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Port Kells acreages sit in a part of Surrey where the long-term plan is still unwritten: the City says a Neighbourhood Concept Plan for Port Kells has not yet been initiated. Farmland in the Agricultural Land Reserve borders the area to the south, and industrial land lines Golden Ears Way to the north, so the zoning and ALR status of each parcel matter as much as the house on it.
Written by Jared Gibbons, REALTOR®
For acreage buyers looking at Port Kells and the rural edge of North Surrey, I check the ALR status, zoning, well and septic records with you before you firm up. I've been a REALTOR® since 2015 and a member of the Fraser Valley Real Estate Board's Medallion Club for 10 straight years, which puts me in the top 1% of all Realtors in the Fraser Valley by FVREB sales. I'm #1 in South Surrey/White Rock by MLS points for 2025 and 2026 year to date, with more than $500M in sales.
In Paragon, the MLS® system used by local REALTORS®, Port Kells is North Surrey sub-area F28. This feed pulls only Port Kells listings on 1 to 10 acres, so you won't see standard lots, townhomes or bare industrial land here. The sections below cover land use planning, the ALR, zoning, and the well and septic checks that come with rural property.
Port Kells is the northeast corner of Surrey, next to Fraser Heights and east of Guildford. Its acreages mix older rural homes, hobby farms and treed parcels. North of the rural pockets, warehouses and yards make up an industrial district along Golden Ears Way and 98 Avenue.
That mix means neighbouring parcels can carry very different rules: one inside the ALR, one zoned acreage residential, another industrial across the road.
The South Port Kells General Land Use Plan sets the vision for the broader Anniedale and Port Kells area. Its plan area runs from Highway 1 in the north down to the Agricultural Land Reserve in the south.
Anniedale-Tynehead already has one, which you can explore alongside Fleetwood and Tynehead. Port Kells does not. The GLUP sets the broad framework, but without a completed NCP, parcel-level land use and servicing decisions are still open. For a buyer, that is both the opportunity and the risk: nothing guarantees an acreage will be rezoned, and no plan yet says it won't be.
The Agricultural Land Commission sets what you can do on ALR land, and its rules take priority over City bylaws that allow more. Under the ALR Use Regulation, a parcel can usually have:
Anything larger, and any subdivision, needs an application to the ALC. Duplexes and townhomes aren't permitted on ALR land, so Surrey's small-scale multi-unit housing rules don't add homes there. If farming is your plan, my Surrey farms for sale page lists larger working properties.
Under Surrey Zoning Bylaw 12000, rural Port Kells parcels are often A-1 General Agriculture or RA Acreage Residential, while the industrial district is mostly IL Light Impact Industrial. Look up a parcel's zone and plan designation on the City's COSMOS mapping before you rely on a listing's description.
Ask whether an acreage is on city water and sewer, or on a private well and an onsite septic system.
A well used only for household purposes doesn't need a water licence, but the Province strongly encourages owners to register it. Search the GWELLS database for the well record,. Owners are responsible for testing their own water through a qualified lab.
Under the Sewerage System Regulation, only an authorized person can build or maintain an onsite system. They file the system with the health authority and give the owner the plans and a maintenance plan. Ask the seller for that paperwork and any service records.
Before you book a viewing, I pull the parcel's ALR status, zone and plan designation, and flag neighbours that could affect how you'd use the land. If you want a shop, a second home or future subdivision, we check whether the rules allow it, not whether the listing hints at it.
Then I build conditions around the rural systems. We line up a well water test, a septic inspection by an authorized person and a search for the GWELLS record, and we write in enough time to get them done. If you're open to bare land instead, my Surrey lots and land page widens the search.
1. Is every Port Kells acreage in the Agricultural Land Reserve? No. Some parcels are in the ALR and many are not. Check each property on the ALC's ALR map and confirm the result with the City before you write an offer.
2. How big can a house be on ALR land? The ALR Use Regulation allows one principal residence of up to 500 square metres of total floor area without an application. A larger home needs ALC approval, and City zoning can set tighter limits.
3. Can I subdivide a Port Kells acreage? On ALR land, subdivision needs ALC permission, and bare land stratas are not allowed outright. Off the ALR, it depends on the zone, the plan designation and City servicing.
4. What zones apply to Port Kells acreages? Rural parcels are often zoned A-1 General Agriculture or RA Acreage Residential under Surrey Zoning Bylaw 12000. Industrial land nearby is often zoned IL Light Impact Industrial.
5. Do I need a licence for a household well? No. Groundwater used only for household purposes doesn't need a licence, but the Province strongly encourages owners to register the well in the GWELLS database.
6. Who can inspect or repair a septic system? Only an authorized person under the Sewerage System Regulation, either a Registered Onsite Wastewater Practitioner or a qualified professional, may build or maintain one.
7. Does this page include regular Port Kells houses? No. It shows only listings on 1 to 10 acres in Port Kells. Houses on standard lots appear on my North Surrey houses page.
Call or text me at 604-928-1361, or send me a message. I usually reply the same day, often within a couple hours.
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Call 604-928-1361 or Email me today and let's discuss your next home sale or purchase.