Is your Toronto property on aMajor Street?

In September 2025, Toronto's Major Streets Study came into full force — meaning homeowners on hundreds of arterial roads can now build small apartments and townhouses as-of-right. Does your property qualify?

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What is Major Street Development in Toronto?

Toronto's Major Streets framework — part of the City's Official Plan amendments and Zoning By-law 1062-2025 — allows small apartment buildings and townhouses to be built on residential lots that front or flank designated arterial roads. Before September 2025, anything above a fourplex required a rezoning application that could take two to four years. That path still exists, but eligible Major Street properties now have a faster, as-of-right alternative.

The catch: frontage on a designated street is only the first test. Zoning standards, lot size, setbacks, and site conditions still determine what you can actually build. That's what LotMore checks for your specific address.

Which Toronto Streets Are Affected?

The Major Streets designation applies to hundreds of arterial corridors across the city, including Bathurst Street, Bayview Avenue, Bloor Street West, Danforth Avenue, Eglinton Avenue East and West, Finch Avenue, Jane Street, Keele Street, Kingston Road, Lawrence Avenue, Sheppard Avenue, St. Clair Avenue, Wilson Avenue, and Yonge Street — among many others. Lots on these streets in residential neighbourhoods are the primary target.

But the designation follows Official Plan Map 3, not a simple street name list. Two houses on the same block can get different results depending on lot orientation, which direction they front, and local zoning overlays. The only reliable way to check is at the address level.

What's Now Permitted — Up to 6 Storeys as of Right

On eligible properties, the amended zoning by-law permits apartment buildings up to 6 storeys and townhouses up to 4 storeys without a rezoning application. This is a significant change from the previous rules, which capped neighbourhood residential intensification at 3–4 storeys in most cases and required Committee of Adjustment approval for anything beyond a modest addition.

Development charges for new units may also be reduced or waived under the City's affordable housing and infill incentive programs, potentially saving $200,000–$270,000 per project depending on unit count and tenure.

The real constraint isn't the permission — it's the envelope. Height, setbacks, angular plane controls, and lot coverage still determine how much building the site can actually hold. That's where the massing analysis matters.

What "As-of-Right" Means for Homeowners

As-of-right means the permission already exists in the zoning by-law — you don't need a rezoning application, an Official Plan Amendment, or City Council approval. You apply directly for a building permit once your design meets all applicable zoning standards.

You still need to comply with setbacks, lot coverage, height limits, angular plane controls, and applicable building code requirements. And you still need an architect and a permit. But you skip the planning application process — which is where most projects used to lose two to four years and tens of thousands in carrying costs before a shovel went in the ground.

Major Street Development Toronto 2026 — Key Rules at a Glance