LotSimple Plan
3127 Vaughn Road, Campbell River
LotSimple Mapping — lot plan from the parcel fabric of record. Side lengths computed, not surveyed.
Context frame, location only · date unpublished.
Mapping and data by LotSimple. Boundaries are indicative, not surveyed.
The short version LotSimple score 73 / 100
- A shop up to 200 m² (2,153 sq ft) and 7 m (23 ft) tall fits easily in the buildable area with a building permit. That project has no zoning obstacle.
- A second home on the lot has two clean routes and one blocked one: a suite in the house (allowed), converting to a duplex (allowed), or a detached carriage house (not allowed under CR-4 as the text reads, pending the Bill 44 question).
- Recent Area D rezonings went to the board without public hearings. Precedent nearby is for subdividing larger lots, not for adding units on small ones.
- Lot plan: boundary, side lengths in metres, neighbouring lots by plan number.
- Zone as held by the local government’s map layer: CR-4.
- Designations touching the lot, by share of lot covered: Service areas — 100% of lot.
Existing buildings aren't in the public parcel data, so they aren't drawn. Dimensions are from the parcel polygon, not a survey.
01Where you can build
| Rule | Limit | What it means here | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dwellings | 1 + suite | One house with one secondary suite, or one duplex. A detached accessory dwelling needs 4,000 m² (43,056 sq ft) and community water; two houses need 1 ha. verified | ZB · 4.6.7(iii)(b) |
| Front setback | 7.5 m (24 ft 7 in) | From the Vaughn Road line, along the curved frontage. verified | ZB · 4.6.7(v) |
| Side setbacks | 3.5 m (11 ft 6 in) | The lot is wider than 31 m (101 ft 8 in), so the reduced 1.75 m (5 ft 9 in) side doesn't apply. verified | ZB · 4.6.7(v) |
| Rear setback | 7.5 m (24 ft 7 in) | From the south line, which is the ALR boundary. verified | ZB · 4.6.7(v) |
| Between buildings | 3.5 m (11 ft 6 in) · 15 m (49 ft 3 in) | 3.5 m (11 ft 6 in) from any accessory building; 15 m (49 ft 3 in) between dwellings. verified | ZB · 4.6.7(v) |
| Lot coverage | 15% | About 483 m² (5,199 sq ft) of footprint in total on 3,223 m² (34,692 sq ft). verified | ZB · 4.6.7(vi) |
| Height | 10 m (32 ft 10 in) · 7 m (23 ft) | 10 m (32 ft 10 in) for the house, 7 m (23 ft) for accessory buildings. verified | ZB · 4.5.2(a) · 4.5.1(b) |
| Accessory floor area | 200 m² (2,153 sq ft) | All sheds, shops and garages combined. verified | ZB · 4.6.7(iv) |
| Subdivision | 2 ha min | Not possible at 0.32 ha. verified | ZB · 4.6.7(vii) |
| Provincial small-scale housing | Unclear | Bill 44 requires regional districts to permit a suite or a detached unit on single-family lots. Whether SRD's CR-4 has been amended to allow a detached unit here is the open question. Confirm with SRD planning. unconfirmed | LGA · Bill 44 · SRD amendments 79–84 |
02What's in the way
No development permit area is confirmed on this lot. The Oyster Bay–Buttle Lake OCP has environmentally sensitive and flood-hazard permit areas, and we couldn't read the map closely enough to rule this lot in or out of the sensitive-areas layer. Everything else below is clear.
