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.
Ward boundaries do not follow the neighbourhood names people use, so the only reliable way to know is to check the address itself. Find out whether your ward is one of the nine .
From the City permit register
How many sixplexes have actually been applied for
Since January 2024 24 new-build applications whose permit description names a sixplex have been filed, across 24 addresses. That is 2.8% of all new multiplex applications in the city.
Counted a different way, 37 new-build projects citywide added 6 new homes. That figure is not the same thing: the City records new homes net of what was demolished, so a sixplex replacing a house adds fewer than it contains.
Across the 21 of them that state a declared construction value, the median is $1,000,000, running from $800,000 at the 25th percentile to $1,500,000 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 14 of them, taking a median of 68 days from application. That is 13 days faster than the citywide median of 81 days. 10 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.
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
Frequently Asked Questions
Are sixplexes legal across Toronto?
Which Toronto wards allow sixplexes?
How many units and storeys does a Toronto sixplex allow?
What is OPA 818 and By-law 654-2025?
Can a ward outside the nine opt in to sixplexes?
Why was the sixplex permission limited to nine wards?
Official Sources Referenced
Related reading
Longer pieces on the same question.
Find out whether your ward is one of the nine
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