Building Types | Sixplex (building type)
Building a Sixplex in Toronto: Six Units, Where They're Allowed
Start with the part people get wrong: a sixplex is not legal everywhere. As of June 2025, up to six units are permitted as-of-right only in nine wards, with an opt-in path for the rest. Where they are allowed, a sixplex reaches up to four storeys in a detached building. Everywhere else, four units remains the ceiling.
Key Takeaways
- ✓A sixplex is only permitted in nine wards (plus opt-in) — not city-wide.
- ✓Up to six units / four storeys in a detached residential building.
- ✓Permitted under OPA 818 and By-law 654-2025, adopted June 2025.
- ✓Outside the wards, the as-of-right maximum is a fourplex.
Six units only work where the lot area, the rents and the build cost line up. Price six units on a real lot , using CMHC survey rents for that part of the city.
The Form: Up to Four Storeys, Detached
Where six units are permitted, the building can reach up to four storeys in a detached residential building, under OPA 818 and Zoning By-law 654-2025, adopted by Council in June 2025. The extra storey over a typical fourplex is how the building carries two more units without sprawling across the lot.
Six units across four storeys gives more room for a unit mix than a fourplex — units can stack rather than spread, leaving room for a blend of one- and two-bedroom homes. The City's sixplex study treated the suburban Scarborough North pilot as evidence that a six-unit detached form fits a typical suburban lot, not only the deep lots of the old city.
Where Six Units Are Permitted
| 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 |
Nine wards as-of-right; a councillor in any other ward can opt in. Confirm against council item 2025.PH22.4.
Sixplex vs Fourplex
Fourplex
- Up to four units.
- As-of-right everywhere in a residential Neighbourhoods zone.
- Fits roughly the same envelope as a detached house.
Sixplex
- Five or six units.
- As-of-right only in nine wards (or a ward that opts in).
- Up to four storeys in a detached building.
Best For
- ✓ Lots inside one of the nine sixplex wards aiming for five or six units.
- ✓ Sites that can carry a four-storey detached building and a richer unit mix.
- ✓ The Scarborough North pilot, where the City accepts a six-unit form on a suburban lot.
Usually Fails When
- ✕ A sixplex is assumed on a lot outside the nine wards, with no opt-in by the councillor.
- ✕ A four-storey form is designed before confirming the ward and current sixplex status.
- ✕ The wider city-wide question (tied to federal funding) is treated as already settled.
What To Verify Before Spending Money
- → Which of the 25 wards the lot is in, and whether six units are permitted there.
- → Whether a non-listed ward has opted in via its councillor.
- → The current sixplex permission against the City's sixplex study page.
Where to Go Next
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I build a sixplex anywhere in Toronto?
How tall can a sixplex be?
How is a sixplex different from a fourplex?
Which wards allow a sixplex?
What unit mix does a sixplex carry?
Will sixplexes go city-wide?
Official Sources Referenced
Related reading
Longer pieces on the same question.
Price six units on a real lot
A sixplex only pencils out where the lot area, the rents and the build cost line up. PlexCheck runs those three together using CMHC rents for your survey zone.
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.