West Kelowna Zoning Guide | West Kelowna Listings

The Current Bylaw

Bylaw No. 0320, Adopted April 2025

West Kelowna's current zoning bylaw, Bylaw No. 0320, was read a first and second time in October 2024, went through public hearing in November 2024, and was formally adopted on April 22, 2025, replacing the previous Bylaw No. 0265. It governs every parcel in the City: what can be built, how big, how close to the property line, and how many homes can sit on one lot.

This guide covers the zones and rules that matter most to a typical buyer, seller, or investor: the residential zone ladder, secondary suites and carriage houses (which quietly allow far more density than most people realize), short-term rental rules, the higher-density Urban and Neighbourhood Centre zones, parking requirements, floodplain setbacks for waterfront property, home-based business rules, the Agricultural Land Reserve, and a look at commercial and industrial zoning. It still leaves out the site-specific Comprehensive Development zone text, which applies to a handful of named developments rather than a typical purchase.

Part 10 — Residential Zones

The Residential Zone Ladder

Most of West Kelowna's house lots fall into one of these zones. Minimum parcel area is the main thing that determines which zone a given lot sits in.

Zone	Min. Parcel	What's Allowed	Max Height
RC1 / RC2 / RC3 (Compact Residential)	325 m²	Single detached, duplex, or townhouse. Near Westbank/Boucherie Urban Centres.	11.0 m, 3 storeys
R1 (Single Detached & Duplex)	550 m²	The standard, most common residential zone across the City.	11.0 m, 3 storeys
RP1 (Residential Plex)	550 m²	Single detached, duplex, or townhouse — functionally similar to R1.	11.0 m, 3 storeys
R1L (Large Parcel Single Detached & Duplex)	2,500 m²	Single detached, duplex, or modular home on larger, often rural-edge lots.	11.0 m, 3 storeys
R1M (Manufactured Home Residential)	700 m²	One mobile or modular home per parcel.	11.0 m, 3 storeys
RMP (Manufactured Home Park)	2.0 ha (whole park)	Manufactured home parks, individual spaces 380 m² minimum.	11.0 m, 3 storeys
R3 (Low Density Multiple Residential)	1,000 m²	Townhouses and apartments, ground-oriented, outside Urban/Neighbourhood Centres.	10.0 m, 3 storeys
R4 (Medium Density Multiple Residential)	1,400 m²	Apartments, townhouses, congregate housing.	16.0 m, 4 storeys
R5H (Westbank Centre Multiple Residential)	1,600 m²	Apartments and townhouses, legacy Westbank Centre designation.	15–22 m, 4–6 storeys

Source: Bylaw No. 0320, Part 10 (Sections 10.1–10.11). Figures shown are base regulations; several zones permit additional density or height through site-specific amendments or density bonusing — always confirm the exact zoning on a specific parcel before relying on these numbers.

The Part Most Buyers Miss

Up to 4 Dwelling Units on a "Single-Family" Lot

Here's the detail that surprises a lot of buyers: in West Kelowna's most common residential zones (R1, R1L, RP1, RC1, RC2, and RC3), the bylaw's own density table permits more than just one home per lot. On a parcel 280 m² or smaller, up to 3 dwelling units are permitted; on a parcel larger than 280 m², up to 4. In practice that's achieved by combining a principal single detached dwelling or duplex with a secondary suite and/or a carriage house, both of which are explicitly permitted as secondary uses in these zones.

This lines up with BC's province-wide small-scale multi-unit housing rules (Bill 44), which required municipalities to permit this kind of "missing middle" density on most single-family lots by mid-2024. West Kelowna's bylaw doesn't label it with that name explicitly, but the practical effect, reading the density tables directly, is the same: most standard house lots here already have room for a second or third legal dwelling, not just the main house.

What this actually looks like: a single detached home, plus a secondary suite inside it (basement suite, for example), plus a carriage house above a detached garage in the backyard — three separately rentable or multi-generational-living units on one lot, all as-of-right under the zoning, no rezoning application needed. (A duplex works the same way: each half can add its own secondary suite.)

