What Can I Build · North Vancouver (City)
What can I build on my lot in North Vancouver (City)?
Type your address. See how many units the zoning bylaw allows, how much of the lot you can build on, how tall, and whether a unit at the back is allowed. 6,781 lots, from City of North Vancouver records of September 19, 2026.
6,781 lots, from city records. Pick one to open its page.
- 6,781
- Lots
- 4,877
- Ground Oriented (GO)
- 4,311
- 4 units allowed
- 651
- 6 units allowed
- 6,836 sq ft (635 m²)
- Middle lot size
- September 19, 2026
- City records
The City's zone for low-density housing, from a single house up to a small multiplex of 3 to 6 units. It replaced most of the City's single-family and duplex zoning in December 2025.
Across the whole city
How many units the rules allow
Counted across all 6,781 lots in the City of North Vancouver's records. Your own lot's number depends on its zone, its area and its land use category.
-
3 units
235 lots
In the One-Unit Residential zone, that is one house, a suite inside it and a coach house at the back.
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4 units
4,311 lots
In the Ground Oriented zone, that is a fourplex.
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6 units
651 lots
In the Ground Oriented zone, that is a sixplex.
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13, 15 and 132 units
3 lots
A few large lots, in zones that count units by lot area.
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No number set
1,581 lots
These zones limit floor space and height instead of counting units.
Laneway home or coach house
Can you put a laneway home at the back?
Every result answers it for your own lot, because the answer changes from zone to zone. In some it is one of the units already allowed. In others it needs a single house on the lot first. In some the zone lists none at all. The rules for 5,602 of the 6,781 lots are in this tool.
Start from what you want to build
What kind of property can you build in North Vancouver?
A page for each kind, with the zones that allow it, how big a lot it needs, the rules that come with it and every lot the zoning allows it on.
9 kinds of property, each with its own page
- House 5,601 lots in 12 zones, middle lot 6,820 sq ft (634 m²). The bylaw calls it One-Unit Residential Use.
- Secondary suite 725 lots in 11 zones, middle lot 7,278 sq ft (676 m²). The bylaw calls it Accessory Secondary Suite Use.
- Coach house 419 lots in 9 zones, middle lot 6,985 sq ft (649 m²). The bylaw calls it Accessory Coach House Use.
- Duplex 5,424 lots in 10 zones, middle lot 6,815 sq ft (633 m²). The bylaw calls it Two-Unit Residential Use.
- Triplex 4,876 lots in GO, middle lot 6,750 sq ft (627 m²).
- Fourplex 4,821 lots in GO, middle lot 6,754 sq ft (628 m²).
- Sixplex 599 lots in GO, middle lot 6,169 sq ft (573 m²).
- Townhouse 95 lots in 5 zones, middle lot 5,997 sq ft (557 m²). The bylaw calls it Townhouse Residential Use.
- Apartment building 332 lots in 4 zones, middle lot 13,216 sq ft (1,228 m²). The bylaw calls it Apartment Residential Use.
Read the rules
Rules by zone, land use and neighbourhood
One page for each, with the bylaw sections behind every figure and the number of lots it covers.
Questions about building in North Vancouver (City)
How many units can I build on my lot in North Vancouver (City)?
It depends on your lot's zone, its area and its land use category. Across the 6,781 lots in the City of North Vancouver's records, 235 allow 3 units, 4,311 allow 4, 651 allow 6, 1 allow 13, 1 allow 15 and 1 allow 132 under the zoning bylaw. Type your address in the box above to see your own lot's number and the reason for it.
Where does this information come from?
Lot outlines, addresses, areas, zones and land use categories come from the City of North Vancouver's public map, downloaded on September 19, 2026. The rules for each zone were read from Zoning Bylaw, 1995, No. 6700, Amendment Bylaw, 2025, No. 9137, Zoning Bylaw, 1995, No. 6700, RS-1 and RS-2 excerpt published by the City and Zoning Bylaw, 1995, No. 6700, consolidated to March 2, 2026 (Part 1). Lot, zoning and overlay information comes from the City of North Vancouver's public mapping service. The City makes no guarantee about the accuracy or completeness of that information. Check anything that matters with the City before you spend money on it.
Does this mean the city will approve my project?
The tool shows what the zoning bylaw allows on paper for your lot. A real project also needs a building permit, the city reviews each design against more rules than the ones shown here, and your lot may carry limits the city's map does not show. Confirm the rules with the city's planning staff before you pay for a design.
Why can't I find my address?
The search covers the 6,781 lots in the City of North Vancouver's records that have both a street address and an area. If you live in a strata building, search the building's street address. If your lot is in a neighbouring municipality, the City of North Vancouver's records do not include it.
Why does the page show two different numbers of units for my lot?
The City of North Vancouver also publishes the City's small-scale multi-unit housing map, which lists a number of units for 839 lots that this tool also answers. For 281 lots its number differs from the zoning bylaw's, and in every one of those cases the list still records the lot under an earlier zone. The page shows both numbers and where each comes from. Ask the city which one applies before you plan around the higher one.
Can I build a laneway home or coach house?
It depends on your lot's zone. In the Ground Oriented (GO) zone, 4,877 lots: Yes. A separate unit at the back of the lot is one of the units this zone already allows, so it counts towards the lot's number of units rather than being an extra. In the Medium Density Apartment Residential (RM-1) and High Density Apartment Residential (RH-1) zones, 306 lots: The zone lists no coach house. Extra units come as a suite inside a house, or as townhouses and apartments. In the One-Unit Residential (RS-1) and One-Unit Residential (RS-2) zones, 177 lots: Yes. This zone allows one coach house: a separate unit at the back of the lot, on top of the house at the front. In the Two-Unit Residential (RT-1) zone, 144 lots: Yes, with a single house: one coach house at the back. With a duplex, the extra units are suites inside the building instead. In the Ground-Oriented Residential 3 (RG-3), Medium Density Apartment Residential 2 (RM-2), Ground-Oriented Residential 1 (RG-1), Ground-Oriented Residential 4 (RG-4), Ground-Oriented Residential 2 (RG-2) and Ground Oriented Residential 2A (RG-2A) zones, 98 lots: Yes, with a single house: one coach house at the back of the lot. Type your address above to see which zone your lot is in, and the report lists the conditions that come with it.
What does it mean when my lot is across a zone boundary?
On the City of North Vancouver's zoning map, 17 lots are drawn with part of the lot in one zone and part in another. For those lots the tool names every zone involved and gives no number of units, because only the city can say which rules apply.
Published by RealDream
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