lots under 0.2 ha, or 1,000 m² for lots 0.2 ha or larger; no part of the house further than 50.0 m from the public road. House and accessory buildings together: the lesser of 0.55 FAR on the first 464.5 m² of lot plus 0.30 on the rest, or 400 m²; each residential accessory building max 70 m². Home business limited to 100.0 m² and must be wholly inside the dwelling unit. Seasonal farm labour accommodation needs a farm operation of at least 8.09 ha, max 400.0 m² building and max 40 occupants.

Source: Richmond Zoning Bylaw 8500 (office consolidation, July 29, 2026), s. 14.1 (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 City publishes the bylaw as one PDF per zone or group of zones (each zone's source_url; pdf_page counts within that PDF, and lines point into the saved combined text). The City says the office consolidation has no Council sanction, is for convenience of reference only, is not the official version and is not admissible in a court of law; certified copies come from the City Clerk. Zones listed as "in progress" by the City (for example ZR5, ZC30, ZA4) are not part of the consolidation and are not listed here. 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.

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