R1-1 zoning: can you build a multiplex on a Vancouver lot?
Figures from City of Vancouver open data, October 21, 2026.
Since 2023, most residential lots in Vancouver are zoned R1-1. Depending on lot size, it allows a house with suites, a duplex or a multiplex of up to six homes (eight if all are rental). There are 63,779 R1-1 lots on our pages, 56,411 of them with a rear lane.
What each option needs
- Duplex: 306 m² and 7.3 m width.
- Multiplex of 3–4 homes: 306 m², 10 m width and a rear lane.
- Multiplex of 5 homes: 464 m², 13.4 m and a lane.
- Multiplex of 6 homes: 557 m², 15.1 m and a lane.
- Multiplexes are not allowed in the floodplain.
How many lots qualify
From the City’s lot outlines: 10,709 lots appear to fit six homes, 6,784 five, 32,912 three or four, 10,598 only a duplex, and 2,776 are below the minimums.
Measurements come from the City’s outlines and are approximate: when a lot sits right at a minimum our pages say so, and a survey decides. More about zoning · Rear lanes
General information, not legal or professional advice.