| Check | Result | Note | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Streams & wetlands | Clear | Nearest mapped stream about 370 m (1213 ft 11 in) south-west; wetlands 370–400 m (1312 ft 4 in) away. verified | Freshwater Atlas BC (stream + wetland layers) |
| Floodplain | Clear | None mapped within 350 m (1148 ft 4 in). verified | BC floodplain mapping |
| Agricultural Land Reserve | Clear | Not in the ALR. ALR land adjoins the south boundary. verified | ALC ALR boundary layer |
| Contaminated sites | Clear | None on the provincial registry within 500 m (1640 ft 5 in). verified | BC Site Registry (500 m (1640 ft 5 in) search) |
| OCP permit areas | Unread | OCP Bylaw 276 (2023): sensitive areas (s.29), flood hazard (s.30). Lot not confirmed either way. No wildfire DPA in this OCP. unconfirmed | SRD OCP Bylaw 276 · s.29–30 |
| Wildfire interface | Not checked | SRD's wildfire plan layer exists; not queried this run. Confirm with SRD planning. unconfirmed | SRD wildfire plan layer |
| Water | Note | SRD Area D Water Service. The mapped service boundary covers only the eastern part of your parcel. Worth confirming your connection is recorded. verified | SRD Area D water service area |
| Sewer | Septic | Not in any SRD sewer area. Island Health governs septic. verified | SRD sewer service areas |
| Registered well | On file | Well tag 35452, drilled 1976, 52.5 m (172 ft 3 in), plotted near the south-east corner. verified | BC GWELLS · tag 35452 |
| Road | MoTI | Vaughn Road is a provincial road. A new or changed driveway needs a Ministry access permit. verified | MoTI road authority |
03Your LotSimple score: 73 / 100 · Good room
The score measures how much the rules let you do on this lot and how clearly the records say so. It says nothing about what the property is worth or what to pay for it. Method: lotsimple.ca/score.
| Part | What we looked at | Points |
|---|---|---|
| Room | Homes allowed as of right: 2 | 12 / 20 |
| Room | Footprint you can cover: about 483 m² (5,199 sq ft) | 8 / 10 |
| Room | Sheds, shops and garages combined: 200 m² (2,153 sq ft) | 10 / 10 |
| Room | No subdivision or detached-unit route as of right | 0 / 10 |
| Clear ground | Floodplain, streams, farmland, hazards and permit areas on the lot: none confirmed | 25 / 25 |
| Clarity | 31 of 39 rules in this report read in the record itself | 12 / 15 |
| Clarity | Bylaw current, but not every later amendment read | 3 / 5 |
| Clarity | Open questions that change what you can build: 1 | 3 / 5 |
| Total | 73 / 100 |
04The everyday rules on this lot
Fences, decks, sheds, trees, vehicles, rentals: applied to this lot, with the bylaw section each one comes from.
The address says Campbell River, but the lot sits about 120 m (393 ft 8 in) outside the city boundary in SRD Electoral Area D. That means SRD's Country Residential rules, SRD building permits, water from SRD's Area D service (bought in bulk from the City), fire protection from Oyster River Fire, and the Ministry of Transportation for anything touching the road. Most of what the City's website says doesn't apply to you.
| What | The rule | On your lot | Permit? | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fences, hedges & walls | ||||
| Fence or hedge | 2.0 m (6 ft 7 in) | Anywhere on the lot, front included. SRD doesn't set a lower front-yard limit. Not a corner lot, so the 0.6 m (2 ft) sight-triangle rule doesn't apply. verified | No | ZB 1404 · 4.5.2(b) |
| Retaining wall | Free-standing | Walls that don't hold up a building are exempt from a building permit. One that supports a structure is not. verified | Usually no | BB 158 · s.8 |
| Decks, sheds, shops & pools | ||||
| Deck | 0.6 m (2 ft) | A roofless deck 600 mm or less above grade needs no permit. Higher, or with a roof, it does. verified | Over 0.6 m (2 ft) | BB 158 · s.8 |
| Shed, garage or shop | 200 m² (2,153 sq ft) · 7 m (23 ft) | All accessory buildings together can total 200 m² (2,153 sq ft) of floor area, 7 m (23 ft) tall, 3.5 m (11 ft 6 in) off the side and rear lines, 7.5 m (24 ft 7 in) off the road. Area D has building inspection and we found no size-based shed exemption, so plan on a permit even for a small one. verified | Yes | ZB 4.6.7(iv)(v) · 4.5.1(b) · BB s.8 |
