ZonePlan

Zoning · Burlington · Industrial

BC2 zone, Burlington: Business Corridor BC2

By-law 2020 Part 3, Sections 1-3 and 5 (Tables 3.2.1, 3.5.1, 3.5.2, 3.5.3; Diagram 3A) of the City of Burlington Zoning By-law 09-2026 / 2020.

An employment zone along Burlington's business corridors for manufacturing, warehousing, offices and related industries on large lots, with limited retail, restaurant and service uses allowed inside larger buildings.

Is a property in the BC2 zone? Enter its address and the lookup returns the zone and these standards, including any site-specific exception.

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What the BC2 zone permits

  • Transportation, Communication, and Utilities (footnote b: transmitting towers set back from a street or residential zone 1 m per 1 m of height)
  • Transportation Equipment Industries
  • Non-Metallic Mineral Production Industries
  • Food Processing and Manufacturing
  • Metal Rolling, Casting, and Extruding
  • Petro Chemical Laboratories
  • Bulk Propane Storage Depot (per Part 1, 2.7)
  • Metal, Wood, Paper, Plastic, Machine, and Chemical Industries
  • Wholesale Trade
  • Private Propane Facility (per Part 1, 2.7)
  • Construction and Trade Contractors
  • Wholesale Building and Construction Materials
  • Machinery and Equipment
  • Cannabis Production Facility (footnote j: not in a building where food to be sold is produced, packaged, labelled or stored)
  • Leather and Textile Industries
  • Furniture and Fixture Industries
  • Clothing Industries
  • Electrical Products Industries
  • Warehouse and Logistics
  • Storage Locker Facility
  • Training Centre
  • Research and Development
  • Information and Data Processing
  • Knowledge-Based & High Technology
  • Pharmaceuticals & Medicines
  • Accessory Dwelling Unit for security or maintenance (footnote d: within a principal building, max 75 m2 floor area)
  • Crematory (footnote i: not within 70 m of a Residential, Downtown, Uptown, MXG or MXC Zone)
  • Other Industrial Operations - general manufacturing, processing, fabricating and/or assembly facility
  • All Office Uses
  • Convention/Conference Centre
  • Banquet Centre
  • Caterer
  • Convenience Store (footnote f)
  • Retail: Machinery & Equipment (footnote f)
  • Retail: Computer Hardware & Software (footnote f)
  • Retail: Office Furniture & Equipment (footnote f)
  • Standard Restaurant (footnote f)
  • Standard Restaurant with Dance Floor (footnote f)
  • Fast Food Restaurant (footnote f)
  • Convenience Restaurant (footnote f)
  • Night Club (footnotes f, h: only with a standard restaurant, max capacity 500 persons)
  • Banks, Trust Companies, Credit Unions (footnote f)
  • Retail Brewery (footnote f)
  • Other Service Commercial Uses (footnote f)
  • Outdoor Patio (footnote k: subject to Part 1, Section 2.21(v))
  • Recreational Establishment (footnote f)

Standards

RequirementBy-law
Minimum lot area (interior lot)10000 m²Table 3.5.1: All Other Lots 1.0 ha; Areas 1-7 (Diagram 3A) 0.6 ha; Areas 8a-9b 0.9 ha; Areas 10-16 0.7 ha
Minimum lot width (interior lot)70 mTable 3.5.1 lot width: All Other Lots 70 m; Areas 1-7 (Diagram 3A) 15 m, or 65 m abutting King Road; Areas 8a-9b 14.5 m; Areas 10-16 70 m
Minimum front yard9 mTable 3.5.2: yard abutting all other roads 9 m; yard abutting North Service Road 90 m; yard abutting King Road 45 m
Minimum interior side yard4.5 mTable 3.5.2 side yard 4.5 m; overridden where the yard abuts an O2/O3 zone (7.5 m), a pipeline easement (7 m), a PC or P zone (6 m) or a railway right-of-way (none required)
Minimum exterior side yard9 mTable 3.5.2: yard abutting all other roads 9 m; abutting North Service Road 90 m; abutting King Road 45 m
Minimum rear yard7.5 mTable 3.5.2 rear yard 7.5 m; overridden where the yard abuts a road (9/45/90 m), an O2/O3 zone (7.5 m), a pipeline easement (7 m), a PC or P zone (6 m) or a railway right-of-way (none required)
Maximum building height10 ms.5.3(b) lands outside Areas 1-16 of Diagram 3A: office buildings 2 storeys to 10 m; industrial buildings 1 storey to 10 m. Within Areas 1-16, Table 3.5.3 applies: office buildings 2 storeys/10 m or 3 storeys/14 m depending on Area, other buildings 1 storey/10 m, each also capped at a geodetic datum elevation (127-147 m) per Area. s.5.3(c): height measured from every point at grade to the highest point including chimneys, towers, mechanical equipment, antennas, signs, etc.
Maximum lot coverage20 %s.5.5 maximum building coverage 20% of net lot area (does not apply to lands within Diagram 3A). Separately, s.5.4 maximum site coverage (buildings plus hard surfaces such as driveways, parking and loading areas): other lands not within Diagram 3A 40%; Area 1 60%; Areas 2, 5, 6 50%; Areas 3, 4, 7, 10, 11, 12, 14, 15 70%; Areas 8a, 9a, 16 40%; Areas 8b, 9b, 13 55% of net lot area

