How many homes fit on a Toronto lot: multiplex zoning rules for builders

Key takeaways

• Four-unit multiplexes are allowed in the R, RD, RS, RT and RM zones across Toronto.
• Five or six units are allowed in detached buildings in Wards 4, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 19 and 23, under By-law 654-2025.
• A multiplex can be 10.0 metres tall, or 10.5 metres for a fiveplex or sixplex whose lowest level meets the by-law test.
• The 19.0 metre building depth applies only on lots that pass a depth and frontage test.
• Since June 26, 2025, a triplex or larger may hold three bedrooms per unit, so a fourplex tops out at 12.
• Semi-detached houses and townhouses cannot be converted to five or six units.

Start with the number the zoning allows

A builder's first question about a house lot is how many homes it can hold. In Toronto the answer has two parts. The zoning sets a ceiling on units per lot, and then the building rules for height, depth, coverage and bedrooms decide how many of those units fit on the lot in front of you. This guide covers both parts for a multiplex, which is one building with several homes stacked at least partly on top of each other.

A lot on a Major Street follows a separate set of rules with higher limits, covered in the Major Streets guide. A lot that could be split in two is a question for the severance and minor variance guide. The developer hub has the full process from site search to permit.

How many units can a multiplex have in Toronto?

Four units are allowed across the city. The City's Multiplex Housing page, updated August 26, 2026, says four-unit multiplexes are permitted city-wide and that six-unit permissions vary by location. The four-unit rule applies in the five residential zones: R, RD, RS, RT and RM.

Council adopted the city-wide rules on May 10, 2023. The zoning change took effect on May 12, 2023 and the Official Plan change on June 14, 2023, according to the City's Multiplex Study page. Before that change, many zone labels allowed one or two units. The 2023 amendment raised the "u" values in the labels so that every residential zone permits up to four.

Five or six units are allowed in two areas only, and only in a detached building. That rule comes from By-law 654-2025, which Council enacted on June 26, 2025.

Which wards allow sixplexes in Toronto?

By-law 654-2025 names two areas. The first is the land inside the Toronto and East York Community Council boundary as it stood on June 26, 2025. The City's Community Council Area Profiles page lists that area as Wards 4, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14 and 19. The second area is the land bounded by Steeles Avenue to the north, Neilson Road and the Rouge River to the east, Highway 401 to the south and Midland Avenue to the west, which the by-law's overlay map labels Scarborough North (23).

Counted by ward, that is nine wards: eight in the Toronto and East York district plus Ward 23. The City's Multiplex Housing page names the same land as the Toronto and East York District and Ward 23. For a lot near an edge, read the diagrams attached to the by-law, because the by-law describes Ward 23 by its roads and fixes the district boundary at a date.

Ward 23 came first. The City's Ward 23 Multiplex Study page says Council adopted six-unit permissions there on February 5, 2025, in the RD, RS, RM and RT zones, and that no appeals were received. By-law 654-2025 repealed that earlier by-law and set one rule for both areas.

What counts as a multiplex under the zoning by-law?

The City's Considerations When Building Multiplexes page, last changed June 30, 2025, says a duplex, triplex or fourplex must have at least one dwelling unit entirely or partly above another. Homes built side by side are generally treated as a townhouse or a semi-detached house, and different standards apply to them.

By-law 648-2025 now groups these buildings under the term "detached houseplex". In the sixplex areas, By-law 654-2025 defines a detached houseplex as a building of no more than six units, on one lot, attached to no building on the next lot, with at least one unit above another. A house with one or more secondary suites stays under the house rules, which the secondary suites page covers. The difference matters for a builder, because the multiplex standards on height and floor area are more generous.

How tall and how deep can a multiplex be?

The Considerations page sets out height first. A multiplex has a height limit in metres and is exempt from the Height Overlay's limit on the number of storeys. If the overlay shows less than 10 metres, the multiplex limit is 10 metres. If it shows 10 metres or more, that figure applies.

In the sixplex areas, By-law 654-2025 lets a building with five or six units reach 10.5 metres. Three conditions apply to the lowest level across at least 80 percent of its interior floor area: the bottom of its ceiling joists sits between 1.0 and 1.5 metres above established grade, its floor-to-ceiling height is at least 2.4 metres, and it holds all or part of a dwelling unit. The extra half metre makes room for a lower unit set partly below ground.

Building depth decides how much floor area you get on a deep lot. By-law 648-2025 allows a houseplex to be 19.0 metres deep if the lot is at least 36.0 metres deep and less than 10.0 metres wide, or at least 40.0 metres deep and 10.0 metres wide or more. Other lots keep the zone's normal limit, which the by-law sets at 17.0 metres in the R zone. Check the clause for your own zone.

