Wells zoning: find your zone and what it allows
How do I find out how my property is zoned in Wells and what I can build on it?
In Wells, your zone is shown on two zoning maps, Upper Wells and Lower Wells, posted as PDFs on the District's Planning Bylaws page. No online address search is mentioned. The Zoning Bylaw sets the rules for each zone.
Zoning map
Find your zone on the District of Wells Planning Bylaws page (Zoning Map Lower Wells and Upper Wells PDFs), then look it up below.
Zones in Wells
From District of Wells Zoning and Tree Protection Bylaw No. 26, 2000 (with Amending Bylaws No. 123 and 125, 2013 not consolidated). This is the original 2000 bylaw text. The District posts amending bylaws separately and not folded in: No. 6 1998 (an older CRD bylaw), No. 123, 2013 (adds single family dwelling as permitted use in CW, s. 4.1.A.1(a)iii) and No. 125, 2013 (adds RV seasonal temporary dwelling rules, s. 3.13(g),(h)). Neither adds a zone. 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.
Commercial zones
- CW Wells Commercial District
- CWC Wells Commercial District - Casino/Cabaret
- C/M Commercial Service / Light Industrial
- C/R Commercial Recreational
Mixed use zones
Industrial zones
Public zones
Residential zones
- R 1 Residential 1
- R 1A Residential 1A
- R 2 Residential 2
- R 3 Multi-Family Residential
- R 4 Mobile Home Park
Rural zones
Key facts
| How to find your zone | The District posts two zoning maps (Schedule B) on its Planning Bylaws page: Zoning Map Upper Wells and Zoning Map Lower Wells. No online lookup tool or address search is mentioned.Planning Bylaws, Planning Bylaws page · Wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-08Official wordingZoning Map Lower Wells Zoning Map Upper Wells |
|---|---|
| Zoning bylaw | District of Wells Zoning Bylaw, Bylaw No. 26, 2000, amended by Bylaw No. 123, 2013 and Bylaw No. 125, 2013. The posted copy is not consolidated and states no 'current to' date.Planning Bylaws, Planning Bylaws page · Wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-08Official wordingBylaw No. 26, 2000 Zoning Bylaw Bylaw No. 123, Zoning and Tree Protection Amending Bylaw Bylaw No. 125, 2013, Zoning and Tree Protection Amending Bylaw |
| What the zone controls | For each zone, the permitted uses, minimum lot area, yard setbacks, lot coverage and building height (for example R 1: lot coverage 50%, height 10.67 m, front yard 4.5 m).District of Wells Zoning Bylaw No. 26, 2000, s. 4.8.2 (R 1 zone) · Wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-08Official wordingLOT COVERAGE (maximum): = 50% HEIGHT OF BUILDINGS (maximum): = 10.67 metres (35 feet) Front Yard - Setback = 4.5 metres (14.76 feet) |
| Contact | District of Wells office: 250-994-3330, clerk@wells.ca.Contact, Contact page footer · Wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-08Official wording4243 Sanders Ave PO Box 219 Wells, BC V0K 2R0 Tel: 250-994-3330 Email: clerk@wells.ca - - PO Box 219 Wells, BC V0K 2R0 Tel: 250-994-3330 Email: clerk@wells.ca - - © DISTRICT OF WELLS |
| Bylaw | District of Wells Zoning Bylaw (Bylaw No. 26, 2000; the amending bylaws call it the Zoning and Tree Protection Bylaw), as amended by Bylaws No. 123 and 125, 2013Planning Bylaws, Planning Bylaws page · Wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-08Official wordingBylaw No. 26, 2000 Zoning Bylaw |
How it works
The District posts two zoning maps (Schedule B) on its Planning Bylaws page: Zoning Map Upper Wells and Zoning Map Lower Wells. No online lookup tool or address search is mentioned.
The rules for each zone are in section 4 of the Zoning Bylaw No. 26, 2000, as amended by Bylaws No. 123 and No. 125, 2013. For each zone it sets permitted uses, minimum lot area, yard setbacks, lot coverage and building height. For example, the R 1 zone has lot coverage of 50%, height of 10.67 m and a front yard of 4.5 m.
The posted bylaw is not consolidated and states no "current to" date, so ask the District whether other amendments exist.
Steps
- Open the Planning Bylaws page and find your lot on the Upper Wells or Lower Wells map.
- Note the zone, then read that zone's section in the Zoning Bylaw.
- If you cannot read the map or are unsure, call or email the District Office to confirm your zone.
Good to know
- Other rules in the Zoning Bylaw apply across zones, such as ancillary buildings, home occupations and bed and breakfasts.
- Wells' Official Community Plan also applies to development, including a development permit in the 1930's Mining Town area.
Official forms and pages
The same question in other places
Quesnel · Williams Lake · McBride · Prince George · 100 Mile House · Valemount
Sources
- Planning Bylaws, District of Wells (read 2026-11-08)
- District of Wells Zoning Bylaw No. 26, 2000 (PDF) (read 2026-11-08)
- Contact, District of Wells (read 2026-11-08)
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.