Zoning

Zoning establishes the permitted use of land, buildings, and structures within the Municipality. Zoning guides the growth of the community in a systematic and orderly way, ensuring that use of land and structures develop in proper relationship to one another.

Zoning has existed in Nanaimo for over 75 years. Council adopted the most recent bylaw, Zoning Bylaw No. 4000, on July 26th, 1993 (note: this document is very large in size and you may experience a delay or difficulty opening it). The bylaw establishes the permitted use of land within the City as well as maximum density, heights, yard setbacks, lot coverage, and on site parking.

To view a specific section of the Zoning Bylaw, select one of the links shown below to link to the page for that topic.

Please note: Zoning Bylaw 4000 is a very large document, and you may encounter problems using versions of Adobe Acrobat Reader older than version 6.0. You can download the latest version of Adobe Acrobat Reader for free at http://www.adobe.com/.

Zoning Bylaw No. 4000 (Updated July, 2010)

• Table of Contents
• Part 3 - Establishment of Zones
• Part 4 - Definitions
• Part 5 - General Regulations
• Part 6 - Single Family Residential Zones
  • Single Family Residential Zone, (RS-1)
  • Single Family Residential Zone (Large Lot), (RS-2)
  • Single Family Mobile Home Residential Zone, (RS-3)
  • Single Family Residential Island Zone, (RS-4)
  • Single Family Bare Land Strata Zone, (RS-5)
  • Single Family Residential Small Lot Zone, (RS-6)
  • Steep Slope Residential Zone, (RS-7)
  • Steep Slope Suburban Residential Zone, (RS-8)
• Part 7 - Multiple Family Residential Zones
  • Residential Duplex Zone, (RM-1)
  • Residential Triplex and Quadruplex Zone, (RM-2)
  • Low Density Multiple Family Residential (Townhouse) Zone, (RM-3)
  • Low Density Multiple Family Residential (High-rise) Zone, (RM-4)
  • Medium Density Multiple Family Residential (Suburban) Zone, (RM-5)
  • Medium Density Multiple Family Residential (Urban) Zone, (RM-6)
  • High Density Multiple Family Residential (High-rise) Zone, (RM-7)
  • Mobile Home Park Subdivision Zone, (RM-8)
  • Old City Low Density (Fourplex) Residential Zone, (RM-9)
  • Old City Medium Density Multiple Family Residential Zone, (RM-10)
  • Old City Single Family Duplex Zone, (RM-11)
  • Comprehensive Development District Zone 1, (CD-1)
  • Comprehensive Development District Zone 2, (CD-2)
  • Comprehensive Development District Zone 4, (CD-4)
  • Recreational Vehicle Park Zone, (RV-1)
• Part 8 - Rural Agricultural/Residential Zones
  • Rural Agricultural/Residential Zone, (A-1)
  • Rural Agricultural/Residential Zone, (A-2)
  • Rural Agricultural/Residential Zone, (A-3)
  • Rural Agricultural/Commercial Zone, (A-4)
• Part 9 - Commercial Zones
  • Neighbourhood Commercial Zone, (C- 1)
  • Neighbourhood Commercial Zone (Gas Station) , (C- 2)
  • Infill Commercial Zone, (C- 3)
  • Mixed Use Commercial Zone, (C- 4)
  • Production Commercial Zone, (C- 5)
  • Tourist and Public House Commercial Zone, (C- 6)
  • Community Shopping Centre Commercial Zone, (C- 7)
  • Commercial Recreation Zone, (C- 8)
  • Central Commercial Zone, (C- 9)
  • Tourist Commercial Zone, (C-10)
  • Core Area Commercial Zone, (C-11)
  • Highway Commercial Zone, (C-12)
  • Service Commercial Zone, (C-13)
  • Protection Island Service Commercial Zone, (C-14)
  • Suburban Office Zone, (C-15)
  • Commercial Retail Warehouse Zone, (C-16)
  • Old City Mixed Multiple Family/Commercial Zone, (C-17)
  • Old City Central Commercial Zone, (C-18)
  • Old City Infill Commercial Zone, (C-19)
  • Old City Infill Service Commercial Zone, (C-20)
  • Regional Shopping Town Centre Commercial Zone, (C-21)
  • Mainstreet Commercial Zone, (C-22)
  • Town Centre Commercial Zone, (C-23)
  • Core Zone, (C-24)
  • Fitzwilliam Zone, (C-25)
  • Wallace Zone, (C-26)
  • Terminal Avenue Zone (C-27)
  • Chapel Front Zone (C-28)
  • Harbour Park Zone (C-29)
  • Quennell Square Zone (C-30)
• Part 10 - Marine Zones
  • Marine Zone, (MA-1)
  • Marine Tourist Zone, (MA-2)
  • Mixed Use Marine Zone, (MA-3)
• Part 11 - Industrial Zones
  • Transition Industrial Zone, (I-1)
  • Light Industrial Zone, (I-2)
  • General Industrial Zone, (I-3)
  • Heavy Industrial Zone, (I-4)
  • Industrial Service Highway Zone, (IS-1)
• Part 12 - Public Institution Zones
  • Parking Zone, (P-1)
  • Public Institution Zone, (P-2)
  • Government Industry Services Zone, (P-3)
  • Transportation Zone, (P-4)
  • Solid Waste Disposal and Processing Zone, (P-5)
  • Transportation Corridor Zone (P-6)
• Part 13 - Parks Recreation and Culture Zone
• Part 14 - Landscaping and Screening

Zoning on CityMap

To view the Zoning* of all land within the Municipal Boundaries click on this link to CityMap. CityMap is the City of Nanaimo's interactive mapping site.

Please Note: To see Zoning options in the CityMap you have to use the magnifier tool on the CityMap site to Zoom in to a ratio of 1:1,542.

*Zones shown in the CityMap may not be exact. For details of exact Zones contact the Current Planning Division.

Rezoning

In order to permit a use or increase the density beyond what is permitted by the Zoning Bylaw a rezoning is required. Based on input from City staff, the Rezoning Advisory Committee and a Public Hearing, Council makes the final decision on all rezoning applications.

In order for Council to approve a rezoning, the proposed land use must comply with the Official Community Plan.

As part of the rezoning process, all applications are forwarded to a Public Hearing in order to provide all interested parties the opportunity to address Council.

For a map of active rezoning applications please go to CityMap and select the Rezoning layer.

Publications and Forms

• Rezoning Flow Chart
• Rezoning Application Form
• Rezoning Application Checklist
• Licensee Retail Stores (LRS) Rezoning Criteria

If you have questions regarding the Zoning Bylaw or the Rezoning Process please check our Frequently Asked Questions page or cal 755-4429