How many bedrooms can a multiplex hold?

This rule came in with By-law 648-2025 on June 26, 2025, and it shapes the unit mix of every new building with three or more units. A building with two units may hold four bedrooms per unit. A building with three or more units may hold three bedrooms per unit. A bachelor unit counts as one bedroom. A fourplex therefore holds at most 12 bedrooms, in any mix that keeps the total within the cap.

The by-law has a transition rule. A building can keep more bedrooms if its building permit matches plans from a zoning certificate request, a zoning by-law amendment application, a minor variance application or a site plan application that was filed on or before June 26, 2025. If you are buying a site with an approval already in hand, ask the seller for the filing dates.

Can an existing house be converted?

Yes, within limits. By-law 654-2025 lets a detached house in the sixplex areas become a fiveplex or sixplex and keep its status as a lawfully existing building, as long as the added units fit inside the building as it lawfully existed the day before the permit for those units. An addition or extension has to meet the current zoning or get a minor variance. The by-law counts a building as lawfully existing if it was permitted, or had a building permit issued, before June 26, 2025.

No part of a semi-detached house, a semi-detached houseplex or a townhouse may be converted to a fiveplex or sixplex. By-law 648-2025 defines a semi-detached houseplex as one half of a building on two abutting lots, with no more than four units in that half.

Can a garden or laneway suite sit beside a multiplex?

The Considerations page says a garden suite or a laneway suite can sit on the same property as a multiplex if certain regulations are met. A lot may hold one suite. Outside the sixplex areas, a fourplex plus a suite gives five homes on one lot. The City pages I read do not say whether a sixplex lot can also take a suite, so get that answer from Toronto Building in writing before you count seven. The suite rules themselves are on the garden suites and laneway suites pages.

Balconies, entrances and parking

The Considerations page gives each unit two balconies or decks, one at the front and one at the rear, on the second storey or above and within the projection limits. A corner lot may add balconies on the side wall that faces the street. A multiplex may have several front entrances, a change made by By-law 474-2023. No parking is required for a duplex, triplex or fourplex, a rule in place since February 3, 2022.

Is a city-wide sixplex rule coming?

The City's Sixplexes Citywide Study page, last changed June 30, 2025, describes a study of residential buildings with up to six units and four storeys across the city, started as part of the City's application to the federal Housing Accelerator Fund. A survey ran from March 25 to April 24, 2025 and drew 383 responses. The page gives no adoption date. Until the City reports a decision, plan five and six units only inside the two areas.

How I count a lot for a builder

When I review a lot, I read the zone label and its "u" number first, then any Chapter 900 exception. I check whether the lot sits inside one of the two sixplex areas. I measure frontage and depth against the 36.0 and 40.0 metre tests, then work out the floor area the height, depth, coverage and setbacks leave. Only then do I divide that floor area into units and check the bedroom total. The site screening guide covers the other checks, and the feasibility guide turns the count into numbers.

Questions to ask before you buy

• Does the zone label carry a "u" number or a Chapter 900 exception that sets stricter limits?
• Is the lot inside the Toronto and East York district or the Ward 23 area, or near the edge of one?
• Is the existing building detached, semi-detached or a townhouse?
• Does the lot pass the depth and frontage test for a 19.0 metre building?
• How many bedrooms does the unit mix need, and does it fit the cap?
• Is there room for a garden or laneway suite once the multiplex is placed?

For the history of these rules and what they mean for a street, see my posts on Toronto's low-rise neighbourhoods and on Missing Middle Housing. The zoning count is a ceiling. What will the lot in front of you hold once every rule is applied?

Frequently asked questions

How many homes can one multiplex hold on a Toronto lot?

One multiplex on a Toronto lot can hold up to four homes anywhere in the R, RD, RS, RT and RM zones. A detached building can hold five or six homes in the Toronto and East York district and in the Ward 23 area, under By-law 654-2025, enacted June 26, 2025. The City's Multiplex Housing page, updated August 26, 2026, says six-unit permissions vary by location.

Which Toronto wards allow fiveplexes and sixplexes?

Fiveplexes and sixplexes are allowed in Toronto's Wards 4, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14 and 19, which make up the Toronto and East York Community Council area, and in Ward 23, Scarborough North. That makes nine wards in total. By-law 654-2025 fixes the Toronto and East York boundary as it stood on June 26, 2025, and describes the Ward 23 area by its bounding roads.

What does Toronto's zoning by-law count as a multiplex?

Toronto's zoning by-law counts a building as a duplex, triplex or fourplex when it holds two to four homes and at least one home sits entirely or partly above another. The City's Considerations When Building Multiplexes page says homes built side by side are generally treated as a townhouse or a semi-detached house, with different standards. By-law 648-2025 calls these stacked buildings detached houseplexes.

