Policy & Zoning | Sixplexes & the 9 Wards

Sixplexes in Toronto: The Nine Wards

Start with the fact that gets misreported most often: sixplexes are not legal city-wide in Toronto. The city-wide permission stops at four units. Up to six units are permitted as-of-right in only nine wards, the change adopted in June 2025 under the Sixplexes Citywide Study. Every other ward has to opt in. Here is the map, the by-laws, and why it landed this way.

Key Takeaways

✓Sixplexes are not city-wide — the city-wide ceiling is four units.
✓Up to six units / four storeys as-of-right in nine wards (eight Toronto & East York wards + Ward 23 Scarborough North pilot).
✓Adopted June 25–26, 2025: OPA 818 + Zoning By-law 654-2025 (item 2025.PH22.4).
✓Other wards can opt in; the limited rollout was tied to federal Housing Accelerator Fund commitments.

The Nine Sixplex Wards

Ward	Name	District
Ward 4	Parkdale–High Park	Toronto & East York
Ward 9	Davenport	Toronto & East York
Ward 10	Spadina–Fort York	Toronto & East York
Ward 11	University–Rosedale	Toronto & East York
Ward 12	Toronto–St. Paul's	Toronto & East York
Ward 13	Toronto Centre	Toronto & East York
Ward 14	Toronto–Danforth	Toronto & East York
Ward 19	Beaches–East York	Toronto & East York
Ward 23	Scarborough North (pilot)	Scarborough

Ward list from the City of Toronto Sixplexes Citywide Study (council item 2025.PH22.4, June 25–26, 2025). Confirm your ward's current status with City Planning before designing for six units.

Why Only Nine Wards?

The Sixplexes Citywide Study was, as the name says, a study of permitting six units across the whole city. Council instead adopted the six-unit permission as-of-right in nine wards — eight in the Toronto and East York district, plus Ward 23 (Scarborough North) as a suburban pilot — and built in an opt-in path so any other ward could add it later through its councillor.

The limited rollout carried a cost. Toronto's housing reforms are tied to the federal Housing Accelerator Fund, and reporting around the decision flagged roughly $30 million in funding at risk for not going city-wide. That tension — federal money pushing for city-wide, Council landing on nine wards plus opt-in — is the backdrop to where sixplexes stand today.

Best For

✓ A lot in one of the nine sixplex wards where five or six units pencil out.
✓ A detached-building form up to four storeys, the envelope the City studied.
✓ Owners in an opted-in ward, after confirming the councillor brought the permission in.

Usually Fails When

✕ Assuming a sixplex anywhere in Toronto — outside the nine wards (and without an opt-in) the ceiling is four.
✕ Treating "city-wide" coverage of the four-unit by-law as if it extended to six units.
✕ Designing for six units before confirming the ward's current status with City Planning.

What To Verify Before Spending Money

→ Which of the 25 wards the lot sits in, and whether it is one of the nine.
→ For any other ward, whether the councillor has opted in to sixplex permissions.
→ The residential zone and Neighbourhoods designation, same as for a fourplex.

Where to Go Next

The Multiplex By-law

The city-wide four-unit permission underneath it all.

Sixplex Wards Map

The nine wards on the map, plus the opt-in process.

Scarborough

Ward 23, the suburban sixplex pilot.

Frequently Asked Questions

Are sixplexes legal across Toronto? +

No. Sixplexes are not permitted city-wide. The city-wide as-of-right permission stops at four units. As of June 2025, up to six units are permitted as-of-right in only nine wards — eight in the Toronto and East York district plus Ward 23 (Scarborough North) as a pilot. Any other ward has to opt in through its councillor. So a sixplex is a ward-by-ward question, not a city-wide one.

Which Toronto wards allow sixplexes? +

Nine wards: Ward 4 (Parkdale–High Park), Ward 9 (Davenport), Ward 10 (Spadina–Fort York), Ward 11 (University–Rosedale), Ward 12 (Toronto–St. Paul's), Ward 13 (Toronto Centre), Ward 14 (Toronto–Danforth), Ward 19 (Beaches–East York), and Ward 23 (Scarborough North), the last as a pilot. The first eight are all in the Toronto and East York district.

How many units and storeys does a Toronto sixplex allow? +

In the qualifying wards, the permission allows up to six units and up to four storeys in a detached residential building. That is the form the City studied under the Sixplexes Citywide Study, adopted by Council on June 25–26, 2025 through OPA 818 and Zoning By-law 654-2025.

What is OPA 818 and By-law 654-2025? +

They are the planning instruments that created the sixplex permission. OPA 818 is the Official Plan Amendment and By-law 654-2025 is the Zoning By-law Amendment, both adopted by Council on June 25–26, 2025 under council item 2025.PH22.4. They permit up to six units in the nine qualifying wards.

Can a ward outside the nine opt in to sixplexes? +

Yes. The framework includes an opt-in process so a councillor in a ward that is not among the nine can bring sixplex permissions to their ward. Until a ward opts in, its as-of-right ceiling remains four units under the city-wide multiplex by-law. Confirm your ward's current status before designing for six units.

Why was the sixplex permission limited to nine wards? +

Council chose to permit sixplexes as-of-right in nine wards rather than city-wide. That decision was tied to Toronto's federal Housing Accelerator Fund commitments — reporting at the time flagged roughly $30 million in funding at risk for not going city-wide. The result is the nine-ward map plus an opt-in path, rather than a single city-wide permission.