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RTA zone in Richmond: Arterial Road Three-Unit Dwellings

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

In short

Three dwelling units on a single lot fronting an arterial road, plus other compatible uses.

Zone rules

PurposeThree dwelling units on a single lot fronting an arterial road, plus other compatible uses.
Main useshousing, three-unit
Also allowed (secondary uses)
  • boarding and lodging
  • community care facility, minor
  • home business
  • secondary suite
Minimum lot area743.2 m²
Minimum lot width13.4 m; 10.35 m for interior lots sharing a vehicle access on an arterial road; 15.0 m for corner lots flanking an arterial road; 10.35 m for corner lots flanking a local road with vehicle access from the local road; 12.35 m for corner lots flanking a local road and sharing a vehicle access with an adjacent lot on an arterial road
Maximum lot coverage45% for buildings; no more than 70% of the lot may be buildings, structures and non-porous surfaces
Maximum densityOne three-unit housing unit per lot; floor area is the lesser of floor area ratio 0.6 or 501.7 m²; each dwelling unit at least 133.7 m² and at most 183.9 m²
Maximum height2 storeys or 9.0 m, whichever is less (within the vertical lot width and depth envelopes); 7.5 m for a flat roof
Front setback6.0 m
Rear setbackGreater of 6.0 m or 20% of lot depth for up to 60% of the first-storey rear wall, and 25% of lot depth for the rest of the wall and any upper storey, up to 10.7 m; may be reduced to 6.0 m by Development Permit; 1.2 m on a corner lot where the exterior side yard is 6.0 m
Interior side setback2.0 m (lots 20.0 m or wider); 1.8 m (lots 18.0 m to under 20.0 m wide); 1.2 m (lots under 18.0 m wide)
Street side setback3.0 m; 6.0 m where the exterior side yard is on an arterial road
Accessory building setbacksAccessory buildings, carports and garages: front 12.0 m, exterior side 3.0 m (6.0 m on an arterial road), interior side 1.2 m, rear 6.0 m (1.2 m on a corner lot where the exterior side yard is 6.0 m)
Other rules
  • Landscaping with live plants must cover 20% (lots under 12.0 m wide), 25% (12.0 m to under 15.0 m) or 30% (15.0 m or wider) of the lot; side yards do not count
  • Detached accessory buildings up to 10.0 m² may be in the interior side and rear yard, no closer than 6.0 m to an arterial road and 3.0 m to a local road

Source: Richmond Zoning Bylaw 8500 (office consolidation, July 29, 2026), s. 8.17 (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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