Salt Spring Island zoning: find your zone and what it allows
How do I find out how my property is zoned and what I can build on it?
On Salt Spring Island, zoning is set by the Islands Trust, not the Capital Regional District (CRD). Look up your lot in the Trust's MapIT map or property web portal, or read the zoning maps with Land Use Bylaw 355. Confirm with Trust staff, because MapIT is only a reference.
Zoning map
AgriculturalCommercialPublicComprehensive developmentRuralIndustrialResidential
Search an address or click a lot on the map to see its zone and what it allows.
Zoning shown from the Salt Spring Island Electoral Area, Capital Regional District's CRD Regional Community Atlas data, downloaded 2026-11-07. The bylaw's Schedule A (zoning map) is the reference for zone boundaries; the CRD layer is a digital copy. Letters in brackets on the map (for example R1(a)) mark site exceptions described in Part 9.
Zones in Salt Spring Island
From Salt Spring Island Land Use Bylaw, 1999 (Bylaw No. 355), consolidated version June 2026. The Islands Trust says the consolidation is for convenience only and is not to be construed as a legal document. The zone names for R, RU1-RU3, RW1-RW2, Ri, S1-S8 are written out in the bylaw only as column codes or in generic lists, so names for those are derived from the bylaw's usage. The CRD zoning layer also carries R13 and CF3, which the bylaw text does not list (it lists R1 to R12 and CF1, CF2). 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.
Agricultural zones
Commercial zones
- C1 Commercial 1
- C2 Commercial 2
- C3 Commercial 3
- C4 Commercial 4
- CA1 Commercial Accommodation 1
- CA2 Commercial Accommodation 2
- CA3 Commercial Accommodation 3
- CA4 Commercial Accommodation 4
- CA5 Commercial Accommodation 5
Public zones
- CF1 Community Facilities 1
- CF2 Community Facilities 2
- PR1 Parks and Reserves 1
- PR2 Parks and Reserves 2
- PR3 Parks and Reserves 3
- PR4 Parks and Reserves 4
- PR5 Parks and Reserves 5
- PR6 Parks and Reserves 6
Comprehensive development zones
- CD1 Comprehensive Development 1
- CD2 Comprehensive Development 2
- CD3 Comprehensive Development 3
Rural zones
- F1 Forestry 1
- F2 Forestry 2
- R Rural
- RU1 Rural Uplands 1
- RU2 Rural Uplands 2
- RU3 Rural Uplands 3
- RW1 Rural Watershed 1
- RW2 Rural Watershed 2
- Ri Rural Islet
- S1 Shoreline 1
- S2 Shoreline 2
- S3 Shoreline 3
- S4 Shoreline 4
- S5 Shoreline 5
- S6 Shoreline 6
- S7 Shoreline 7
- S8 Shoreline 8
Industrial zones
Residential zones
Key facts
| How to find your zone | Use the Islands Trust MapIT application or its web portal for property information, or read the zoning maps (Schedule A and Maps 1 to 6) listed with Land Use Bylaw 355 on the Islands Trust Salt Spring bylaws page.Salt Spring Mapping, Islands Trust; Salt Spring Island Local Trust Area Bylaws, Islands Trust, Land Use Bylaw Schedules and Maps · Wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06Official wordingExplore the islands within the Islands Trust Area and access geographic and planning information through the MapIT application. For property-specific information, visit the Islands Trust web portal. Salt Spring Island Sch A – Zoning Map - LUB No. 355 |
|---|---|
| Zoning bylaw | Salt Spring Island Land Use Bylaw, 1999 (Bylaw No. 355), Islands Trust, consolidated June 2026 (for convenience only).Salt Spring Island Land Use Bylaw No. 355 (PDF, consolidated June 2026), cover; Salt Spring Island Land Use Bylaw No. 355 (PDF, consolidated June 2026), s. 2.1.1 · Wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06Official wordingLand Use Bylaw, 1999 Consolidated Version: June 2026 The provisions of this Bylaw apply to that portion of Salt Spring Island Local Trust Area that lies within Electoral Area “F” of the Capital Regional District |