Section 3.17

Secondary Suites

A secondary suite has to be located inside the principal single detached dwelling (not attached by garage, breezeway, or unconditioned space), with its own separate exterior entrance. It can't exceed 100 m² (1,076 ft²), or 40% of the home's habitable floor area, whichever is less.

Rental periods must be one month or longer, unless it's specifically registered as a short-term rental. A secondary suite isn't permitted on a parcel that already has a carriage house or a registered short-term rental (bed and breakfast) — the bylaw only allows one of these three "extra unit" types to combine with the principal dwelling at a time, alongside the carriage-house-plus-suite combination described above.

West Kelowna single-family home with a secondary suite

Detached carriage house in a West Kelowna backyard

Section 3.18

Carriage Houses

A carriage house is a detached secondary building, only permitted accessory to a principal single detached dwelling, separated by at least 3.0 m from the main house, with its own entrance that doesn't pass through any garage or parking area.

Maximum size is 110 m² (1,184 ft²) or 75% of the principal dwelling's floor area, whichever is less, in most residential zones (RC1–3, RP1, R1, R1L). It requires its own connection to community water and sewer, or written approval for a well/septic system, and a minimum 2.0 m solid screen if it sits within 25 m of a rear or side property line abutting a residential or rural zone.

Section 3.19

Short-Term Rental Rules

This is separate from the provincial short-term rental legislation that applies across BC — it's the City's own zoning-level rule on top of it. A short-term rental (anything rented for under 30 consecutive days) is only permitted within a single detached dwelling, or a secondary suite/carriage house accessory to one, to a maximum of one short-term rental use per parcel.

Owner-Occupied, Required

The operator must be an owner of the property and a principal resident, present overnight during the guest's stay.

Capacity Limits

Maximum two adults per bedroom, and a maximum of four bedrooms used for short-term rental per dwelling.

No Exterior Signage

No exterior indication a short-term rental is operating, beyond permitted signage and required parking.

A separate "short-term rental (bed and breakfast)" use exists under the same section, limited to a single detached dwelling with no secondary suite on the same lot, requiring breakfast service and allowing up to eight guests total.

Part 12 — Urban & Neighbourhood Centre Zones

Where the Highest Density Goes

A handful of zones allow much taller, higher-density mixed-use buildings, concentrated around the Westbank Urban Centre, Boucherie Urban Centre, and designated Neighbourhood Centres as mapped in the City's Official Community Plan.

Zone	Purpose	Max Height (with density bonus)
WUC1 (Mixed-Use Corridor)	High-density, walkable mixed-use along the Westbank Urban Centre's main corridor.	70.0 m, up to 19 storeys
WUC2 (Commercial Core)	Higher-density urban core with a broad mix of commercial and residential uses.	56.0 m, up to 15 storeys
WUC3 (Residential Shoulder)	Multi-unit residential with some commercial, transitioning out from the core.	44.0 m, up to 12 storeys
BUC1 (Boucherie Urban Centre)	A secondary, lower-density walkable urban centre at Boucherie.	44.0 m, up to 12 storeys

Density bonusing: in WUC1, WUC2, WUC3, and BUC1, developers can build beyond the base density up to the maximum shown above by contributing to the City's Housing Reserve Fund, or by providing rental, affordable, diverse, or seniors housing, or adaptable units, under Section 3.29. This is why announced building heights in these zones can vary project to project even on similarly-zoned land.

A Note on Transit-Oriented Areas

No Designated TOA Found in This Bylaw

BC's Bill 47 (Housing Statutes (Transit-Oriented Areas) Amendment Act) lets the province designate Transit-Oriented Areas around major transit exchanges, which come with their own density and parking-minimum overrides, similar to what's been implemented in nearby Kelowna. Reviewing the full text of Zoning Bylaw No. 0320, including its table of contents, we found no section establishing a Transit-Oriented Area designation in West Kelowna.

