Building Types | Fourplex
The Toronto Fourplex: Four Units, the City-Wide Maximum
Four units is the maximum permitted as-of-right anywhere in Toronto. Council adopted the multiplex by-law on May 10, 2023, permitting up to four units in residential Neighbourhoods zones city-wide. The City's own framing is that those four units fit roughly the same envelope as a detached house — no rezoning, no public meeting, and no parking required.
Key Takeaways
- ✓Four units is the city-wide ceiling — the as-of-right maximum everywhere.
- ✓Permitted in residential Neighbourhoods zones since the May 2023 by-law.
- ✓Fits roughly the same envelope as a detached house; FSI does not apply.
- ✓No rezoning, no public meeting, no parking for a compliant build.
Four units is permitted city-wide, but whether a fourplex is worth building depends on the lot area, the rent zone and the cost per square foot. Price a fourplex on your lot .
From the City permit register
How many fourplexes have actually been applied for
Since January 2024 309 new-build applications whose permit description names a fourplex have been filed, across 277 addresses. That is 36.4% of all new multiplex applications in the city.
Counted a different way, 366 new-build projects citywide added 4 new homes. That figure is not the same thing: the City records new homes net of what was demolished, so a fourplex replacing a house adds fewer than it contains.
Across the 294 of them that state a declared construction value, the median is $1,000,000, running from $600,000 at the 25th percentile to $1,300,000 at the 75th. That is the figure the applicant wrote on the application. It is not a sale price, it is not the finished cost of the build, and it excludes the land.
The City has issued 239 of them, taking a median of 91 days from application. That is 10 days slower than the citywide median of 81 days. 70 are still waiting and are not in that median.
New-build projects only, from the City of Toronto's Active and Cleared building permit registers. Conversions of existing houses, added basement suites, laneway and garden suites are counted separately and are not in these figures. See the full permit tracker for the method.
Four Units, Roughly a House-Sized Envelope
The fourplex is the flagship form of Toronto's reforms because it is the most a lot can hold without leaving the as-of-right stream. The City's multiplex study permits up to four units within an envelope close to what a detached house on the same lot would occupy.
That envelope still has rules. The height overlay caps the building, the lot-coverage regulations still apply, and the setbacks are shared with other residential building types in the zone. The maximum FSI does not apply to a multiplex, which is why four units can fit without the floor-area constraint a house would otherwise carry. A design inside all of that goes to a building permit; one that exceeds it needs a minor variance.
Where the Fourplex Sits on the Ladder
| Type | Units | Where allowed |
|---|---|---|
| Duplex | 2 | City-wide, as-of-right |
| Triplex | 3 | City-wide, as-of-right (also the Bill 23 floor) |
| Fourplex | 4 | City-wide, as-of-right (2023 multiplex by-law) |
| Sixplex | 5–6 | Nine wards as-of-right; opt-in elsewhere |
| Laneway suite | +1 ancillary | City-wide, on lots abutting a public lane |
| Garden suite | +1 ancillary | City-wide, on lots without a lane |
Four units is the as-of-right ceiling everywhere; five or six are only permitted in nine wards.
No Parking Minimum
Since February 3, 2022, duplexes, triplexes, and fourplexes require no parking spaces in Toronto. For a fourplex this matters more than for a duplex: four parking pads would have eaten the rear yard and pushed the building footprint. Removing the minimum is a large part of why four units fit a house-sized envelope at all.
Best For
- ✓ Getting the most units a lot can hold without leaving the as-of-right stream.
- ✓ Residential Neighbourhoods lots where four units fit the height, coverage, and setback envelope.
- ✓ Owners who want a building permit with no rezoning, no public meeting, and no parking.
Usually Fails When
- ✕ Five or six units are assumed on a lot outside the nine sixplex wards.
- ✕ The design exceeds the envelope and the Committee of Adjustment variance timeline was not planned.
- ✕ A Heritage Conservation District adds review that was not scoped.
What To Verify Before Spending Money
- → The residential zone and Neighbourhoods designation for the parcel.
- → Whether the four-unit design fits the as-of-right envelope or needs a variance.
- → Whether the ward permits more than four units, if a fifth or sixth is wanted.
Where to Go Next
Frequently Asked Questions
How many units can a fourplex have in Toronto, and where?
Do I need a rezoning or public meeting for a fourplex?
Does a fourplex need parking in Toronto?
Does a fourplex really fit the same envelope as a house?
When does a fourplex need a Committee of Adjustment variance?
When did the four-unit by-law take effect?
Official Sources Referenced
Related reading
Longer pieces on the same question.
The four-unit permission read against a real lot, and where it stops.
What removing the parking minimum freed up on a typical lot.
Which nine wards allow six units, and how to check your own address.
Price a fourplex on your lot
Four units is permitted city-wide, but the returns depend on your lot area, your CMHC rent zone and the cost per square foot. PlexCheck runs all three.
Free. City-stamped zoning and CMHC survey rents. Takes about 30 seconds.
Building in Toronto, not just modelling it
PlexCheck models any Toronto lot today. VanPlex does not yet build in Toronto or work with Toronto trades and lenders. Join the list and we will tell you when that changes.