RU1 zone in Sooke: Watershed, Forest & Agriculture

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

In short

Large tracts of rural land that protect watersheds and promote agriculture.

Zone rules

Purpose	Large tracts of rural land that protect watersheds and promote agriculture.
Main uses	Agriculture Agriculture – intensive Aquaculture Conservation Single family dwelling Duplex Manufactured home May be subject to Agricultural Land Commission approval.
Also allowed (secondary uses)	Bed and breakfast Boarding and lodging Home-based business Secondary suite Small suite Vacation accommodation unit
Minimum lot area	10 ha
Minimum lot width	100 m
Maximum lot coverage	35%; 75% where agricultural production is in greenhouses
Maximum density	2 dwelling units per lot
Maximum height	3 storeys, up to 12 m
Maximum height, accessory buildings	2 storeys, up to 9 m
Front setback	5 m (shared figure for principal and accessory buildings)
Rear setback	6 m; 4.5 m where the rear is a lane
Interior side setback	1.2 m (shared figure for principal and accessory buildings)
Street side setback	5 m (shared figure for principal and accessory buildings)
Accessory building setbacks	front 5 m, flanking 5 m, side 1.2 m, rear 1.5 m, lane 0 m
Other rules	Farm buildings or structures must be 10 m from all lot lines (0 m from a lane); aquaculture or intensive farm buildings 30 m (10 m from a lane) Intensive agriculture needs a lot of 2 hectares or more if the lot is outside the Agricultural Land Reserve or exempted by the ALC 1 principal building per lot; 1 secondary suite and 1 small suite per single family dwelling

Source: Sooke Zoning Bylaw No. 600, 2013 (unofficially consolidated, updated February 18, 2025), s. 101 (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. Consolidated for public convenience only; the original bylaw and amendments at Municipal Hall prevail. In this bylaw each zone is a numbered Schedule (101 to 815), so section is the schedule number. Sub-zones carry a letter or number suffix on the map (for example CD2-A, CD7-1). The schedule heading for Harbourside Cohousing (813) says CD12 in the document, but the zone table and the map call it CD13. 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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