Toronto, ON | Multiplex Resource Hub

The Toronto Multiplex Guide: Fourplexes Everywhere, Sixplexes in Nine Wards

Toronto let owners build up to four units as-of-right on every residential lot — no rezoning, no public meeting — when it adopted the city-wide multiplex by-law on May 10, 2023. Six units go further, but only in nine wards so far. This hub separates what is allowed everywhere from what depends on your ward, and documents the envelope, the permits, and the market behind it. Every claim cites the City of Toronto, the Province of Ontario, or CMHC.

Aerial illustration of Toronto residential neighbourhoods with ground-oriented fourplex and laneway-suite infill among older houses, downtown skyline in the distance

Check your Toronto lot The fourplex by-law Sixplexes & the 9 wards

Units allowed as-of-right city-wide

Units allowed in nine wards (plus opt-in)

285K

New homes Toronto pledged to facilitate by 2031

Public meetings for an as-of-right multiplex

Fourplex permission from the City of Toronto Multiplex Study. Sixplex wards from the Sixplexes Citywide Study. Housing target from the City's 285,000-home pledge.

What This Hub Gives You

✓The line between city-wide fourplexes and nine-ward sixplexes — and how to find which applies to your lot.
✓The as-of-right envelope — height, coverage, setbacks — and the FSI rule that does not apply to multiplexes.
✓Where laneway and garden suites add a unit, and the lot conditions each needs.
✓Area profiles for Old Toronto, East York, North York, Scarborough, Etobicoke, and York.
✓What Bill 23 exempts, what the Committee of Adjustment adds, and how the rental market actually looks.

Who This Hub Is For

Toronto Homeowner

You own a Toronto lot and want to know how many units you can build — a fourplex everywhere, or a sixplex if your ward qualifies.

Check eligibility →

Investor / Builder

You are targeting Toronto infill and need the difference between the city-wide fourplex rules, the nine-ward sixplex permissions, and Major Streets.

Sixplexes & the 9 wards →

Designer / Planner

You are designing for Toronto and need the as-of-right envelope — height, coverage, setbacks, parking — and when the Committee of Adjustment comes in.

The multiplex envelope →

The Core Tension

Toronto went past the province

Ontario's Bill 23 set a three-unit floor. On May 10, 2023, Toronto went further — permitting four units as-of-right city-wide, no rezoning and no public meeting, on every Neighbourhoods lot.

But six is not everywhere

The biggest misconception in Toronto right now: sixplexes are not legal city-wide. As of June 2025 they are as-of-right in nine wards, with an opt-in path for the rest — and federal funding riding on whether the city expands them.

What this hub does

It separates what is allowed everywhere from what is allowed only in your ward, and cites every claim to the City of Toronto, the Province of Ontario, CMHC, or Statistics Canada. No invented costs — facts you can act on.

Six Categories, One Answer

Policy & Zoning

EHON, the city-wide fourplex by-law, the nine-ward sixplexes, Major Streets, Bill 23, and Zoning By-law 569-2013.

Building Types

Duplex, triplex, fourplex, sixplex, laneway suite, and garden suite — what each allows and where.

Site & Design

The built-form envelope, parking reform, heritage conservation districts, and the Toronto Green Standard.

Permits & Economics

The building-permit path, development charges and Bill 23 exemptions, cost drivers, and financing.

Toronto Areas

Old Toronto, East York, North York, Scarborough, Etobicoke, York, and the sixplex-ward map.

Market & Money

CMHC rent and vacancy, the condo-rental competition, the 285,000-home target, and Toronto vs Ottawa.

The Toronto Multiplex Decision Funnel

Step 1

Is the lot in a residential Neighbourhoods zone?

The multiplex permissions apply to residential zones (RD, RS, RT, RM) on lands designated Neighbourhoods. That covers most of the city's residential lots.

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Step 2

Fourplex, or could it be a sixplex?

Four units are allowed anywhere. Six units are allowed only in nine wards — or in a ward whose councillor has opted in. Your ward decides the ceiling.

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Step 3

Does the design fit the as-of-right envelope?

Height, lot coverage, and setbacks still apply. If the design stays inside them, you go straight to a building permit. If not, you need a minor variance.

What Makes Toronto Different

Policy clarity (fourplex)

5/5

Four units are permitted as-of-right city-wide. No rezoning, no public meeting for a compliant build.

Sixplex availability

2/5

Only nine wards permit six units as-of-right. Most of the city is fourplex-only unless a ward opts in.

Variance risk

3/5

Many lots need a Committee of Adjustment minor variance to fit the design into the as-of-right envelope.

No-parking-minimum advantage

5/5

Since February 2022, a Toronto multiplex of up to four units requires no parking at all.

Three Likely Outcomes

Likely End State

Straight to Building Permit

The lot is in a residential Neighbourhoods zone and a fourplex (or sixplex, in a qualifying ward) fits the as-of-right envelope. No rezoning, no public meeting, no variance.

Likely End State

Minor Variance Path

The form is permitted but the design exceeds the envelope on height, coverage, or a setback. A Committee of Adjustment minor variance is needed — still no rezoning.

