Written by David Babakaiff — Co-Founder, VanPlex | 25+ Years BC Construction

Site & Design | Parking Reform

Toronto Parking Reform: No Minimums for Multiplexes

One of the quieter changes did more for small infill than people realize. Since February 3, 2022, a duplex, triplex, or fourplex in Toronto requires no on-site parking at all. Council removed most minimum parking requirements on December 15, 2021 through its review of parking requirements (item PH29.3). That took a stall off the lot and a number out of the budget.

Key Takeaways

✓No parking required for duplexes, triplexes, and fourplexes since Feb 3, 2022.
✓Adopted by Council Dec 15, 2021 (item PH29.3); applies city-wide to new development.
✓You may still provide parking — it is optional, not banned.
✓Accessible, visitor, and bicycle provisions were retained and later updated — confirm those.

With no minimum, the area a parking pad would have taken becomes buildable. Model your lot without a parking requirement and see what that frees up.

What Removing the Minimum Actually Does

No minimum to satisfy

A duplex, triplex, or fourplex can be approved with zero on-site parking. You are free to provide parking if the market wants it, but the by-law no longer forces a space onto the lot to get a permit.

More of the lot for the building

A driveway and a parking pad eat width and rear yard. Without a required space, that area can go to the building footprint, amenity, or landscaping — which is part of why a fourplex now fits an envelope close to a single house.

No curb-cut or drive-aisle forced in

On a narrow lot, fitting a required space often meant a curb cut, a drive aisle, and a hardscaped side yard. Removing the minimum takes those off the table unless you choose them.

Cost taken out of the pro forma

Parking is one of the more expensive things to build per stall, especially anything structured or below grade. Not being required to build it removes a line item that small infill projects struggled to carry.

What the Reform Did Not Remove

The 2021 decision removed the general minimums for car parking. It did not strip out everything. Accessible and visitor parking provisions were retained, and the City later updated its accessible and bicycle parking standards — those changes were adopted February 5, 2025 and took effect March 31, 2025.

So the clean line is: no minimum car parking for a small multiplex, but accessible, visitor, and bicycle requirements still have their own rules. For a typical fourplex these are usually modest, but confirm the current standards with the City before you finalize a layout.

Best For

✓ Narrow or shallow lots where fitting a required stall used to force a variance.
✓ Designs that put lot area into the building, amenity, or landscaping instead of a driveway.
✓ Pro formas that needed parking cost — especially structured parking — taken off the table.

Usually Fails When

✕ A buyer or tenant base that genuinely needs a car space is ignored on a car-dependent lot.
✕ Accessible, visitor, or bicycle provisions are overlooked because "no parking" was read too broadly.
✕ A curb cut or drive aisle is added by habit, eating lot area the design did not need to give up.

What To Verify Before Spending Money

→ That your building type (duplex/triplex/fourplex) falls under the no-minimum rule.
→ The current accessible, visitor, and bicycle parking standards for the project.
→ Whether providing optional parking actually helps the lease-up or sale on your lot.

Where to Go Next

Built-Form Envelope

Height, coverage, and setbacks the building fits inside.

What Drives Cost

Where parking sits among the real cost drivers.

Bill 23 (Ontario)

The provincial limit of one parking space per unit.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does a Toronto fourplex need parking? +

No. Since February 3, 2022, duplexes, triplexes, and fourplexes require no on-site parking spaces in Toronto. City Council removed most minimum parking requirements for new development on December 15, 2021 (item PH29.3), and the change came into force in early February 2022. You can still provide parking, but it is no longer required to get a permit.

When did Toronto remove parking minimums? +

City Council adopted the removal of most minimum parking requirements on December 15, 2021, through planning item PH29.3, and it came into force on February 3, 2022. The reform applies city-wide to new development, including small multiplexes.

Are there any parking rules left for a multiplex? +

The reform removed the general minimums, but accessible and visitor parking provisions were retained, and the accessible and bicycle parking rules were updated again (adopted February 5, 2025, effective March 31, 2025). So "no minimum" is the rule for general car parking, while accessible, visitor, and bicycle provisions still have their own requirements. Confirm the current standards for your project with the City.

Can I still build parking if I want to? +

Yes. Removing the minimum does not ban parking — it just stops requiring it. If your tenants or buyers will value a space and the lot can take one without compromising the design, you can include it. The point of the reform is that the decision is yours rather than forced by the by-law.

How does no parking change what fits on the lot? +

A required parking space usually meant a driveway, a curb cut, and a hardscaped side or rear yard. Freed of that, more of the lot can go to the building, amenity space, or landscaping. On narrow lots especially, removing the space is often the difference between a design that works as-of-right and one that needed a variance to fit parking in.

Official Sources Referenced

City of Toronto — Review of Parking Requirements for New Development

https://www.toronto.ca/city-government/planning-development/planning-studies-initiatives/review-of-parking-requirements-for-new-development/

General information, not legal advice. Zoning and permitting rules are set by each municipality and change over time. Verify current requirements directly with the municipal Planning Department before making a decision.

See what the parking removal freed up on your lot

With no parking minimum, the area that used to hold cars becomes rentable floor area. PlexCheck models the units without a parking requirement.

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Model it without parking

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