In November 2023, the Government of BC passed new legislation to support increased housing density and supply across the province. Local governments must update their land use bylaws by June 30, 2024. The City is amending KAMPLAN: The City of Kamloops Official Community Plan and Zoning Bylaw No. 55 to comply with this legislation.

Transit-Oriented Areas

In accordance with Bill 47—Housing Statutes (Transit-Oriented Areas) Amendment Act—local governments must designate transit-oriented areas, which are development areas within 400 m of transit exchanges where local governments must not use zoning to prohibit the legislated minimum residential height and density:

• Within 200 m of the transit exchange: up to 10 storeys with a floor area ratio of 3.5
• Within 201 m–400 m of the transit exchange: up to 6 storeys with a floor area ratio of 2.5

To implement the legislation, KAMPLAN is being amended as follows:

• To designate the Lansdowne Transit Exchange, the North Shore Transit Exchange, and the Thompson Rivers University Transit Exchange as Transit-Oriented Areas
• To provide policy to guide the redevelopment of residential lots within the Transit-Oriented Areas

The Zoning Bylaw is being amended as follows:

• To allow the legislated building height and floor area ratios noted above on all commercial and multi-unit zoned properties in Transit-Oriented Areas
  • Note: For single-detached and two-unit zoned properties in the Transit-Oriented Areas, density will remain limited to the 1–2 units per lot currently permitted. As Transit-Oriented Areas are exempt from the small-scale multi-unit housing requirements outlined below, these properties must be consolidated and rezoned in accordance with the proposed KAMPLAN policies to allow the higher legislated building height and floor area ratio. Off-site improvements may be required in conjunction with project development.
• To exempt residential development in the Transit-Oriented Areas from off-street parking requirements (except for accessible parking and bicycle parking)

To find out whether a property is within a transit-oriented area, use our interactive map. Map use: Once in the map, from the Layer List menu (icon in top right), select the Proposed Zoning layer and the Transit-Oriented Areas Designation layer.

Small-Scale, Multi-Unit Housing

Number of Units

In accordance with Bill 44—Housing Statutes (Residential Development) Amendment Act—local governments must amend their zoning bylaws to allow the prescribed residential densities in all restricted zones, as defined in the legislation (typically single- and two-family zones). For zoning amendments, local governments must consider the Provincial Policy Manual, Small-Scale, Multi-Unit Housing.

To comply with the legislation, the Zoning Bylaw is being amended to permit additional dwelling units on residential lots. The maximum number of units depends on factors such as lot size, location, availability of municipal water and sewer services, and specified exemptions as shown on the following table:

Building Types

In Urban-designated areas of Kamloops, the maximum densities on each lot can occur in a range of building types and configurations, including triplexes, fourplexes, a duplex with secondary suites, or two single-detached houses with one secondary suite.

In Suburban and Rural designated areas of Kamloops, building types will be limited to a single-detached home with one residential suite (secondary suite, garden suite, or carriage suite). Rezoning will no longer be required to permit a carriage suite. Within the Rayleigh Waterworks District, properties will be limited to one unit per lot.

Development Regulations

Residential infill development requires a building permit and must comply with all applicable regulations, including those of Zoning Bylaw No. 55, the Subdivision and Development Control Bylaw No. 4-33, and the British Columbia Building Code. In many cases, an Intensive Residential Development Permit will also be required.

Applicable zoning regulations include maximum lot coverage, maximum impermeable surface area, maximum building height, minimum setbacks, minimum building separation, minimum landscape areas, and minimum parking requirements. Proposed zoning regulations and Intensive Residential Development Permit Area Guidelines are available in the documents section on this page.

The public should be aware that the Subdivision and Development Control Bylaw and the British Columbia Building Code have restrictions in addition to the City's Zoning Bylaw related to building size, building form, and construction. For example, in areas with limited fire flow, to support three or four units on a lot, built form may be limited to two-storey single-detached or duplex format buildings. In order to build three-storey triplexes or fourplexes in these areas, infrastructure upgrades to the water network and/or installation of residential sprinklers may be required.

Click on the proposed residential zones document to find detailed information on these proposed zone categories.

To find out what development will be permitted on a property, use our interactive map to view current and proposed zoning. Map use: Once in the map, from the Layer List menu (icon in top right), select the Proposed Zoning layer, along with any other layers showing proposed exemptions or extensions that you wish to view.

Off-Street Parking Requirements

The City proposes reducing the minimum required number of off-street parking spaces for small-scale multi-unit residential development permitted by Bill 44. For consistency, staff also propose going beyond what is required for multi-unit residential development more generally.

In addition to city-wide reductions in residential parking requirements, further parking reductions will apply for multi-unit residential development in the proposed reduced parking area. The parking reductions support the construction of more dwelling units in Kamloops by lowering the cost and area needed for parking.

To find out if a property is within the proposed reduced off-street parking area, use our interactive map. Map use: Once in the map, from the Layer List menu (icon in top right), select the Proposed Zoning layer and the Proposed Reduced Residential Parking Area layer.