What do Saskatoon zoning codes mean? As of November 2026, every Saskatoon property falls under Zoning Bylaw No. 9990. R codes (R1 to R2A) are low-density homes allowing up to four units, RMTN and RM1 to RM5 add townhouses and apartments, and mixed-use codes like MX1, B1B and CR2 let a home and a business share a property.

Updated November 13, 2026 by Clayton McNally & Jessica Hamel, REALTORS®, Trusted Realty Powered by RE/MAX Saskatoon

What Is Zoning, and Why Should Saskatoon Buyers Care?

Zoning is the City’s rulebook for what can be built on a property and how it can be used. It decides whether you can add a suite, run a business from home, build more units, or what could go up next door, so it’s worth checking before you write an offer, not after.

Every property in Saskatoon has a zoning code. The rules for each code are in the City’s Zoning Bylaw No. 9990, which took effect on January 3, 2025 after a multi-year review, replacing Bylaw No. 8770 from 2009. Many of the code names carried over, so you’ll still see familiar ones like R2 and RM3 in listings.

Source: City of Saskatoon, Zoning Bylaw No. 9990 and its January 2025 news release on the bylaw taking effect; four-units-per-site maps published by the City in 2024. Simplified; confirm the rules for any address with the City.

How Do I Find Out How a Property Is Zoned?

Look up the address on the City of Saskatoon’s interactive zoning map. Click the property and view its details to see the zoning code.

Some MLS® listings show the zoning too, but treat that as a starting point. If you’re counting on a suite, extra units or a business, confirm the zoning and your plans with the City before your conditions come off.

What Do the Residential Zoning Codes Mean?

R codes are mainly houses and small multi-unit buildings, RMTN codes are townhouse developments, and RM codes allow apartments, getting denser from RM1 to RM5. Here’s the plain-English version:

• R1, R1A and R1B (Low Density Residential): houses, duplexes, semi-detached homes and buildings with up to four units, plus secondary suites and garden and garage suites. The difference is mainly lot size: larger in R1, smaller in R1B.
• R2 (Low Density Residential 2): the same home types. Many other zones start from “all R2 uses,” so it’s a handy reference.
• R2A (Low Density Residential Infill): R2 plus converting an older house into up to four units, with City approval.
• RMTN and RMTN1 (Townhouse Residential): planned townhouse developments and complexes, up to 18 units per building. See the different kinds of townhouses in Saskatoon.
• RMHC and RMHL (Mobile Homes): mobile homes in a court or on their own lots. Browse mobile homes for sale.
• RM1 to RM5 (Multiple-Unit Dwelling): R2 home types plus apartments, townhouse complexes and conversions, from low density in RM1 to high-rise condos in RM5.

Which Zones Let You Live and Run a Business on the Same Property?

Mixed-use zones like MX1, B1B and CR2, and most neighbourhood commercial zones, allow a home and a business on the same property. How they fit together varies a lot from zone to zone.

• MX1 (Mixed-Use District 1): one of the most flexible zones, with houses, duplexes, townhouses, apartments, suites and live/work units alongside businesses.
• MX2 (Downtown Warehouse Mixed-Use): live/work units and apartments in Downtown’s warehouse district.
• CR2 (Corridor Residential 2): low-rise homes with limited neighbourhood businesses, often on corner lots near main roads.
• CM1 and CS1 (Corridor Mixed-Use): mid-rise apartments in mixed-use buildings along major corridors and near transit stations.
• B1A, B1 and B1B (Neighbourhood Commercial): one or two homes attached to a business, or in B1B, homes and apartments above or beside shops. This is where you often find the classic “shop on the main floor, suite upstairs” property.
• B2 to B6 (Commercial): anything from one caretaker’s home attached to a business (B3, B4) to apartments above shops on Broadway (B5B), in Riversdale (B5C) and Downtown (B6).
• M1 to M4 (Institutional Service): places like churches and community buildings mixed with homes, from low density in M1 to high density near downtown in M4.

From our own deals: one of our clients recently needed her new home to have a commercial zoning aspect so she could run her at-home business out of it. There are a few areas of the city where this zoning is common, and it’s always important to check the zoning before you buy. We can set up your property search based on zones.

Do I Need Commercial Zoning to Run a Business From Home?

Usually not. The City allows a licensed home-based business in any zone, but within limits, so a bigger business may need mixed-use or commercial zoning.

The City’s home-based business rules include no signs on the property, no retail sales from the home, a cap on client visits and no more than one non-resident employee there at a time. If your business needs a storefront, signage, more staff or a steady stream of customers, that’s when zones like MX1 or B1B come into play. Check the current rules and licence requirements with the City’s business licence office before you buy.

Can I Add a Suite, Garden Suite or More Units?

Often, yes. Saskatoon’s low-density R zones allow up to four units on a site, one secondary suite inside a detached house and one garden or garage suite per site.

A secondary suite can be up to 80 square metres (about 861 square feet), and a garden or garage suite has to be built after the main house. Zoning is only the first test, though. You still need permits, the work has to meet building and fire-safety requirements, and lot size, lane access and servicing decide what actually fits. Listings that say “suite potential” are giving an opinion, not an approval. If you’d rather skip the renovation, browse homes with suites or side-by-side duplexes.

What Should I Check Before Buying a Home for Its Zoning?

Confirm the zoning for the exact address, confirm your specific plan fits it, and give yourself time to check both before your offer goes firm.

• Look up the zoning on the City’s interactive map, not just the listing.
• Check whether your plan is permitted or discretionary. A discretionary use needs City approval for that site, so it isn’t guaranteed.
• Look for overlays. Flood-plain, riverbank slope and architectural control overlays add extra rules, especially near the river.
• Ask about permits for any existing suite or business space.
• Check what’s around you. Neighbouring lots zoned for more units or mixed use could change over time.
• Talk to your lender and insurer early if the property mixes a home and a business, since financing and insurance can work differently.

Do Warman, Martensville and Corman Park Use the Same Codes?

No. Each city and RM has its own zoning bylaw, and the same code can mean something different in each one.

An R1 lot in Martensville follows Martensville’s rules, not Saskatoon’s, and acreages follow the rural municipality’s zoning, such as the RM of Corman Park’s. Check with the right office for the property, whether it’s in Warman, Martensville or on an acreage near Saskatoon.

Can a Property’s Zoning Change?

Yes. An owner can apply for a rezoning, which needs City Council approval after a public hearing, and the City updates the bylaw from time to time.

A December 2025 study for the City on infill housing recommended making heights more consistent across R zones and combining similar R zones, so some codes could change in the future. If the rules change after you buy, a use that was legal before generally carries on as a non-conforming use, even after the property changes hands. Never pay extra for a plan that depends on a rezoning you don’t have yet.

Talk to Clayton and Jessica, Your Trusted REALTORS®

Zoning can make or break a plan for a suite, more units or a home-based business. Tell us what you want to do with your next property and we’ll find the homes zoned for it, then help you confirm the details before you commit. Call or text Jessica at 306.241.6029 or Clayton at 306.341.4401.

More Saskatoon Buyer Resources

Every zoning code is defined in our Saskatoon Real Estate Glossary, and quick answers are in the zoning section of our Saskatoon Real Estate Questions & Answers. Walk through the whole purchase in our Saskatoon Home Buyer’s Guide, or see income properties and duplexes for sale.