What can I build in New Westminster?
BuildHere covers 43 residential zones in New Westminster, with rules read from the Zoning Bylaw 6680, June 8, 2026 consolidation. On a standard 33 × 122 ft lot with a rear lane, these zones allow up to 6 units, and 3 of them allow four or more. The table shows the most units each zone allows outright on three common lot sizes, worked out by the same engine as a BuildHere report.
Units by zone and lot size
Each lot is a plain rectangle with a rear lane, not on a corner and not in a frequent-transit area. A dash means no building form is allowed outright on that lot size.
| Zone | 33 × 122 ft | 50 × 122 ft | 66 × 122 ft |
|---|---|---|---|
| RGO-AGround-Oriented Infill (4 unit) | Up to 4 unitsFourplex | Up to 4 unitsFourplex | Up to 4 unitsFourplex |
| RGO-BGround-Oriented Infill (6 unit) | Up to 6 units6-unit multiplex | Up to 6 units6-unit multiplex | Up to 6 units6-unit multiplex |
| RS-1Single Detached Residential | Up to 3 unitsHouse with secondary suite and detached accessory dwelling unit | Up to 3 unitsHouse with secondary suite and detached accessory dwelling unit | Up to 3 unitsHouse with secondary suite and detached accessory dwelling unit |
| RS-2Single Detached Residential (no laneway house) | Up to 2 unitsSingle detached house with secondary suite | Up to 2 unitsSingle detached house with secondary suite | Up to 2 unitsSingle detached house with secondary suite |
| RS-4Single Detached Residential (Queen's Park) | Up to 3 unitsHouse with secondary suite and detached accessory dwelling unit | Up to 3 unitsHouse with secondary suite and detached accessory dwelling unit | Up to 3 unitsHouse with secondary suite and detached accessory dwelling unit |
| NR-1Neighbourhood Single Detached Residential | Up to 3 unitsHouse with secondary suite and detached accessory dwelling unit | Up to 3 unitsHouse with secondary suite and detached accessory dwelling unit | Up to 3 unitsHouse with secondary suite and detached accessory dwelling unit |
| NR-2Neighbourhood Single Detached Residential (no laneway house) | Up to 2 unitsSingle detached house with secondary suite | Up to 2 unitsSingle detached house with secondary suite | Up to 2 unitsSingle detached house with secondary suite |
| RQ-1Queensborough Neighbourhood Residential | Up to 2 unitsSingle detached house with secondary suite | Up to 2 unitsSingle detached house with secondary suite | Up to 2 unitsSingle detached house with secondary suite |
| RT-ATownhouse Residential | Up to 2 unitsSingle detached house with secondary suite | Up to 2 unitsSingle detached house with secondary suite | Up to 2 unitsSingle detached house with secondary suite |
| RT-BTownhouse Residential (no laneway house) | Up to 2 unitsSingle detached house with secondary suite | Up to 2 unitsSingle detached house with secondary suite | Up to 2 unitsSingle detached house with secondary suite |
| RT-1Duplex Residential | Up to 3 unitsHouse with secondary suite and detached accessory dwelling unit | Up to 3 unitsHouse with secondary suite and detached accessory dwelling unit | Up to 3 unitsHouse with secondary suite and detached accessory dwelling unit |
| RT-2DSingle Detached (Compact Lots) | Up to 2 unitsSingle detached house with secondary suite | Up to 2 unitsSingle detached house with secondary suite | Up to 2 unitsSingle detached house with secondary suite |
| RT-2ERow House | Up to 2 unitsRow house | Up to 4 unitsRow house | Up to 5 unitsRow house |
| RT-2FCluster House | Up to 2 unitsCluster house | Up to 3 unitsCluster house | Up to 4 unitsCluster house |
| RT-3Queensborough Townhouse | Up to 2 unitsSingle detached house with secondary suite | About 4 unitsTownhouses | About 5 unitsTownhouses |
| RT-3AQueensborough Townhouse | Up to 2 unitsSingle detached house with secondary suite | About 4 unitsTownhouses | About 6 unitsTownhouses |
| RT-3BQueensborough Townhouse (low density) | About 2 unitsTownhouses | About 3 unitsTownhouses | About 4 unitsTownhouses |
| RM-2Multiple Dwelling (Low Rise) | Up to 2 unitsSingle detached house with secondary suite | About 3 unitsLow-rise apartment | About 7 unitsLow-rise apartment |
| RS-5Single Detached Residential (small lots) | Up to 2 unitsSingle detached house with secondary suite | Up to 2 unitsSingle detached house with secondary suite | Up to 2 unitsSingle detached house with secondary suite |
| RS-6Single Detached Residential (heritage) | Up to 2 unitsSingle detached house with secondary suite | Up to 2 unitsSingle detached house with secondary suite | Up to 2 unitsSingle detached house with secondary suite |