That's not necessarily the final word, though, since a TOA designation could exist through a separate provincial order or Official Community Plan amendment outside the zoning bylaw text itself. If TOA status matters for a specific property you're evaluating, confirm directly with the City of West Kelowna's Planning Department rather than relying on this page alone.

Part 4 — Off-Street Parking and Loading

How Much Parking a New Home Actually Needs

Required parking is set out in the bylaw's Table 4.1, and it varies by use and, in a few zones, by dwelling size.

Use	Required Spaces
Single detached, modular home, mobile home	2.0 per dwelling unit
Duplex	2.0 per dwelling unit
Townhouse	2.0 per dwelling unit
Apartment	1.0 per unit (bachelor/1BR), 1.5 per unit (2+BR)
Secondary suite	1.0 (1BR) / 2.0 (2+BR) per dwelling
Carriage house	1.0 (1BR) / 2.0 (2+BR), or 91 m² GFA+
Single detached, duplex & townhouse in RC2 or RP1 zones	1.5 per dwelling unit (reduced)
Apartment/townhouse in Urban & Neighbourhood Centre plan areas	1.0 (studio/1BR), 1.25 (2BR), 1.5 (3+BR) per unit
Bed and breakfast / agri-tourism accommodation	1.0 per guest room
Home based business	1.0 per non-resident employee + 1.0 per client

Tandem parking is allowed for single detached dwellings, manufactured homes, duplexes, townhouses, home-based businesses, short-term rentals (including bed and breakfast), secondary suites, and carriage houses — meaning two required spaces can sit one behind the other rather than side by side, which matters for narrower lots.

Source: Bylaw No. 0320, Section 4.4, Table 4.1. Commercial, industrial, and institutional uses have their own parking ratios in the same table, not shown here.

Section 3.25

Floodplain Setbacks, if You're Buying Near the Water

Worth knowing for anything lakefront or near a stream: land is designated floodplain if it sits lower than 343.66 m above sea level (Geodetic Survey of Canada datum, CGVD28), or lower than 1.5 m above the natural boundary of any stream. Within that designation, the underside of any floor or pad used for a dwelling, business, or storage susceptible to flood damage has to sit at or above both of those thresholds.

Minimum siting distances for any fill or structural support used to achieve that flood construction level: 15.0 m from the natural boundary of Okanagan Lake, 7.5 m from a lake, swamp, or pond, 15.0 m from a stream, and 7.5 m from any flood-protection or seepage-control structure. Carports, garages, entrance foyers, and most agricultural buildings are exempt from the flood construction level itself, though main electrical switchgear still has to meet it regardless of use.

Section 3.16

Running a Business From Home

A minor home-based business (the common case) has to be conducted entirely inside the principal dwelling unit. It can't occupy more than 25% of the dwelling's gross floor area, to a maximum of 20 m² (about 215 ft²), and can't generate more than one client visit to the property at a time, with an exception for care facilities. It can't employ anyone who doesn't live in the dwelling, again except for a care facility.

Signage is limited to one non-illuminated sign, maximum 3,000 cm² (about 465 in²), set back at least 1.5 m from any property line — and beyond that sign and required parking, there can be no exterior indication a business is operating on the property at all. Vehicle or equipment repair, welding, machine shops, and spray painting are explicitly prohibited as a minor home-based business. A separate "major" home-based business category also exists under its own regulations table for larger-scale operations; confirm specifics with the City if that's what you're planning.

Part 8 — Agricultural Zone (A1)

Buying Land in the Agricultural Land Reserve

Parcels zoned A1 are typically within the provincial Agricultural Land Reserve (ALR), which layers Agricultural Land Commission Act restrictions on top of whatever the City's own zoning allows. Minimum parcel size to subdivide is 4.0 ha (9.9 acres), with a reduced 2.45 ha minimum on one specific portion of DL 5075 ODYD. Minimum frontage is 30 m.

