Your property may now support a 6-storey apartment building.
Toronto now allows small apartment buildings on qualifying residential properties along designated Major Streets. Enter your address to check whether yours may qualify.
Free property check · No account required · Based on Toronto zoning data
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What we check
Four checks behind every Major Street report.
1
Map 3 Frontage
We check whether the lot fronts or flanks a designated Major Street before testing the development path.
2
Townhouse or Apartment
The project flow starts by asking which Major Street building type you want to explore for the report.
3
Buildable Massing
Height, setbacks, lot coverage, angular planes, and site shape determine what the permission can actually hold.
4
Access + Trees
Parking strategy, existing-building retention, and tree constraints can shift feasibility even when the street signal is strong.
Every report is based on your address's verified zoning and lot record.
What it is
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.
Before / after
One property. Very different development potential.
Before Major Streets changes
Typical low-rise residential permissions
→
Major Streets framework
Up to 6 storeys — small apartment building
A townhouse form (up to 4 storeys) may also be possible on eligible lots.
Toronto's Major Streets changes expand the types of housing that can be built on qualifying residential properties. Instead of limiting redevelopment primarily to houses and multiplexes, eligible sites can now be considered for townhouse and small apartment-building forms.
Eligibility
Is your property eligible?
The street's name isn't the real test. Eligibility depends on four things together.
01
Major Street
The property must front or flank a street identified on Official Plan Map 3.
02
Neighbourhoods
The Major Streets framework is aimed at properties designated Neighbourhoods.
03
Residential zoning
The applicable residential zone and site-specific exceptions must be checked.
04
Development envelope
Lot dimensions, setbacks, landscaping, trees, access and other regulations determine what actually fits.
Being on a Major Street does not automatically mean a six-storey building is permitted.
The City determines Major Streets using Official Plan Map 3 — not simply whether a road happens to be large or busy.
Two new development paths
What could you build?
Apartment building
Up to 6 storeys
Typical zoning height framework19 m
Important threshold in several Major Street provisions≤ 60 units
Small apartment form
Townhouse
Up to 4 storeys
Typical zoning height framework13 m
Multiple homesGround-oriented form
This is a guide to building type, not a full standards list — your report covers the actual zoning envelope for your address.
5 steps — historically two to four years before a shovel goes in the ground
Major Street as-of-right path
1
Concept
2
Zoning compliance
3
Building permit / other required approvals
3 steps — apply for a building permit once your design meets zoning
If your proposed development complies with the applicable zoning, you may not need a rezoning or Official Plan Amendment to establish the permitted Major Street building type.
Key rules at a glance
Frontage requirement
Lot must front or flank a designated Major Street on Official Plan Map 3
Max height — apartments
Up to 6 storeys as of right on eligible lots
Max height — townhouses
Up to 4 storeys as of right on eligible lots
Parking minimum
None — Toronto removed minimum parking requirements city-wide in 2021
Rezoning
Generally not required where the proposed use and building comply with the Major Streets zoning permissions
Minor variance
May still be required if the proposed design does not comply with one or more applicable zoning standards
Development charges
Relief available for small multiplexes and affordable / purpose-built rental — project-specific
The development envelope
Six storeys doesn't mean six storeys fit everywhere.
Height
19 m / six-storey apartment framework
Front setback
Varies with lot conditions
Rear setback
Controls building depth
Side setbacks
Depend on building configuration and windows
Landscaping
Required open and soft landscaped areas
Angular plane
Can shape upper-storey massing
Trees
Existing trees can materially affect the buildable envelope
Access
Driveway, parking, loading and fire access may influence design
The zoning permission establishes what may be possible. The lot geometry determines what is practical.
Real scenarios
What does this look like on a Toronto lot?
25 ft lot
Constrained Major Street Site
Apartment permission may exist, but width, setbacks, trees and access can significantly constrain the envelope.
40–50 ft lot
Small Apartment Opportunity
A wider lot may provide substantially more flexibility for an apartment-building form.
Assembled lots
Development Site
Combining adjacent properties may create a more significant apartment-building opportunity, though lot assembly, severance, and consent requirements add real complexity and are never guaranteed. [DRAFT — needs review]
Property analysis
What the analysis brings together for the address.
A focused view of Major Street eligibility, the recorded property, zoning information, and details that still need confirmation.
Major Street frontage appears to support the apartment-building path. The report still needs to test the envelope, lot coverage, and access strategy.
Major Street signalFrontage indicatedPass
Building typeApartment buildingPass
Envelope3D massing requiredReview
Existing buildingRebuild likelyReview
FAQ
Major Street development, plainly answered.
The questions owners and small developers ask before spending money on a concept.
Ready when you are
Check the street. Test the massing.
Start with the address. The analysis opens with the Major Street path ready, then your report.