| Greenhouse | Poly only | A poly-covered greenhouse is exempt from a building permit. A glass or framed one isn't. verified | Poly: no | BB 158 · s.8 |
| Pool or hot tub | Not stated | The building bylaw doesn't single out pools. Treat an in-ground pool as a permit question for SRD Building; a hot tub on a low deck is not. Confirm with SRD planning. unconfirmed | Ask | BB 158 |
| Trees, land & fire | ||||
| Cutting trees | No bylaw | We found no SRD tree-protection bylaw for Area D. Your lot is not in a mapped riparian area, so no provincial stream setback applies. Confirm with SRD planning. unconfirmed | No | SRD bylaw list |
| Fill & grading | No bylaw | No SRD soil deposit or removal bylaw found. Provincial rules still apply near watercourses; none are mapped on this lot. Confirm with SRD planning. unconfirmed | No | SRD bylaw list |
| Open burning | CVRD rules | You're in the Black Creek / Oyster Bay fire area, so burning is regulated by the Comox Valley RD and Oyster River Fire, not Campbell River. Check their burn status before lighting anything. verified | Check | SRD fire services |
| Vehicles & storage | ||||
| Commercial vehicle, trailer, equipment | 1 + 1 + 1 | One commercial vehicle, one trailer and one piece of equipment can be kept on the lot. verified | No | ZB · 4.5.7 |
| Derelict vehicles | 1 max | One unlicensed or derelict vehicle at most; no junkyard use. verified | No | ZB · 4.5.7 |
| Living in an RV | Not found | We couldn't read a rule on RVs as accommodation in the part of the bylaw we could access. Worth one question to SRD planning. unconfirmed | Ask | ZB 1404 |
| Using the property | ||||
| Short-term rental | Allowed | Area D didn't opt in to the provincial principal-residence rule, so a whole-home short-term rental is allowed here. Register with the province; no SRD business licence. One parking space per rental. verified | Registration | BC PRR list · srd.ca/stra · ZB 4.5.10.1 |
| Bed & breakfast | 2 rooms | Up to two guest rooms, one parking space each, up to two outside employees, a sign up to 1.5 m² (16.1 sq ft). Needs SRD and Island Health sign-off. verified | Approval | ZB · 4.5.10 |
| Home business | 20 m² (215 sq ft) | On a lot this size: the lesser of 20 m² (215 sq ft) or a quarter of the house, residents plus one employee, no sign outside. SRD written approval. verified | Approval | ZB · Part A home occupation |
| Secondary suite | 1 | One suite in the house is allowed as of right. See the full report for what else the zone permits. verified | Building permit | ZB · 4.6.7(iii) |
| Chickens | 4 hens | Up to four small fowl, no roosters. Animal buildings must be 75 m (246 ft 1 in) from any lake or stream; none is mapped near you. verified | No | ZB · 4.3.3 · 4.5.5 |
| Dogs | Licence | Licensed yearly through the City of Campbell River, which runs animal control for Area D under contract. verified | Licence | AC Bylaw 1073 |
| Noise | Bylaw 2382 | Area D has its own noise bylaw. We couldn't read the hours from the posted copy. Confirm with SRD planning. unconfirmed | — | Noise Control (Area D) 2382 |
ZB = Campbell River Area Zoning Bylaw 1404 (consolidated to Amendment 78, Oct 2024; later amendments 79, 80, 83 and 84 are site-specific map rezonings) · BB = SRD Building Regulation Bylaw 158 as amended by 501 (2023). "Verified" means we read the record ourselves; "unconfirmed" means we read a summary or couldn't reach it — confirm those with the Strathcona Regional District before relying on them.
05Your project on this lot
Goal we were given: a shop and a second home, keeping the existing house. Each option is checked against the zone limits above. Starting points to take to a designer, not designs.
A · Shop + suite in the house
Allowed as of right. Shop needs a building permit; suite needs a building permit. No rezoning, no variance.
STATUS · CLEAR UNDER CR-4
B · Duplex conversion + shop
Two full units under one roof, each with its own entrance. Allowed as of right. Septic capacity is the practical limit.