| What the zone controls | Each zone in Part 9 lists permitted uses, density, lot sizes and site-specific rules. General rules add height (7.6 m, two storeys, unless stated), setbacks (7.5 m front and rear, 3 m interior side, 4.5 m exterior side), parking and signs.Salt Spring Island Land Use Bylaw No. 355 (PDF, consolidated June 2026), s. 3.8.1; Salt Spring Island Land Use Bylaw No. 355 (PDF, consolidated June 2026), s. 4.3.1; Salt Spring Island Land Use Bylaw No. 355 (PDF, consolidated June 2026), s. 8.1.1 · Wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06Official wordingUnless otherwise specified, the maximum height for structures is 7.6 m, provided Setback from front lot line: 7.5 m Setback from exterior side lot line: 4.5 m is divided into the zones depicted on Schedule “A”. |
| Contact | Islands Trust Salt Spring Island office, 4-121 McPhillips Avenue, Salt Spring Island V8K 2T6: 250.537.9144, ssiinfo@islandstrust.bc.ca.CRD Building Permit Guide (published Oct 2026), Other Documents, item 12; Salt Spring Island Land Use Bylaw No. 355 (PDF, consolidated June 2026), Cover page · Wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06Official wordingSalt Spring Island - Islands Trust, 4-121 McPhillips Avenue Email: ssiinfo@islandstrust.bc.ca, Phone: 250.537.9144 Islands Trust – Salt Spring Office 4-121 McPhillips Avenue Salt Spring Island, BC, V8K 2T6 (250) 537-9144 |
| Bylaw | Salt Spring Island Land Use Bylaw, 1999 (Salt Spring Island Local Trust Committee Bylaw No. 355).Salt Spring Island Land Use Bylaw No. 355 (PDF, consolidated June 2026), cover · Wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06Official wordingLand Use Bylaw, 1999 |
How it works
Zoning on Salt Spring Island is set by the Salt Spring Island Local Trust Committee (Islands Trust), not the CRD. The Salt Spring Island Land Use Bylaw No. 355 (consolidated June 2026, for convenience only) covers the part of the local trust area within CRD Electoral Area F.
Each zone in Part 9 of the bylaw lists permitted uses, density, lot sizes and site-specific rules. General rules add height (7.6 m, two storeys, unless stated), setbacks (7.5 m front and rear, 3 m interior side, 4.5 m exterior side), parking and signs. Development permit areas under the Official Community Plan add further requirements on top of zoning.
Steps
- Use the Islands Trust MapIT application or its web portal to find property information. You can also read the zoning maps (Schedule A and Maps 1 to 6) listed with Land Use Bylaw 355 on the Trust's Salt Spring bylaws page.
- Find your zone in Part 9 of Land Use Bylaw 355 to see permitted uses and limits.
- Confirm with Islands Trust staff before you buy, build or change use. Call 250-537-9144 or email ssiinfo@islandstrust.bc.ca.
Good to know
- The Trust says MapIT is "a helpful reference, not an authoritative or official source", so confirm with staff.
- Property boundaries and zoning data can also be downloaded from the Trust's Salt Spring mapping page.
- The CRD building office does not set zoning. For building work, get the Trust's review first.
- An Official Community Plan and Land Use Bylaw review is under way, so rules may change.
Official forms and pages
The same question in other places
Sources
- Salt Spring Mapping, Islands Trust (read 2026-11-05)
- Salt Spring Island Local Trust Area Bylaws, Islands Trust (read 2026-11-05)
- Salt Spring Island Land Use Bylaw No. 355 (PDF, consolidated June 2026) (read 2026-11-05)
- CRD Building Permit Guide (published Oct 2026) (read 2026-11-05)
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.