Likely End State

Fourplex Ceiling

Your ward is not one of the nine sixplex wards and has not opted in. Four units is the as-of-right maximum — unless you pursue the Major Streets or sixplex opt-in routes.

Best For

✓ Toronto owners in a residential Neighbourhoods zone building a fourplex within the as-of-right envelope.
✓ Lots in one of the nine sixplex wards, where six units are permitted without rezoning.
✓ Lots abutting a public laneway, where a laneway suite adds a unit on top of the multiplex.

Usually Fails When

✕ A pro forma assumes a sixplex on a lot outside the nine wards (and the ward has not opted in).
✕ The design exceeds the height, coverage, or setback envelope and the variance timeline was not budgeted.
✕ Development-charge treatment of the fourth-plus unit is assumed exempt when only the 2nd and 3rd are.

What To Verify Before Spending Money

→ The residential zone and Neighbourhoods designation for the parcel.
→ Which of the 25 wards the lot is in, and whether it permits a sixplex.
→ Whether the design fits the as-of-right envelope or needs a Committee of Adjustment variance.

Explore The Hub

START HERE

How It Works

Since May 2023, up to four units are permitted as-of-right on residential lots across Toronto — no rezoning, no Official Plan amendment. How a fourplex goes from a single-family lot to four homes, and what decides whether yours qualifies.

Is Your Lot Eligible?

Almost every residential lot in Toronto can hold a fourplex. Whether it can hold a sixplex depends on your ward. The eligibility test: residential zone, Neighbourhoods designation, lot dimensions, and which of the 25 wards you're in.

POLICY & ZONING

EHON Program

EHON is the umbrella for Toronto's low-rise housing reforms — multiplexes, garden suites, Major Streets, and neighbourhood retail. How the pieces fit together and what each one changed.

Multiplex By-law (4 units)

On May 10, 2023, Council adopted the Official Plan and Zoning By-law amendments permitting multiplexes of up to four units across all Neighbourhoods. What the by-law allows, when it took effect, and the envelope it works in.

Sixplexes & the 9 Wards

Sixplexes are not legal city-wide. As of June 2025, up to six units are permitted as-of-right in nine wards — the Toronto and East York district plus Scarborough North — with an opt-in path for the rest. The full list and the funding fight behind it.

Major Streets (6 storeys)

The Major Streets reforms permit townhouses and small apartment buildings up to six storeys on Neighbourhoods lots fronting major streets, city-wide. Adopted 2024, in force after a 2025 Ontario Land Tribunal decision.

Bill 23 (Ontario)

Ontario's More Homes Built Faster Act (Bill 23) requires up to three units as-of-right on serviced residential lots, removes parking minimums beyond one space, and exempts the second and third units from development charges. Toronto went further.

Bill 185 & Bill 109

Beyond Bill 23, Ontario's Bill 185 (2024) and Bill 109 (2022) reshaped approvals — overriding zoning that limits added units, removing parking minimums near transit, and changing application timelines and fees. What still matters for a multiplex.

Zoning By-law 569-2013

The city-wide zoning by-law sets the residential zones (R, RD, RS, RT, RM) and the rules a multiplex lives inside — height overlays, lot coverage, setbacks, and the FSI rule that does not apply to multiplexes.

Committee of Adjustment

A multiplex that fits the as-of-right zoning needs only a building permit. One that exceeds the envelope — on height, coverage, or setbacks — needs a minor variance from the Committee of Adjustment. When that line gets crossed, and what it adds.

BUILDING TYPES

Duplex

A duplex is two units in one building — the entry point to Toronto's multiplex permissions, well within the as-of-right envelope and exempt from parking minimums.

Triplex

Three units sits at the provincial Bill 23 floor and well within Toronto's city-wide multiplex by-law. How a triplex fits a typical Toronto lot, with no parking required.

Fourplex

Four units is the maximum permitted as-of-right anywhere in Toronto under the 2023 multiplex by-law. How a fourplex fits roughly the same envelope as a detached house, and where it makes sense.

Sixplex (building type)

In the nine wards where six units are permitted, a sixplex reaches up to four storeys in a detached building. The form, the unit mix, and how it differs from a fourplex.

Laneway Suite

Permitted city-wide since 2019, a laneway suite is a self-contained home in a separate building on a lot that abuts a public laneway. How it stacks with a multiplex and what a lot needs.

Garden Suite

Permitted city-wide since 2022, a garden suite is a detached rear-yard home on lots without a laneway. The difference from a laneway suite, what a yard needs, and the Etobicoke lot-depth nuance.

SITE & DESIGN

Built-Form Envelope

The as-of-right envelope a multiplex fits inside — the 10 m height overlay, the lot-coverage rules that still apply, the setbacks shared with other residential forms, and why FSI does not constrain a multiplex.

Parking Reform

Since February 2022, duplexes, triplexes, and fourplexes require no parking spaces at all in Toronto. How removing the minimum reshapes what fits on a lot and what it costs to build.

Heritage & Character

Toronto's older neighbourhoods carry Heritage Conservation Districts and listed properties. How heritage designation interacts with the as-of-right multiplex permissions, and where extra review applies.

