Caring for Boulevards and Laneways
This is a Guide for Business and Residential Property Owners.
Landscaping requirements for residential zones are set out in Division 5: Landscaping, Screening, and Fencing, of the City's Zoning Bylaw No. 55. Here are some of the key points, as illustrated:
- All portions of a required front yard, side street yard, and that part of required rear yard abutting a street, which are not used for parking or a driveway, must be landscaped
- For most lots, a minimum of 40% of the street frontage of each corresponding street must include a landscape buffer that is at least 3 metres deep between the property line abutting the street and any parking space
- Adjacent property owners are responsible for soft landscaping the boulevard area, including boulevards located on the exterior of any fences abutting a street
- All minimum landscaped areas need to be soft landscaped
- Where massed planting or xeriscaping is used in minimum landscaped areas or boulevards, at least 50% of the landscaping area must be covered with plant material (based on the combined estimated mature size of the plants)
- All required landscape areas, including xeriscape areas, need to be irrigated
- Parking is not permitted in the required landscaped boulevard area
- Where there is no curb, sidewalk, or other pedestrian or cycling facility in front of a property, parking may be permitted in the shoulder area between the edge or the paved road and the boulevard or property line if not restricted by other municipal bylaws (parallel parking only, to a maximum width of 2.7 metres)
Massed planting is landscaping using groups of trees, shrubs, and ground covers which, over time and with the growth of the plants, will allow the spaces between the plants to be reduced to provide a continuous mass of plant material.
Soft landscaping means living ornamental or edible vegetation, such as trees, shrubs, vines, vegetative ground covers, annual or perennial flowers, and grass (lawn or decorative grasses).
Xeriscaping is the strategic use of drought-tolerant plants for the purpose of water consumption. More information on xeriscaping is available on this page.
A boulevard is the area between the street edge or curb and the front property line of a lot. For corner lots, the boulevard also includes the area between the curb and the side lot line. Some properties also have laneways in the back for ease of servicing. Some lots have more than one boulevard that may require landscaping. This is common when a driveway is accessed from a cul-de-sac and the backyard has another street behind it. Often, these boulevards are neglected by adjacent property owners because they are behind fences and are not readily seen.
Please help make Kamloops more attractive by:
- removing weeds and litter
- cutting grass and weeding on a regular basis
- trimming private-owned trees to prevent branches hanging over fences
- watering all landscaping as necessary and using water-smart plants if possible
- mowing grass to approximately 5 to 7.5 cm height to conserve soil moisture
- containing loose gravel and bark mulch to prevent it from spreading onto sidewalks and roads
- cleaning sidewalks all year round
- reporting hazardous or potentially hazardous situations
- not using laneways for storage of garbage and recycling containers
Please do not:
- damage trees, grass, signs, light standards, sidewalks, or utility poles
- prune or cut any City-owned street trees
- obstruct traffic sightlines
- park or store vehicles on boulevards or laneways
