Policy & Zoning | EHON Program
Expanding Housing Options in Neighbourhoods
Most of Toronto's recent low-rise housing reforms sit under one program: Expanding Housing Options in Neighbourhoods, or EHON. It is the City's initiative to bring back the "missing middle" — duplexes through low-rise walk-ups — inside the areas the Official Plan designates Neighbourhoods. EHON has four priority projects: Multiplex, Garden Suites, Major Streets, and Local Retail. Here is what each one is.
Key Takeaways
- ✓EHON is the umbrella program for Toronto's low-rise missing-middle reforms, run by City Planning.
- ✓It has four priority projects: Multiplex, Garden Suites, Major Streets, and Local Retail.
- ✓The Multiplex project is the city-wide piece — up to four units as-of-right.
- ✓Sixplexes are not an EHON city-wide permission — they are a later, nine-ward expansion.
EHON bundles several separate permissions, and a given lot qualifies for some of them and not others. See which ones reach your address .
The Four Priority Projects
Multiplex
Up to 4 units city-wideThe multiplex by-law lets a residential lot hold up to four units as-of-right, in roughly the same building envelope as a detached house. Adopted May 2023. This is the centrepiece of EHON.
The multiplex by-law →Garden Suites
+1 detached rear-yard unitA garden suite is a detached home in the rear yard of a lot that does not back onto a lane. Permitted city-wide since 2022. It stacks on top of the units in the main house.
Garden suites →Major Streets
Up to 6 storeysOn Neighbourhoods lots that front a major street, the reforms permit townhouses and small apartment buildings up to six storeys, city-wide. In force after a 2025 Ontario Land Tribunal decision.
Major Streets →Local Retail
Small-scale neighbourhood storesThe retail project looks at permitting small-scale stores and services in residential neighbourhoods — the corner shop that pre-war zoning made hard to open. It rounds out the low-rise mix.
How the Pieces Fit Together
EHON is the planning initiative; the by-laws are what it produced. The Multiplex project gave Toronto its city-wide four-unit permission. Garden Suites added a detached rear-yard home on lots without a lane. Major Streets opened up to six storeys on lots fronting an avenue. Local Retail looks at small neighbourhood stores. None of these is a rezoning you apply for — they changed the base zoning, so a compliant project goes straight to a building permit.
One thing to keep straight: EHON's city-wide multiplex permission stops at four units. The sixplex expansion that followed in 2025 is a separate, narrower reform — six units as-of-right in nine wards only, not city-wide.
Best For
- ✓ Understanding which Toronto reform applies before scoping a low-rise project.
- ✓ Owners weighing a multiplex against adding a garden suite, or both together.
- ✓ Lots fronting a major street, where the six-storey permission may beat a fourplex.
Usually Fails When
- ✕ Treating "EHON" as a single permission rather than four distinct projects with different rules.
- ✕ Assuming the EHON multiplex permission allows six units city-wide — it stops at four.
- ✕ Expecting Local Retail or Major Streets rules to apply on a quiet interior lot where they do not.
What To Verify Before Spending Money
- → Which EHON project actually governs your lot — multiplex, garden suite, or major-street frontage.
- → The residential zone and Neighbourhoods designation for the parcel.
- → Whether your ward allows more than four units before you design for it.
Where to Go Next
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Expanding Housing Options in Neighbourhoods (EHON)?
What are the four EHON priority projects?
Does EHON make sixplexes legal across Toronto?
How is EHON different from the multiplex by-law?
Who runs EHON and where is it documented?
Official Sources Referenced
Related reading
Longer pieces on the same question.
Which EHON permission applies at your address
EHON covers several separate permissions, and a given lot qualifies for some and not others. PlexCheck shows which ones reach your address.
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