LotSimple Sample Reports

What	The rule	On your lot	Permit?	Source
Fences, hedges & walls
Front fence or hedge	1.2 m	Along Example Road and 6 m back from it. Not a corner lot, so there's no sight-line triangle to keep clear.	No	ZB · 4.12(a)
Side & rear fence	1.8 m	Both sides, from the front yard back to the riparian strip. There's no rear fence line outside the strip.	No	ZB · 4.12(b)
Retaining wall	1.2 m	Most likely toward the back, where the lot drops to the stream. Taller walls need an engineer.	Over 1.2 m	BB · 7.3
Decks, sheds, pools & hot tubs
Deck	0.6 m	A low back deck can run to the strip line. Above 0.6 m it needs railings and a permit. A roof over it counts toward your 40% coverage.	Over 0.6 m	BB · 5.2
Garden shed	10 m²	Fits in the back corner of the clear area, 1.0 m off the side line. Up to 10 m² and 3.0 m tall needs no permit.	Under 10 m²	ZB · 4.4 · BB · 3.1
Pool or hot tub	1.5 m	1.5 m from the lot lines and out of the strip. A pool needs a 1.2 m fence with a self-closing gate. A hot tub with a locking cover doesn't.	Pool: yes	ZB · 4.9
Trees & land
Cutting trees	30 cm	Trees over 30 cm across need a permit anywhere on the lot. In the back 14 m, any tree does.	Yes	TPB · 4
Fill & grading	0.5 m	Raising or lowering ground more than 0.5 m, or any work near the stream, needs a permit.	Over 0.5 m	SDB · 3
Parking & vehicles
Parking	None	No minimum for homes on this lot under the provincial housing rules, so the driveway is your choice.	n/a	LGA · 527
RV or boat	1	One, in the side or back yard or on the driveway, but not in the front 6 m past the driveway. You can't live in it.	No	ZB · 4.15
Using the property
Short-term rental	Your home	Only in the home you live in, plus one suite or cottage on the lot. It must be registered with the province first.	Registration	STRAA · BC
Home business	Allowed	Inside the home or an accessory building, with no outdoor storage and one non-resident employee. You also need a business licence.	Licence	ZB · 4.7
Suite or cottage	Included	Part of the 4 units in section 01, not extra to them.	Building permit	ZB · 5.2
Backyard hens	4	Up to 4 hens and no roosters. The coop follows the shed rules and stays out of the strip.	No	AB · 6

LotSimple report

123 Example Road, Campbell River

REPORT LS-0000 (SAMPLE)RECORDS READ 10 SEPT 2026LOT 7 · 670 m² · ZONE R-1

Read this before you rely on this report

This report is built entirely from public records — if a record is wrong or out of date, this report will be too — and our reading of them can contain mistakes. It reflects those records as they stood on 10 Sept 2026, and it's not legal, planning, survey or real estate advice. Confirm anything you'll spend money on with the planning department. If something here is wrong, tell us and we'll correct it free within 48 hours. Our total liability is limited to what you paid for this report ($50).

The short version LotSimple score 78 / 100

You can have up to 4 homes on this lot — a house with a suite plus two cottages, a fourplex, or similar.
The stream behind the lot is the real limit, not the zoning. Stay out of the back 14 m and you avoid an environmental assessment.
That leaves a clear building area of about 254 m² — room for all four units at two storeys.
Day to day: fences to 1.8 m at the sides and 1.2 m out front, a low deck and a small shed need no permit — just keep all of it out of the back 14 m.

01Where you can build

Clear building area — inside every setback, outside the riparian area
Allowed by zoning, but needs an environmental assessment first
Lot line

Rule	Limit	What it means here	Source
Units	4	Provincial rules allow 4 on lots over 280 m².	LGA · BILL 44
Front setback	6.0 m	Nothing within 6 m of the road.	ZB · 5.3(a)
Side setbacks	1.5 m	15.3 m of usable width.	ZB · 5.3(b)
Rear setback	7.5 m	Overridden by the riparian area in practice.	ZB · 5.3(c)
Lot coverage	40%	268 m² of footprint in total.	ZB · 5.4
Height	9.0 m	Two storeys comfortably.	ZB · 5.5

02What's in the way

Riparian permit area — back 14 m of the lot

Building there needs a development permit backed by a qualified environmental professional's report. Most owners design around it; the clear area above is what's left if you do.

Check	Result	Note
Floodplain	Clear	Outside mapped floodplain.
Agricultural Land Reserve	Clear	Not in the ALR.
Wildfire interface	Low	No extra building requirements expected.
Other permit areas	None	No form-and-character or hazard areas on this lot.

02bLiving here: the everyday rules on this lot

Fences, decks, sheds, trees, parking, rentals: the things people usually phone the city about. Each rule is applied to this lot, so you can see what it means for your yard.

Fence up to 1.8 m: sides, behind the front yard
Front yard: fences and hedges up to 1.2 m
Deck and shed: they fit here with no permit
Riparian strip: fences, sheds and clearing all need a permit

The one rule that matters most on this lot

The back 14 m by the stream is protected. A fence, shed, deck, lawn, or cutting a tree there counts as work in a permit area and needs a development permit first, whatever its size. Everywhere else, the everyday rules below apply as normal.

