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.

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

Sixplexes & the 9 Wards

The policy: where six units are allowed.

Sixplex Wards Map

The nine-ward map and the opt-in process.

Fourplex

The city-wide four-unit maximum.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I build a sixplex anywhere in Toronto? +

No. A sixplex is not permitted city-wide. As of June 2025, up to six units are permitted as-of-right only in nine wards — eight in the Toronto and East York district plus Scarborough North as a pilot. A councillor in any other ward can opt in. Outside those wards, four units remains the as-of-right ceiling.

How tall can a sixplex be? +

In the wards where six units are permitted, a sixplex reaches up to four storeys in a detached residential building, under OPA 818 and Zoning By-law 654-2025 adopted by Council in June 2025. That is taller than the typical fourplex form, which is part of how six units fit.

How is a sixplex different from a fourplex? +

Two things: unit count and where it is allowed. A fourplex is up to four units, permitted as-of-right everywhere in a residential Neighbourhoods zone. A sixplex is five or six units, permitted as-of-right only in the nine wards (or a ward that opts in), and reaches up to four storeys. Same as-of-right approach, larger building, fewer places it is allowed.

Which wards allow a sixplex? +

Eight wards in the Toronto and East York district — Parkdale–High Park (4), Davenport (9), Spadina–Fort York (10), University–Rosedale (11), Toronto–St. Paul's (12), Toronto Centre (13), Toronto–Danforth (14), and Beaches–East York (19) — plus Scarborough North (23) as a suburban pilot.

What unit mix does a sixplex carry? +

Six units across up to four storeys gives more room for a mix than a fourplex — a blend of one- and two-bedroom homes, with the extra storey letting units stack rather than spread across the lot. The City's sixplex study treated the suburban Scarborough North pilot as evidence that a six-unit detached form fits a typical suburban lot.

Will sixplexes go city-wide? +

That is unresolved. Council kept the sixplex permission to nine wards with an opt-in path rather than making it city-wide, a decision tied to federal Housing Accelerator Fund conditions. Confirm the current status for your ward against the City's sixplex study page before designing for six units.