| NR-5Neighbourhood Single Detached Residential (small lots) | Up to 2 unitsSingle detached house with secondary suite | Up to 2 unitsSingle detached house with secondary suite | Up to 2 unitsSingle detached house with secondary suite |
| RQ-5Queensborough Neighbourhood Residential (small lots) | Up to 2 unitsSingle detached house with secondary suite | Up to 2 unitsSingle detached house with secondary suite | Up to 2 unitsSingle detached house with secondary suite |
| RT-2Townhouse | Up to 2 unitsSingle detached house with secondary suite | About 2 unitsTownhouses | About 3 unitsTownhouses |
| RT-2ATownhouse | Up to 2 unitsSingle detached house with secondary suite | Up to 2 unitsSingle detached house with secondary suite | About 2 unitsTownhouses |
| RT-2BTownhouse | Up to 2 unitsSingle detached house with secondary suite | Up to 2 unitsSingle detached house with secondary suite | About 2 unitsTownhouses |
| RT-2CTownhouse | Up to 2 unitsSingle detached house with secondary suite | Up to 2 unitsSingle detached house with secondary suite | About 2 unitsTownhouses |
| RM-1Garden Apartment | – | About 3 unitsGarden apartment | About 6 unitsGarden apartment |
| RM-1AGarden Apartment | – | About 3 unitsGarden apartment | About 5 unitsGarden apartment |
| RM-1BGarden Apartment | – | About 3 unitsGarden apartment | About 4 unitsGarden apartment |
| RM-2AMultiple Dwelling (Low Rise) | – | About 3 unitsLow-rise multiple dwelling | About 7 unitsLow-rise multiple dwelling |
| RM-4Multiple Dwelling (High Rise) | – | About 10 unitsHigh-rise multiple dwelling | About 16 unitsHigh-rise multiple dwelling |
| RM-5Multiple Dwelling (Medium Rise) | – | About 9 unitsMedium-rise multiple dwelling | About 12 unitsMedium-rise multiple dwelling |
| RM-5AMultiple Dwelling (Medium Rise, 4 storeys) | – | About 6 unitsMedium-rise multiple dwelling | About 12 unitsMedium-rise multiple dwelling |
| RM-6Multiple Dwelling (High Density) | About 2 unitsHigh-density multiple dwelling | About 5 unitsHigh-density multiple dwelling | About 9 unitsHigh-density multiple dwelling |
| RM-6AMultiple Dwelling (High Density) | About 2 unitsHigh-density multiple dwelling | About 5 unitsHigh-density multiple dwelling | About 9 unitsHigh-density multiple dwelling |
| RM-6BMultiple Dwelling (High Density) | About 2 unitsHigh-density multiple dwelling | About 5 unitsHigh-density multiple dwelling | About 9 unitsHigh-density multiple dwelling |
| RMW-2Waterfront Multiple Dwelling (Low Rise) | – | – | About 6 unitsWaterfront low-rise multiple dwelling |
| RMW-2AWaterfront Multiple Dwelling (Low Rise) | – | – | About 6 unitsWaterfront low-rise multiple dwelling |
| RMW-3Waterfront Multiple Dwelling (High Rise) | – | About 8 unitsWaterfront high-rise multiple dwelling | About 11 unitsWaterfront high-rise multiple dwelling |
| RMW-3AWaterfront Multiple Dwelling (High Rise) | – | About 10 unitsWaterfront high-rise multiple dwelling | About 13 unitsWaterfront high-rise multiple dwelling |
| RMW-3BWaterfront Multiple Dwelling (High Rise) | – | About 10 unitsWaterfront high-rise multiple dwelling | About 17 unitsWaterfront high-rise multiple dwelling |
| RM-6CMultiple Dwelling (Downtown) | About 5 unitsDowntown multiple dwelling | About 8 unitsDowntown multiple dwelling | About 10 unitsDowntown multiple dwelling |
| RW-1Residential Waterfront (float homes) | – | – | – |
Your lot will differ.
Frontage, depth, lane access, corner lots and frequent-transit areas all change the answer. Search your address for a report on the real lot in New Westminster.
Common questions
How many units can I build on a lot in New Westminster?
On a standard 33 × 122 ft lot with a lane, the 43 residential zones BuildHere covers in New Westminster allow 2, 3, 4, 5 or 6 units, depending on the zone; 3 of them allow four or more. 13 zones need a larger lot for anything to be built outright. Lots near frequent transit, corner lots and bigger lots can allow more.
Which zoning bylaw is this based on?
Zoning Bylaw 6680, June 8, 2026 consolidation. City of New Westminster open data. Loaded October 2026; not refreshed automatically. Each zone page links to the section of the bylaw its rules were read from.
Is this New Westminster’s official zoning answer?
No. Preliminary screening only. Verify with the City of New Westminster. BuildHere is a preliminary screen of what the bylaw allows on a typical lot; it does not check covenants, heritage, trees, servicing or site-specific zoning, and it is not a permit review.
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