What is BC's TOD Areas Act?

Direct answer

The Transit-Oriented Areas Act (formally Bill 47, 2023, paired with the SSMUH Bill 44) is BC legislation that requires municipalities to designate "Transit-Oriented Areas" (TOAs) within 800m of rapid-transit stations and within 400m of bus-exchange-class transit, and to permit higher-density residential development within those zones. Effective dates: municipalities had to adopt TOA bylaws by June 30, 2024. Within a TOA, minimum allowable density tiers escalate with distance to the transit hub: tier 1 (closest, 400m of a SkyTrain station or major transit exchange) — minimum 5.0 floor-area-ratio (FAR) and 20-storey allowable height; tier 2 (400-800m) — 4.0 FAR / 12 storeys; tier 3 — 3.0 FAR / 8 storeys. Municipalities cannot impose minimum off-street parking requirements within designated TOAs. The Act overrides local zoning where municipal bylaws are more restrictive than the provincial minimums. For BC: this is the most aggressive transit-oriented densification policy in Canadian history. For buyers/investors: a single-family lot near a SkyTrain station that was zoned RS-1 in 2023 may now be required to permit up to a 20-storey residential building. The Act is conceptually paired with Bill 44 (SSMUH) which densifies the rest of the residential land base.