Vernon commercial zoning, in plain language

The basics: Bylaw 6000 replaced Bylaw 5000

Vernon adopted Zoning Bylaw 6000 on 24 June 2024. It replaced Zoning Bylaw 5000, which had been in force since July 2004, and it was redesigned partly to meet the Province's 2023 housing laws (Bills 44 and 47). The old commercial and industrial codes, such as C2 or I1, are gone.

That matters in practice. Listing sheets, old appraisals and even some leases still refer to the old zones. If a document says "C2", it is describing a zone that no longer exists, and the current zone may allow more, or less. Always look the property up on the City's interactive zoning map.

Bylaw 6000 has these zone families:

• Agricultural and rural: ALR, AGRL, AGRS
• Housing: MUS, MUA, MHS, MUM, MSH
• Resort: RTH (Resort Tourist Housing), RCC (Resort Commercial Centre)
• Commercial mixed use: CMUN, CMUB, CMUC
• Industrial: INDL, INDA
• Community, utilities and parks: CMTY, UTIL, PANS
• Comprehensive development: CD6

Sources: City of Vernon, Zoning Bylaw 6000 background; Bylaw 6000 home page.

The five commercial and industrial zones compared

FAR (floor area ratio) is total floor area divided by lot area. A 2,025 m² lot at FAR 3.5 can carry about 7,090 m² (roughly 76,000 sq ft) of floor space, subject to height, setbacks, parking and design rules.

Sources: Bylaw 6000 zone sections: CMUN, CMUB, CMUC, INDL, INDA.

CMUN: Commercial Mixed Use, Neighbourhood

The bylaw describes CMUN as "neighbourhood scale commercial, residential, and Mixed-Use Housing development up to 4 Storeys". Think corner store, café, clinic or small office with apartments above. Listed uses include food and beverage, grocery, health services, indoor sales and service, light manufacturing, minor indoor entertainment, office, short-term rental and child care. Bars, liquor stores and cannabis retail are not permitted (a change to allow liquor stores is in progress, below). Frontage is capped at 50 m, parking cannot sit between the building and the street, and 30% of the site must be landscaped.

CMUB: Commercial Mixed Use, Business

CMUB is "medium scale" commercial, "up to 6 Storeys", aimed at "employment opportunities, services, retail, and housing at the community level". On top of the CMUN uses it adds bars, cannabis retail and lounges, hotels, liquor stores, major entertainment, shopping centres, outdoor sales, vehicle support services and indoor self-storage. Small-scale multi-unit housing is only allowed south of 43 Avenue on lots under 1,000 m². Maximum frontage is 80 m and landscaping 20%.

CMUC: Commercial Mixed Use, Centre

CMUC is the city-centre zone: "large scale", "up to 16 Storeys", with 100% lot coverage allowed and FAR 5.0. Bars, cannabis retail, hotels, liquor stores and offices are all permitted. On specified streets, mixed-use housing must have commercial space at grade. No surface parking is allowed in front of the building, frontage is capped at 100 m, and up to two levels of above-grade parking do not count toward the storey limit.

INDL: Light Industrial

INDL is for "light industrial and a variety of small commercial businesses that may carry out a portion of their operation outdoors or require outdoor storage areas". The use list is long: light industrial and light manufacturing, major alcohol production (breweries and distilleries), indoor self-storage, shipping container storage, outdoor sales, auction, crematorium, drive-through vehicle services, cannabis retail and lounge, liquor store, office, recycling drop-off and transit facility. One security or operator dwelling is allowed. Minimum landscaping is 10%.

INDA: Airport Industrial

INDA covers "the development and operation of an airport and associated industrial services": aircraft services, aerospace research and development, the terminal, major fuelling and minor fuel stations, office, light manufacturing, food and beverage, and bar. Buildings are limited to 10 m, site coverage to 90%, and one operator dwelling is allowed. Airport structures are also governed by the Regional Airport Zoning Regulations Bylaw 4578. Land at the airport is leased from the City; see the airport district notes.

What about Predator Ridge?

Resort commercial uses at Predator Ridge, which is inside the City of Vernon, fall under the resort zones RCC and RTH rather than the commercial mixed-use zones.

