Zoning & Land Use

Zoning is everywhere — from parks and playgrounds to housing, businesses and the downtown. Zoning sets the City’s streetscape creating the areas where we all eat, sleep, work and play. It guides growth in an orderly way to minimize conflicts between different activities and can improve the safety, public health and welfare of its citizens and the environment.

Vernon’s Zoning Bylaw is the primary regulatory tool required to implement the Official Community Plan. It determines what can be built where and to what scale. It sets the rules for where new buildings should go, what types of buildings they can be and what types of businesses and activities can happen on a property.

Zoning information for current applicants

Learn More About Zoning and the Bylaw

Zoning is about:
- What can be built where and to what scale
- Permitted types of buildings and activities
- Implementing municipal land use plans
Zoning is not about:
- Regulating groups of people or behaviours
- How buildings are built
- Exactly what a building looks like
The Zoning Bylaw does not provide the rules for how a building is constructed, in terms of safety and construction materials — that is the role of the British Columbia Building Code. It also does not determine the rules for business licensing — that is the role of the Business Licence Bylaw.

There are also other City bylaws and legislation that are aimed at ensuring developments are well maintained and operated once they are constructed. One example is the Good Neighbour Bylaw.
The City of Vernon’s Official Community Plan (OCP) and Transportation Plan (TP) are in the process of being updated together. The last plans were completed in 2013-2014.

The OCP is our community vision for how the city will grow to 2045. We are a city of 45,000 people, and we know we will continue to welcome new neighbours in the next 20 years. The OCP will outline how Vernon will become a place where everyone can live, work, and play while protecting our parks, green spaces, trails, lakes, farmlands, and the things that make Vernon home to all of us.

The TP guides how our community’s transportation system, such as roads, public transit, and cycling paths, will grow and develop in line with the OCP. The TP will outline how we move and connect to all the places we go safely and efficiently, while making life better for everyone in our community.
Zoning Bylaw 5000 has been in effect since July 2004, and contains a substantial number of residential and mixed-use zones that will be impacted by the Small-Scale Multi-Unit Housing (Bill 44) and Transit Orientated Development Areas (Bill 47) legislation.

To meet the timelines set by the province for implementing the requirements of the new legislation, the City will be taking a phased approach to Zoning Bylaw 6000:

Phase 1: Design

Provincial Timeline: June 30, 2024

Goal:

Overhaul Zoning Bylaw 5000 to rethinking how, what and why the City regulates in terms of land development to ensure accessibility, usability, adaptability and alignment with provincial requirements, City policies and initiatives. Given the tight timeline established by the province, the aim is to create a starting point for Zoning Bylaw 6000 that is in alignment with provincial legislation including the implementation of:
The initial design focuses on:
1. Reducing the number of zones to simplify the development of housing and employment opportunities in the City.
2. Redefining the City’s perspective on housing to align with provincial requirements.
3. Reducing parking requirements for housing in alignment with provincial requirements and simplifying parking requirements for commercial and industrial developments to increase flexibility for employment opportunities.
4. Refocusing on plain language to improve clarity and understanding of zoning regulations.
5. Designating Transit Oriented Development areas to focus larger scale developments in areas where transit is readily accessible.
6. Establishing resort areas to strengthen our tourism industry.
Phase 2: Refine

Timeline: July 1, 2024 – June 30, 2025

Goals:
- Review sections of the bylaw not covered by the provincial housing regulations such as landscaping and general development regulations.
- A detailed review of properties to ensure new zones have been applied as intended.
- Implement additional requirements of provincial legislation as details become available.
- Hearing from the community to help us identify potential errors or unintended outcomes, as well as opportunities for improvement.
Phase 3: Align

Provincial Timeline: July 1, 2025 – December 30, 2025

Align Zoning Bylaw 6000 with the new Official Community Plan, new Transportation Plan, and the interim Housing Needs Report to ensure the City has zoning in place to meet the housing needs of the community over the next 20 years.
Provincial Links:
- https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/housing-tenancy/short-term-rentals
- https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/housing-tenancy/local-governments-and-housing/housing-initiatives

Zoning & Land Use

Learn More About Zoning and the Bylaw

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