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Zoning Definitions

Zoning Definitions

Land Use Zoning classifies the type of development allowed on a parcel of land.

The following descriptions provide general information on the various land use zones, including: residential, commercial, industrial, urban services, agricultural and direct control. There are two types of land uses, permitted and discretionary, in every zone. Permitted uses are those which must be approved by the Development Officer.

Discretionary uses are those which may be approved or refused at the discretion of the Development Officer, depending on how the proposed uses relate to surrounding areas and any applicable statutory plans.

All decisions of the Development Officer on a Development permit may be appealed to the Subdivision and Development Appeal Board (SDAB). However, the public will only be notified of their right to appeal in discretionary land use decisions.

Residential Zones

RF1 - Single Detached Residential Zone
This zone provides the opportunity for single family housing.
RF2 - Low Density Infill Zone
This zone provides the opportunity for retaining single family housing, while allowing some duplex development.
RF3 - Small Scale Infill Development Zone
This zone provides the opportunity for single family and duplex housing while allowing some apartment or row housing with up to four units.
RSL - Residential Small Lot Zone
This zone provides the opportunity for single family housing with attached garages on smaller lots.
RPL - Planned Lot Residential Zone
This zone provides the opportunity for single family housing on smaller lots and accessed by a rear lane.
RF4 - Semi-Detached Zone
This zone provides the opportunity for primarily semi-detached and duplex housing.
RF5 - Row Housing Zone
This zone provides the opportunity for relatively low to medium density housing, such as row houses or town houses.
RF6 - Medium Density Multiple Family Zone
This zone provides the opportunity for medium density housing, such as row houses or town houses that may have separate second storey units.
RA7 - Low Rise Apartment Zone
This zone provides the opportunity for low rise apartment buildings up to four storeys.
RA8 - Medium Rise Apartment Zone
This zone provides the opportunity for medium rise apartment buildings up to six storeys in height.
RA9 - High Rise Apartment Zone
This zone provides the opportunity for high rise apartment buildings.
RR - Rural Residential Zone
This zone provides the opportunity for permanent single family residential development in a rural setting.
RMH - Mobile Home Zone
This zone provides the opportunity for mobile homes developed within a mobile home park or subdivision.
UCRH - Urban Character Row Housing Zone
This zone provides for medium density Row Housing in a manner that is characteristic of urban settings and can include more intensive development in the form of, but not limited to, smaller yards, greater height, orientation to a public street, and greater attention to architectural detail. This zone is intended as a transition zone between low and higher density housing.

Commercial Zones

CNC - Neighbourhood Convenience Commercial Zone
This zone provides the opportunity for convenience commercial and personal service uses, intended to serve the day-to-day needs of residents within the neighbourhood.
CSC - Shopping Centre Zone
This zone provides the opportunity for larger shopping centres intended to serve a community or regional area. Residential, office, entertainment and cultural uses may be included in this zone.
CB1 - Low Intensity Business Zone
This zone provides the opportunity for low intensity commercial, office and service uses located along arterial roadways that border residential areas.
CB2 - General Business Zone
This zone provides the opportunity for businesses that require large sites and a location with good visibility and accessibility along, or adjacent to major public roadways.
CB3 - Commercial Mixed Business Zone
This zone provides the opportunity for medium intensity commercial development near capacity transportation nodes.
CHY - Highway Corridor Zone
This zone provides the opportunity for high quality commercial development along roads serving as entrance routes to the City.
CO - Commercial Office Zone
This zone provides the opportunity for medium intensity office, commercial and residential development in the inner city, around Light Rail Transit station areas or other locations offering good accessibility by private automobile and transit.

Industrial Zones

IB - Industrial Business Zone
This zone provides the opportunity for industrial businesses that carry out their operations such that no nuisance is created or apparent outside an enclosed building, and the use is compatible with any adjacent non-industrial zones.
IL- Light Industrial Zone
This zone provides the opportunity for high quality, light industrial developments and limited accessory outdoor activities. Any nuisance factor associated with these uses will not extend outside an enclosed building.
IM - Medium Industrial Zone
This zone provides the opportunity for manufacturing, processing, assembly, distribution, service and repair uses that carry out part of their operation outdoors or require outdoor storage areas. Any nuisance associated with these uses should not extend beyond the site.
IH - Heavy Industrial Zone
This zone provides the opportunity for industrial uses that due to their appearance, noise, odour, risk of toxic emissions, or fire and explosion hazards are incompatible with residential, commercial, and other land uses.

