What does the provincial 3 / 4 / 6-unit baseline suggest?
This tool translates the current BC small-scale multi-unit housing framework into a planning baseline. It does not decide parcel zoning, form, setbacks, servicing, heritage, hazards, permits or buildability.
Choose the municipality, then add what you know.
You only need the city and parcel area to start. The extra questions help the checker decide whether the provincial 3 / 4 / 6-unit framework is even the right framework for this property.
What the tool is — and is not — doing
BC law sets minimum housing-unit densities that local zoning must accommodate in applicable restricted zones, including a 3-unit threshold for parcels up to 280 m², 4 units above 280 m², and a 6-unit threshold for qualifying parcels near prescribed frequent bus stops. Exemptions and other land-use frameworks can apply.
The result is not property approval. The municipal zoning map, current local bylaw, site servicing, building form, setbacks, access, building code and permit process still control what can actually be built.
Current BC transition rules also allow approved compliance extensions for some local-government areas, so the municipal source must be checked before treating the provincial baseline as implemented on a specific property.
Primary provincial references: Local Government Act ss. 481.3–481.4, B.C. Reg. 262/2023 and the provincial SSMUH policy manual.
BC Local Government Act ↗
Local Government Zoning Bylaw Regulation ↗
Provincial SSMUH policy manual ↗