In accordance with the Agricultural Land Reserve Use, Subdivision and Procedure Regulation, no more than one residence is permitted on a property within the ALR unless the additional residence is necessary for farm use.
In order to ensure that this is the case, all second houses will require approval from the Agricultural Land Commission under a non-farm use application. Additionally, the following minimum standards will also apply:
- The farm operation 8 ha or more in total area, and all of the lots comprising the farm operation are next to one another.
- The property is classified as a “farm” under the Assessment Act. The owner of the farm must live on the property and the owner or another immediate family member works full-time on the farm.
- The owner of the property must grant restrictive covenants to the City, one restricting the occupancy of the additional farm house to full-time farm employees and another limiting the total number of farm houses and additional farm houses to two for those farms that consist of more than one property.
- The property owner is required to provide a statutory declaration to the City verifying that the additional farm house is occupied only by a full-time farm employee.
Note, it is your responsibility to consult the full City of Pitt Meadows Zoning Bylaw No. 2505 and the Agricultural Land Commission’s regulations and policies for all related requirements.