What	The rule	On your lot	Permit?	Source
Fences, hedges & walls
Front fence or hedge	1.2 m	Along Example Road and 6 m back from it. Not a corner lot, so there's no sight-line triangle to keep clear.	No	ZB · 4.12(a)
Side & rear fence	1.8 m	Both sides, from the front yard back to the riparian strip. There's no rear fence line outside the strip.	No	ZB · 4.12(b)
Retaining wall	1.2 m	Most likely toward the back, where the lot drops to the stream. Taller walls need an engineer.	Over 1.2 m	BB · 7.3
Decks, sheds, pools & hot tubs
Deck	0.6 m	A low back deck can run to the strip line. Above 0.6 m it needs railings and a permit. A roof over it counts toward your 40% coverage.	Over 0.6 m	BB · 5.2
Garden shed	10 m²	Fits in the back corner of the clear area, 1.0 m off the side line. Up to 10 m² and 3.0 m tall needs no permit.	Under 10 m²	ZB · 4.4 · BB · 3.1
Pool or hot tub	1.5 m	1.5 m from the lot lines and out of the strip. A pool needs a 1.2 m fence with a self-closing gate. A hot tub with a locking cover doesn't.	Pool: yes	ZB · 4.9
Trees & land
Cutting trees	30 cm	Trees over 30 cm across need a permit anywhere on the lot. In the back 14 m, any tree does.	Yes	TPB · 4
Fill & grading	0.5 m	Raising or lowering ground more than 0.5 m, or any work near the stream, needs a permit.	Over 0.5 m	SDB · 3
Parking & vehicles
Parking	None	No minimum for homes on this lot under the provincial housing rules, so the driveway is your choice.	n/a	LGA · 527
RV or boat	1	One, in the side or back yard or on the driveway, but not in the front 6 m past the driveway. You can't live in it.	No	ZB · 4.15
Using the property
Short-term rental	Your home	Only in the home you live in, plus one suite or cottage on the lot. It must be registered with the province first.	Registration	STRAA · BC
Home business	Allowed	Inside the home or an accessory building, with no outdoor storage and one non-resident employee. You also need a business licence.	Licence	ZB · 4.7
Suite or cottage	Included	Part of the 4 units in section 01, not extra to them.	Building permit	ZB · 5.2
Backyard hens	4	Up to 4 hens and no roosters. The coop follows the shed rules and stays out of the strip.	No	AB · 6

ZB zoning bylaw · BB building bylaw · TPB tree protection bylaw · SDB soil deposit bylaw · AB animal control bylaw · LGA Local Government Act · STRAA Short-Term Rental Accommodations Act. Heights are measured from finished grade. Where two rules cover the same thing, the stricter one applies.

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Alerts are on: if a bylaw or permit area affecting this lot changes in the next 12 months, we email you. Checked automatically against the cited bylaw sections on 10 Sept 2026. Research, not legal, planning or real estate advice; the adopted bylaw as interpreted by the local government governs. Sample report: lot, figures and section numbers are illustrative.

Project	Where it can go	Limits here	Permit?
Garden shed	Side or back yard, outside the riparian strip	1.0 m from side and rear lines · 3.0 m tall	Not under 10 m²
Detached garage or shop	Behind the front of the house	1.0 m from side and rear lines · 4.5 m tall · counts toward coverage	Building permit
Backyard studio or office	Anywhere in the clear area	No plumbing keeps it simple; with plumbing it's treated as a suite	Building permit
Carport or deck	Front or rear, not in the 6 m front setback	Covered decks count toward coverage	Depends on size

Year	Where	What was asked	Outcome
2024	2 lots over	Reduce rear setback 7.5 m → 5.0 m for an addition	Approved
2023	Same street	Riparian development permit for a garage	Approved with conditions
2021	Next block	Rezoning for a six-unit townhouse	Withdrawn

Agency	Involved here?	Why	Ask them
City planning & building	Yes	Building permits for any new unit or accessory building	"Is a pre-application meeting available for four units on this lot?"
City engineering	Yes	Sewer and water connections for more than two units	"Can the main on this street take four connections?"
Environmental review	Only if	Only if you build in the back 14 m	—
Island Health	No	Lot is on city sewer and water, so no septic or well approvals	—
Ministry of Transportation	No	Not near a provincial highway	—

Question	What we found	What to do
Sewer and water	Street main is on the small side for four connections.	Ask engineering for a servicing letter before design.
Access	One driveway serves the lot; cottages at the back need a clear path for emergency access.	Keep a 3 m path down one side in every layout.
Trees	Mature trees along the stream edge likely fall under the city's tree rules.	Have the surveyor locate them on the site plan.
The planning desk	Recent small-scale housing permits on this street went through without variances when they stayed inside the setbacks.	Design to the setbacks and you avoid a variance altogether.

One lot, five depths.

123 Example Road

123 Example Road, Campbell River

The short version

01The everyday rules on this lot

123 Example Road, Campbell River

The short version LotSimple score 78 / 100

01Where you can build

02What's in the way

02bLiving here: the everyday rules on this lot

123 Example Road, Campbell River

The short version

03How four units could fit

House, suite + 2 cottages

Fourplex

Duplex + 2 garden suites

03bSmaller projects on this lot

04What's happened nearby

04bWho you'll deal with

05Permits and people, in order

123 Example Road, Campbell River

01Our read

02What the documents don't show

03Your routes forward

A · Keep the house, add three

B · Replace with a fourplex

C · Route A, into the riparian strip

04What we'd do first