Zone finder: which zones allow my use?

Zone finder

What do you want to run? Choose a use Office (professional, administrative) Restaurant or café (food and beverage) Bar or pub Grocery store Retail store (indoor sales and service) Medical or health clinic Child care Hotel Liquor store Cannabis retail Light manufacturing Brewery or distillery (major alcohol production) Indoor self-storage Outdoor sales (vehicles, equipment) Vehicle services Aircraft services or hangar Short-term rental

Check zones

Choose a use to see which zones list it.

The tool is built from our reading of the permitted-use lists in each zone section. Uses have precise definitions in the bylaw, and a business that looks like "retail" may be defined as something else. Before you sign a lease or remove subjects, confirm the use with the City's planning department or ask Sean to do it for you.

Zoning changes in progress in 2026

• Liquor stores in CMUN. A text amendment to allow liquor stores in the neighbourhood zone passed second reading on 8 September 2026, with a public hearing on 28 September 2026. Check the outcome before relying on it. Council highlights, 8 Sept 2026
• Polson Village Centre. OCP and zoning text amendments were adopted on 8 September 2026 after a public hearing on 20 July. Same source.
• Zoning Text Amendment Bylaw 6083 went to public hearing on 20 July 2026. Council highlights, 22 June 2026
• OCP General Text and Map Amendment Bylaw 6074 was finalized on 25 May 2026. Council highlights, 25 May 2026
• New landscape standards were adopted in September 2026, which affects site plans for new commercial buildings.
• OCP amendment applications may soon need a lifecycle cost analysis and economic impact assessment; staff were asked to draft guidelines by September 2026. June 2026 highlights
• Single-exit stairs, newly allowed in the provincial building code, are not yet available in Vernon until firefighting capacity requirements can be met (policy of 20 July 2026). This affects small mid-rise mixed-use designs. Council highlights, 20 July 2026

The City also keeps an OCP and zoning FAQ, last updated in August 2026. Municipal elections on 17 October 2026 could shift priorities on future amendments.

OCP Bylaw 6200 highlights for commercial property

The Official Community Plan is the policy layer above zoning. When you apply to rezone, Council asks whether the proposal fits the OCP. Bylaw 6200 was adopted on 15 December 2025 and plans to 2045, using an urban containment boundary, a focused growth area and transit-oriented development.

• Urban Centres (Downtown, Uptown): 4 to 16 storeys; land assemblies encouraged near transit; hotels supported with height flexibility; big-box stores discouraged.
• Village Centres (Alexis Park, Jubilee Hill, Polson, Waterfront): 1 to 6 storeys, with Polson allowed 16 or more with public benefits.
• Neighbourhoods: small-scale commercial such as convenience stores, restaurants, pet stores and child care supported on arterial and collector roads.
• Industrial: 1 to 5 storeys; employment lands protected; flexible bays encouraged; breweries and warehouse sales are complementary uses.
• Home-based businesses: the OCP supports "more intensive home-based businesses", a useful first step before leasing space.

Provincial transit-oriented rules also set minimums near designated transit hubs: 10 storeys and FAR 3.5 within 200 m, and 6 storeys and FAR 2.5 from 200 to 400 m. The OCP's capacity analysis finds room for "over 65,000 housing units", so residential density is not the constraint; servicing, parking and market demand are.

Sources: OCP Bylaw 6200, including Chapter 5, Chapter 6, Development Permit Areas and OCP maps; Bylaw 6000 background.

How to check a property's zoning in 20 minutes

1. Find the zone. Search the address on the City zoning map. Confirm it is inside City limits; if not, go to the RDNO zoning bylaw.
2. Read the zone section PDF. Check your exact use against the permitted-use list and the definitions section.
3. Check the OCP designation and development permit areas. Exterior changes and new buildings in a development permit area need a DP, which takes months.
4. Look for open applications. The current development map and the permits database show nearby projects and past permits.
5. Book a pre-application meeting for anything unusual. Email planning@vernon.ca with the address, a description and preliminary plans.

Rezoning costs $1,600 in City application fees and typically takes six to eight months; an OCP amendment is $2,100. Full fee tables are on the licences, permits and fees page.

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