Urban Services  Zones

US - Urban Service Zone
This zone provides the opportunity for publicly and privately owned facilities which provide institutional or community services.
PU - Public Utility Zone
This zone provides the opportunity for a system or utilities that are used to benefit the public, such as water, sewage disposal, electric power, heating, waste management, drainage, public transportation and telecommunications.
MA - Municipal Airport Zone
This zone provides the opportunity for the operations of the Edmonton City Centre Airport. In addition to the MA Zone, there are three additional zones, MA1, MA2 and MA3, which allow for the operation of the airport facility, the airport business industrial zone, and the airport general business zone respectively.
AP - Public Parks Zone
This zone provides the opportunity for an area of public land for recreational uses.
NA - Natural Areas Protection Zone
This zone provides the opportunity for the conservation, preservation and restoration of identified natural areas, features and ecological processes.
A - Metropolitan Recreational Zone
This zone provides the opportunity for preserving natural areas and parkland along the river, creeks, ravines and other designated areas for recreational uses and environmental protection conforming approved plans.
AN - River Valley Activity Node Zone
This zone provides the opportunity for limited commercial development for recreation and tourism uses within designated areas of parkland along the river, creeks and ravines.
AJ - Alternative Jurisdiction Zone
This zone provides the opportunity for lands that do not require a Development Permit because they are under the jurisdiction of federal or provincial legislation or the Constitution Act. These lands are not required to conform to the Zoning Bylaw.

Community Services  Zones

The four Community Services Zones (CS1, CS2, CS3 and CS4) provide for relatively low to medium density housing generally referred to as row housing on lands that have become surplus to public education needs. In addition, each Community Services Zone has a distinct range of development opportunities.

Agricultural and Reserve Zones

AG - Agricultural Zone
This zone provides the opportunity for conserving agricultural and rural land use activities.
AGU - Urban Reserve Zone
This zone provides the opportunity for agricultural and rural land use activities and a limited range of other uses that will not impact future development of the land.
AGI - Industrial Reserve Zone
This zone provides the opportunity for agricultural and rural land use activities that will not impact future use of the land for industrial development.

Direct Control Provisions

DC1 - Direct Development Control Provision
This zone provides the opportunity for detailed, sensitive control of the use, development, siting and design of buildings and disturbance of land. This zone is used to establish, preserve or enhance areas of unique character or environmental concern, or areas of special interest as designated under the Historical Resources Act.
DC2 - Site Specific Development Control Provision
This zone provides the opportunity for direct control over a specific proposed development where the proposed mix of uses or the development regulations cannot be accommodated in a standard zone.

Special Purpose Overlays

The term "overlay" refers to a special set of regulations imposed in addition to the standard regulations of a land use zone much as a transparent overlay can be used to superimpose new or different information on an existing map or drawing.

Protection Overlays

These overlays provide regulations that are intended to address specific development issues related to safety, hazard, and/or environmental protection. These include the following:

  • Airport Protection Overlay
  • Airport Protection Overlay for the City Centre Airport
  • North Saskatchewan River Valley and Ravine System Protection Overlay
  • Floodplain Protection Overlay

Commercial Overlays

These overlays provide regulations to address issues related to development for specific commercial environments in the city. These regulations control the uses, scale, and character and streetscape elements that define the image of these commercial environments. They include the following:

  • Alberta Avenue Pedestrian Commercial Shopping Street Overlay
  • Major Commercial Corridors Overlay
  • Major and Minor Second-hand Stores Overlay
  • Pedestrian Commercial Shopping Street Overlay
  • Whyte Avenue Commercial Overlay

Industrial Plan Overlay

This overlay provides a means to alter land use or specify regulations for land uses and land use activities in order to achieve the local planning objectives of an Industrial Statutory Plan. The overlay can only be applied where specified in an Industrial Statutory Plan.

Mature Neighbourhood Overlay

This overlay is applied to over 100 mature neighbourhoods and contains development regulations which affect the RF1, RF2, RF3, RF4 and RF5 Zones.

Medium Density Residential Overlay

This overlay applies to specific sites zoned RF6, RA7 and RA8 in select neighbourhoods.

High Density Residential Overlay

This overlay applies to specific sites zoned RA9 in select neighbourhoods.

Suburban Neo-Traditional Overlay

This overlay applies to accommodate the development of neo-traditional housing in suburban neighbourhoods.

Special Areas

Special Areas are specifically defined geographic areas of the City, such as Terwillegar Towne, Clareview Campus, Griesbach, Heritage Areas, Downtown Edmonton, Ambleside and Ellerslie Industrial Park. These areas may have new zones created where an Area Redevelopment Plan or Area Structure Plan is in place. The zones are designed in accordance with the policies and objectives of the Plan to address a unique mix of both uses and land use regulations.