STATUS · CLEAR UNDER CR-4
C · Detached carriage house
CR-4 allows a detached unit only over 4,000 m² (43,056 sq ft). Routes: confirm whether SRD's Bill 44 amendment overrides this, or apply to rezone.
STATUS · BLOCKED AS READ · CONFIRM
05bSmaller projects on this lot
| Project | Where it can go | Limits here | Permit? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Shop / garage | Anywhere in the buildable area, 3.5 m (11 ft 6 in) off a side line | Counts toward the 200 m² (2,153 sq ft) accessory total and 15% coverage · 7 m (23 ft) tall verified ZB 4.6.7(iv) · 4.5.1(b) · BB 158 s.8 | Building permit |
| Shipping container as storage | Same as any accessory building | Treated as a structure; counts toward the 200 m² (2,153 sq ft). Confirm SRD's stance on containers. unconfirmed ZB 1404 — no container section found | Ask |
| Log shelters / lean-tos | Buildable area | Roofed = accessory building Confirm with SRD planning. unconfirmed ZB 1404 — accessory building definition | Likely |
| Back deck | Off the house | Under 0.6 m (2 ft) and roofless: no permit verified BB 158 · s.8 | Under 0.6 m (2 ft) |
| Second well | Anywhere | Domestic groundwater use doesn't need a provincial licence; well must be drilled by a registered driller and reported. Confirm with SRD planning. unconfirmed BC Water Sustainability Act (summary) | Driller reports |
| Solar | Roof or ground | Roof-mounted: usually part of a building permit if structural. Ground-mounted racks may count as a structure. Confirm with SRD planning. unconfirmed BB 158 (no solar section found) | Ask |
06What it costs and how long it takes
Every figure here is an estimate range for early planning, taken from published sources and dated. It is not a quote. Get at least one local quote before you commit money.
| Item | Range | Label | Basis | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shop, post-frame, 40×60 ft (≈223 m² (2,400 sq ft)), unheated | $60k–$70k | estimate | Built total. Alberta builder's 2026 price; Island freight and labour likely higher | premiumbuilt.ca · Jun 2026 |
| Same shop, insulated and heated | $90k–$105k | estimate | Built total, same source | premiumbuilt.ca · Jun 2026 |
| Suite inside the house (500–1,000 ft²) | $80k–$180k | estimate | Victoria basement-suite range | rootsinvictoria.com (eXp Realty) · Jun 2026 |
| Duplex conversion | Quote needed | estimate | No published range found; the suite range above is a floor | engine/PLAN-COSTS.md · Sept 2026 |
| Septic design by a registered practitioner | $3k–$5k | estimate | BC firm's published pricing | canadianseptic.com · Aug 2026 |
| Septic upgrade if a second unit needs one | $20k–$65k | estimate | Type 1 gravity to sand mound, BC | canadianseptic.com · Aug 2026 |
| BC land surveyor site plan (SRD requires one with a permit) | $2k–$5k | estimate | Vancouver Island boundary / topographic survey | islandsold.com · Feb 2026 |
| SRD building permit fee | $50 + 0.65% of value | verified | About $450–$700 on the shop range above (estimate) | srd.ca/planning/building · read Sept 2026 |
| Step | Time | Label | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| SRD building permit, once paperwork is complete | 1–3 weeks | verified | srd.ca/planning/building |
| Land surveyor site plan | 2–4 weeks (4–8 wk lead in peak season) | estimate | islandsold.com · Feb 2026 |
| Suite build | 3–5 months | estimate | rootsinvictoria.com · Jun 2026 |
| Shop build | Quote needed | estimate | No published figure — engine/PLAN-COSTS.md |
07What's happened nearby
| When | Where | What was asked | Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 2026 | 4290 Chantrelle Way | Rezone RU-1 → CR-3 to allow subdivision (Bylaw 664) | To board · no hearing |
| Mar 2026 | 3899 Castle Drive | Rezone R-3 → R-1A for 5 lots (Bylaw 639) | To board · no hearing |
| 2024–25 | Area D | Zoning amendments 579, 585, 599; sites not retrieved | Not read |
Area D rezonings lately go to the board without public hearings, which shortens the timeline. How past requests were treated is not a promise about a future one.