Other provisions in this section

  • Holding zone (s.1(a)): where the zone is prefixed 'H', permitted uses per Part 11 s.1.1 and development is premature until the H is removed per Part 11 s.1.2; Part 1 general provisions and Part 14 exceptions also apply.
  • Footnote (f) retail/service commercial/recreation uses: permitted only on a lot with total building floor area of 3000 m2; total floor area of all retail, service commercial and recreation uses max 15% of the floor area of each building they are in; a restaurant may occupy up to 100% of a single building if total existing building floor area on the lot is at least 3000 m2 and the lot abuts an arterial, multi-purpose arterial or minor arterial road; contiguous lots under one comprehensive development/site plan are deemed one lot.
  • Prohibited uses (s.3, in addition to Part 1 s.2.22): motor vehicle wrecking yard; bone/blood boiling, rendering, tankhouse products; abattoir; fish products processing; animal/fish fertilizer manufacturing and storage; sugar refinery; vegetable oil mills; hide processing; pulp and paper mills; asbestos products; petroleum refining; explosives manufacturing; primary metals industries; medical waste storage and disposal; animal research; R&D related to any prohibited use; video game/pinball arcade; energy from waste facility.
  • Not permitted in BC2 (blank in Table 3.2.1): solid fuel supply yard, oil depot, waste transfer station, recycling facility, truck depot, public transportation, veterinary service, parking lot, hotel, car wash, motor vehicle sales/leasing/rental/service, motor vehicle service station, motor vehicle repair garage, nursery or garden centre, body-rub parlour.
  • Separation distance from a railway right-of-way (Table 3.5.2): 30 m for land uses sensitive to railway rights-of-way.
  • s.5.3(d): office use accessory to an industrial use is permitted on the second floor of an industrial building.
  • Site coverage calculation (s.5.4): in Areas 8b and 9b of Diagram 3A only 50% of total driveway area counts toward site coverage.
  • Built form (s.5.6): decorative exterior finish required on elevations facing a street or a residential zone, and within 7.5 m of a wall facing a street of deemed width 26 m or less, or within 15 m of a wall facing a street of deemed width over 26 m; walls facing a residential zone max 35 m long; no mechanical equipment or machinery within 20 m of a residential zone.
  • Landscape area minimum widths (s.5.7): 60 m abutting North Service Road; 30 m abutting King Road; 6 m abutting King Forest Court and Yorkton Court; 6 m abutting other streets; 3 m abutting O2 and O3 zones; 3 m abutting other lot lines.
  • Parking (s.5.8): per Part 1 s.2.25; no parking of trucks/vehicles within 15 m of a residential zone if the vehicle exceeds 3000 kg registered GVW, 6 m length or 2.6 m height.
  • Outdoor storage prohibited (s.5.9); waste and refuse containers permitted if screened from view; perishable waste must be refrigerated inside a building or kept in a sealed, lockable, primarily below-grade deep collection container.
  • Fencing (s.5.10): on lands abutting a residential zone, no building occupancy until a minimum 1.8 m high solid screen fence (or chain-link with landscaping forming a solid year-round screen) is installed along the residential boundary.
  • Loading (s.5.11): loading docks not permitted in elevations facing a street except in Areas 2, 5, 6 of Diagram 3A; no loading/unloading in a yard abutting a street.
  • Outdoor manufacturing prohibited in a yard abutting a street and on lands abutting a residential zone (s.5.12).
  • Restaurant drive-throughs (s.5.13): landscaping to screen drive-through elevations facing a street; external conveyor pick-up systems not permitted in a yard abutting a street and set back 15 m from a residential zone; intercom ordering stations set back 15 m from a residential zone.
  • Accessory retail sales (s.5.14): max 15% of total floor area, only with manufacturing, fabricating, processing, assembling or warehousing; accessory retail/showroom max the lesser of 15% of the main use or 250 m2; must be within the same premises and separated by a permanent solid floor-to-ceiling, wall-to-wall partition with closed doors.
  • Accessory uses (s.5.15): no direct exterior access, no advertising signs visible from outside, for building occupants only; total accessory floor area max 5% per building; max 200 m2 per accessory use.
  • Caretaker/watchman dwelling unit (s.5.16) must be within a principal building and not exceed 75 m2.
  • Contiguous lots developed under a single comprehensive site plan are deemed one lot for zoning purposes (s.5.17).

Source: By-law 2020 Part 3, Sections 1-3 and 5 (Tables 3.2.1, 3.5.1, 3.5.2, 3.5.3; Diagram 3A), By-law 09-2026 / 2020 (City of Burlington), checked 2026-09-12. General provisions elsewhere in the by-law (parking, driveways, accessory buildings) also apply, and a numbered exception on the parcel can change any value here. Treat this as a pre-check, not a sign-off.

Other industrial zones in Burlington: BC1, GE1, GE2