Only one single detached dwelling, or one mobile or modular home, is permitted per parcel — and it's capped at a maximum building size of 500 m² under the ALC's own "total floor area" definition. A secondary suite or a carriage house is permitted, but not both on the same parcel. Maximum parcel coverage is 35% (45% including driveways and parking areas). Permitted secondary uses include agri-tourism accommodation, agricultural worker dwellings, retail sale of farm products, and short-term rental/bed and breakfast.

Parts 11 & 13 — Commercial and Industrial Zones

Beyond Residential: Commercial and Industrial Land

Six commercial zones exist: C1 (General Commercial, up to 4 storeys/16.0 m and 1.5–1.85 FAR depending on how much parking is non-surface), C2 (Local Commercial, neighbourhood-scale, up to 3 storeys/11.0 m and 1.0 FAR), C3 (Gasoline Service Station), C4 (Service Commercial), C5 (Campground, Cabin and Motel Commercial), and C6 (Tourist and Resort Commercial) — the zone behind the handful of resort properties with genuine short-term rental zoning covered on our Investors page, rather than the owner-occupancy rule that applies to standard residential lots.

Industrial land runs from I1 (Light Industrial) and I2 (Heavy Industrial) through I3 (Timber Processing and Manufacturing), I4/I5 (Gravel Extraction, with or without an asphalt plant), and I6 (Rural Industrial). Industrial strata is a real, active product type here too — new-build industrial strata bays in business parks on Kyle Road, for example, trade as bare-land strata units much like a condo would, just zoned I1.

Common Questions

Zoning FAQ

In most residential zones (R1, R1L, RP1, RC1, RC2, RC3), yes, as a secondary suite inside a single detached dwelling, subject to the size, entrance, and servicing rules in Section 3.17. It's not permitted if the parcel already has a carriage house or a registered short-term rental. Always confirm the exact zoning of a specific parcel before assuming.

Generally no on their own, but the density tables for R1, R1L, RP1, RC1, RC2, and RC3 do permit a configuration of up to 4 dwelling units per parcel (on lots larger than 280 m²) combining a principal dwelling, a secondary suite, and a carriage house. The exact permitted combination depends on the zone and parcel specifics — confirm with the City or a qualified professional before planning a project around it.

Generally no, when the use is already listed as a principal or secondary use in your zone and meets the regulations table (minimum parcel size, setbacks, height, servicing). A building permit is still required. Confirm specifics with the City's Building and Planning Department before starting work.

Only under the conditions in Section 3.19: you must be an owner who is also a principal resident, present overnight during the stay, with a maximum of one short-term rental use per parcel, up to four bedrooms, and no more than two adults per bedroom. This is separate from, and in addition to, BC's provincial short-term rental legislation.

2.0 spaces per dwelling unit for a standard single detached home, duplex, or townhouse, per Table 4.1. Secondary suites and carriage houses add their own requirement on top (1.0 or 2.0 spaces depending on bedroom count), though tandem parking is allowed for most of these uses, which helps on narrower lots.

It depends on the exact elevation and distance from the water. Land below 343.66 m above sea level (CGVD28 datum) or within 1.5 m of a stream's natural boundary is designated floodplain under Section 3.25, with its own flood construction level and minimum siting distances from Okanagan Lake, streams, and ponds. A property-specific elevation survey is the only way to confirm this for a given lot.

This page is a general guide, not a substitute for a property-specific zoning confirmation. It's based on a direct reading of City of West Kelowna Zoning Bylaw No. 0320 (adopted April 22, 2025), covering the residential, parking, floodplain, home-based business, agricultural, and commercial/industrial provisions most relevant to a typical buyer, seller, or investor. Bylaws are periodically amended, individual parcels can carry site-specific exceptions or legal non-conforming status, and this guide does not cover every zone (Water, Forest Resource, Rural, Parks and Institutional, and the site-specific Comprehensive Development zones are not included). Always verify the current zoning, permitted uses, and any site-specific provisions for a specific address directly with the City of West Kelowna before making a purchase, sale, or development decision.

What You Can Actually Build in West Kelowna