How tall can a multiplex be in Toronto?

A Toronto multiplex can be 10.0 metres tall, or taller where the Height Overlay Map shows a higher figure for the area, and the storey limit on that map does not apply to it. In the sixplex areas, By-law 654-2025 allows 10.5 metres for a building with five or six units when its lowest level holds a home and meets a test for floor level and ceiling height.

How deep can a multiplex be on a Toronto lot?

A Toronto multiplex can be 19.0 metres deep when the lot is at least 36.0 metres deep and under 10.0 metres wide, or at least 40.0 metres deep and 10.0 metres wide or more. By-law 648-2025 sets that test. A lot that fails it keeps the zone's normal building depth limit, which By-law 648-2025 sets at 17.0 metres in the R zone.

How many bedrooms can a Toronto fourplex have?

A Toronto fourplex can have 12 bedrooms in total, because By-law 648-2025 caps a building of three or more units at three bedrooms per unit. A duplex may have four bedrooms per unit, or eight in total, and a bachelor unit counts as one bedroom. Projects whose zoning certificate request or complete planning application was filed on or before June 26, 2025 keep their earlier bedroom count.

Does lot coverage limit a multiplex in Toronto?

Lot coverage limits a Toronto multiplex when a coverage figure applies to the lot through the Lot Coverage Overlay, the Chapter 10 standards or a Chapter 900 exception. The City's Considerations When Building Multiplexes page says that limit still applies to multiplexes. The floor space index shown as a d value in the zone label is waived for multiplexes, though an exception can carry its own index.

Can an existing Toronto house become a fiveplex or sixplex?

An existing detached house in the Toronto and East York district or the Ward 23 area can become a fiveplex or sixplex if the new units fit inside the building as it lawfully stood the day before the building permit. By-law 654-2025 sets that rule. An addition must meet the zoning or get a minor variance, and no semi-detached house or townhouse may be converted to five or six units.

Can a builder add a garden suite beside a new multiplex in Toronto?

A builder can add a garden suite or a laneway suite on the same Toronto lot as a multiplex if the suite rules are met, according to the City's Considerations When Building Multiplexes page. A lot may hold one such suite. On a fourplex lot outside the sixplex areas, that gives five homes. The City pages I read do not say whether a sixplex lot can add a suite, so ask Toronto Building.

Will Toronto allow sixplexes across the whole city?

As of November 1, 2026, the City's Multiplex Housing page says six-unit permissions still vary by location. The City's Sixplexes Citywide Study page, last changed June 30, 2025, describes a study of buildings with up to six units and four storeys across the city, with a survey that drew 383 responses between March 25 and April 24, 2025. That page gives no adoption date.

What does the u number in a Toronto zone label mean?

The u number in a Toronto zone label is the most dwelling units the lot may hold. The City's Multiplex Study page says the May 2023 change amended u values to permit up to four units in all residential zones. In the Toronto and East York district and the Ward 23 area, By-law 654-2025 says that a u value below 6 becomes 6.

How many balconies can each unit in a Toronto multiplex have?

Each unit in a Toronto multiplex may have two balconies or decks, one at the front and one at the rear, according to the City's Considerations When Building Multiplexes page. They must sit on the second storey or higher and stay within the zoning by-law's projection limits. On a corner lot, a multiplex may also place balconies on the side wall that faces the street.

Sources

1. Multiplex Housing. City of Toronto. Updated August 26, 2026. Accessed November 1, 2026.
2. Considerations When Building Multiplexes. City of Toronto. Updated June 30, 2025. Accessed November 1, 2026.
3. Multiplex Study (2-4 Units). City of Toronto. Updated June 30, 2025. Accessed November 1, 2026.
4. By-law 648-2025, detached and semi-detached houseplexes. City of Toronto. Enacted June 26, 2025. Accessed November 1, 2026.
5. By-law 654-2025, fiveplexes and sixplexes. City of Toronto. Enacted June 26, 2025. Accessed November 1, 2026.
6. Ward 23 Multiplex Study. City of Toronto. Updated June 4, 2025. Accessed November 1, 2026.
7. Expanding Multiplex Permissions: Sixplexes Citywide Study. City of Toronto. Updated June 30, 2025. Accessed November 1, 2026.
8. Community Council Area Profiles. City of Toronto, City Planning. Accessed November 1, 2026.

Planning and development potential is property-specific and subject to zoning, approvals, site conditions, municipal review and other due diligence. This guide gives general information. For legal, tax or financial advice, ask your own lawyer and accountant.