08Who you'll deal with
| Agency | Involved? | Why | Ask them |
|---|---|---|---|
| SRD Building Services | Yes | Building permits for the shop, suite or duplex work. 250-830-6718, building@srd.ca | "Is there any size of accessory building that's exempt from a permit in Area D?" |
| SRD Planning | Yes | The detached-unit question, RV accommodation, containers | "Has CR-4 been amended for Bill 44 to allow a detached accessory dwelling under 4,000 m² (43,056 sq ft)?" |
| Island Health | Yes | Septic capacity for a second unit; B&B approval | "What does the existing system's filing show for bedroom count?" |
| Ministry of Transportation | If | Only if the driveway changes; Vaughn Road is provincial | "Do I need an access permit to widen the existing driveway?" |
| SRD Engineering (water) | If | Confirm the connection; a second unit may change the water charge. 250-830-6719 | "Is 3127 Vaughn recorded as a connection in the Area D water service?" |
| Oyster River Fire / CVRD | If | Open burning; fire access for a rear unit | — |
09Permits and people, in order
- One call to SRD PlanningSettle the detached-unit question before spending on design. Ten minutes, and it decides Route A/B versus C.
- Septic checkPull the Island Health filing for the existing system. A suite or duplex may need an upgrade; a shop with no plumbing doesn't.
- Site planLocate the house, well, septic field and the SRD water connection on the parcel. The parcel map gives the lines; a survey gives the rest.
- Shop design and building permitEngineered drawings to SRD Building. This step is independent of the housing question.
- Suite or duplex building permitOnce septic capacity is confirmed.
Weighing a rezoning, a subdivision or something that needs council? A Develop report is read and written up by real people, with your routes costed.
Ask for a quoteThis report is our own compilation of the records of record — if a record is wrong or out of date, this 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 Strathcona Regional District. If something here is wrong, tell us at hello@lotsimple.ca and we'll correct it free within 48 hours. Our total liability is limited to what you paid for this report ($249).
About the measurements. Figures are given in metric first because that is how the bylaws are written, with feet and inches alongside. Where the two disagree by a rounding, the metric figure is the one that governs — a setback of 4.0 m is not satisfied by 13 ft.
About the mapping and dataLotSimple Mapping is our own compilation. We build it from the records of record — the parcel fabric, zoning, land use and environmental designations held by the Province of British Columbia and by the local government with jurisdiction over this property — which we assemble, align, verify against each other and measure ourselves. Where those sources disagree, we say so.
Positions carry the tolerance of the underlying records: generally within a metre or two, and more in rural areas where the parcel fabric is older. Our drawings are not a survey. Coverage figures are measured from the same records and carry the same tolerance.
Where aerial imagery is included, it is for location and context only, and it is left out entirely where the available imagery covers the lot in too few pixels to show honestly. Capture dates are frequently not published, so it may not show what is currently built — and our lot drawings show no buildings at all, because building locations are not carried in the records we compile. The two images fail in opposite directions; neither is evidence of what stands on the ground today.
Use this report to understand your property and to know what to ask. Do not use it to place a fence, a building corner, a septic field or a property line — that is the work of a BC land surveyor, and the one thing this report cannot replace.
Where we give an opinion. The read and the routes in this report are our professional opinion based on the documents cited. They are not a planning approval, and the Strathcona Regional District is the only authority that can confirm what it will accept.
Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – British Columbia. Local government data used under the terms of its publisher. LotSimple is not affiliated with, and is not endorsed by, any government body.
Alerts are on for 12 months. Records read 10 Sept 2026. Cost and time figures are estimate ranges, not quotes. Precedent doesn't bind a future board. Research, not legal, planning or real estate advice; the adopted bylaw as interpreted by the Strathcona Regional District governs. Mapping and data by LotSimple. Made 13 Sept 2026 by the LotSimple team · PLAN LP-0001 · SAMPLE.