Toronto Green Standard

The Toronto Green Standard applies through the planning-approval process. For an as-of-right multiplex built on a building permit alone, where TGS does and doesn't reach — and what to confirm with the City.

PERMITS & ECONOMICS

Permit Process

An as-of-right multiplex goes straight to a building permit — no rezoning, no Official Plan amendment, no public meeting. The step-by-step path, and what pushes a project into the planning-application stream instead.

Development Charges

Bill 23 exempts the second and third units on a lot from development charges and parkland. What that means for a triplex versus a fourplex or sixplex, and why you must confirm the City's current charges before underwriting.

What Drives Cost

The real cost drivers of a Toronto multiplex — lot and servicing, unit count and the Bill 23 charge threshold, variance risk, heritage review, and laneway-suite servicing. What to scope before you price it.

Financing

How small multiplex projects in Toronto are typically financed — land, construction draw, and the rental or sale take-out — and what lenders look for on a fourplex or sixplex deal.

TORONTO AREAS

Old Toronto

The pre-amalgamation core — the Annex, Leslieville, Riverdale, the Junction, High Park — with deep lots backing onto laneways, the best transit in the city, and most of the sixplex wards.

East York

Compact interwar bungalows and two-storeys around the Danforth and Pape Village, walkable and transit-rich. Beaches–East York is one of the nine sixplex wards.

North York

Postwar Willowdale and the Yonge and Sheppard subway corridors, with wide, deep lots that suit fourplex new-builds and garden suites within a walk of the subway.

Scarborough

Scarborough has the city's largest lots and, in Scarborough North (Ward 23), the suburban sixplex pilot — the City's own evidence that six-unit forms fit a typical suburban lot.

Etobicoke

Mimico, New Toronto, and Long Branch on the Lakeshore, plus the Islington and Kipling subway termini — wide, deep lots, with a 30 m lot-depth nuance for garden suites.

York

The smallest former municipality — Weston and Mount Dennis — with older working-class stock, lower land cost, and major transit upside from the Eglinton Crosstown and the Weston UP Express.

Sixplex Wards Map

The nine wards where sixplexes are permitted as-of-right, ward by ward, plus how a councillor in any other ward can opt in — and why the city-wide question is tied to federal funding.

MARKET & MONEY

Rental Market

Toronto's purpose-built vacancy rose to its highest since 2021 on record new supply. What the latest CMHC rent and vacancy data means for a multiplex held as rental.

Condo vs Multiplex Rental

More than 40% of Toronto's condos are rented out — a vast secondary market that competes with new purpose-built supply. Why a ground-oriented multiplex offers a different product, and where it wins.

285,000-Home Target

Toronto pledged to facilitate 285,000 new homes by 2031 — about double its recent pace. How the target, the Building Faster Fund, and the multiplex reforms connect.

Toronto vs Ottawa

Both cities exceeded Bill 23's three-unit floor, but differently — Toronto's four-units-everywhere plus nine-ward sixplexes versus Ottawa's four-units-as-of-right city-wide. How the two compare for a builder.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I build a fourplex in Toronto without rezoning? +

Yes, in most cases. On May 10, 2023, City Council adopted Official Plan and Zoning By-law amendments permitting multiplexes of up to four units as-of-right across all Neighbourhoods-designated lands. A compliant fourplex needs no rezoning, no Official Plan amendment, and no public meeting — you go straight to a building permit.

The city-wide multiplex by-law →

Are sixplexes legal everywhere in Toronto? +

No. This is the most common misconception. As of June 2025, sixplexes (five and six units) are permitted as-of-right in only nine wards — the eight Toronto and East York district wards plus Ward 23, Scarborough North, as a pilot. Other wards can opt in through their councillor. Everywhere else, the city-wide maximum remains four units.

The nine sixplex wards →

How many units can I build on a typical Toronto lot? +

Up to four units anywhere in a residential Neighbourhoods zone, under the 2023 multiplex by-law. Up to six units if your lot is in one of the nine sixplex wards (or a ward that has opted in). On a lot abutting a public laneway you may also add a laneway suite; on other lots, a garden suite — each an additional unit in an ancillary building.

Check your lot and ward →

Does a Toronto multiplex need parking? +

No. Since February 3, 2022, Toronto requires no parking spaces for duplexes, triplexes, or fourplexes. Removing the parking minimum is one of the biggest changes for what fits — and what it costs to build — on a typical lot.

Toronto parking reform →

When does a multiplex need a minor variance? +

Only if the design exceeds the as-of-right zoning. The use is permitted, but the building still has to fit the envelope — height (often a 10 m overlay), lot coverage, and setbacks. A design that stays inside those goes to a building permit; one that exceeds them applies to the Committee of Adjustment for a minor variance.

Committee of Adjustment →

How does Bill 23 affect a Toronto multiplex? +

Ontario's Bill 23 set a three-unit as-of-right floor province-wide and exempts the second and third units on a lot from development charges and parkland. Toronto went beyond the floor to four units city-wide. For a fourplex or sixplex, the development-charge treatment of the additional units beyond the third is not automatically exempt — confirm the City's current charges before underwriting.

Development charges & Bill 23 →