Toronto's sixplex wards explained

Toronto allows fourplexes everywhere, but five and six units only in part of the city. Here is where sixplexes are allowed as of October 2026, what's different about them and what to check on a lot.

By Mehran Salehian, Sales Representative · Reviewed October 2026

Where sixplexes are allowed

Since mid-2025, Toronto has allowed residential buildings with up to six units in the Toronto and East York district and in Ward 23 Scarborough North. Four-unit multiplexes remain allowed citywide (City of Toronto, Multiplex Housing). The City's own housing page still described sixplexes in October 2026 as "only currently permitted in Toronto & East York District and Ward 23" (Expanding Housing Options in Neighbourhoods).

That is nine of the city's 25 wards (CBC News, June 2025):

• Ward 4, Parkdale-High Park
• Ward 9, Davenport
• Ward 10, Spadina-Fort York
• Ward 11, University-Rosedale
• Ward 12, Toronto-St. Paul's
• Ward 13, Toronto Centre
• Ward 14, Toronto-Danforth
• Ward 19, Beaches-East York
• Ward 23, Scarborough North

Use the map, not the ward name

The zoning by-law doesn't define the sixplex area by ward number. It uses a "Sixplex Overlay Map" covering the Toronto and East York Community Council area as its boundaries stood on June 26, 2025, plus a Scarborough area bounded by Steeles Avenue to the north, Neilson Road and the Rouge River to the east, Highway 401 to the south and Midland Avenue to the west (By-law 654-2025). If a lot is near one of those edges, or if ward lines change in future, the overlay map is what counts.

Other wards

The remaining 16 wards allow up to four units. When Council voted, it let councillors in other wards ask the Chief Planner to extend the sixplex permissions to their wards (CBC News). As of October 2026, the City's pages still list only the nine wards above. Check the multiplex page for any change before you rely on this list.

How the sixplex permission came about

1. Ward 23 pilot. On February 5, 2025, Council approved up to six units in Ward 23 for lots zoned RD, RS, RM or RT. No appeals were received, so the change is in effect (Ward 23 Multiplex Study).
2. Toronto and East York. On June 25–26, 2025, Council adopted By-law 653-2025 (Official Plan) and By-law 654-2025 (zoning), along with a monitoring by-law (648-2025). Together they extended the permission to the Toronto and East York district and folded Ward 23 into the same overlay (City of Toronto, Multiplex Housing).

The City had studied allowing sixplexes citywide (Sixplexes Citywide Study), but Council limited the permission to these areas.

What's allowed in the sixplex area

The zoning calls a building of this kind a "detached houseplex". The key points (Zoning By-law section 600.60):

• Up to six units on one lot, in a building not attached to a building on the next lot, with at least one unit fully or partly above another.
• Conversions of detached houses. An existing detached house can be converted to five or six units. The building is still treated as lawfully existing, as long as the new units fit entirely inside the building as it already stood before the permit.
• Semi-detached houses and townhouses can't be converted to five or six units this way.
• Height can reach 10.5 metres if the lowest level holds a unit, sits partly below grade (its ceiling joists 1.0 to 1.5 metres above grade over at least 80% of its floor area) and has at least 2.4 metres of ceiling height over at least 80% of its floor area.
• Everything else in the zoning still applies. Anything that doesn't comply needs a minor variance from the Committee of Adjustment.

A building with five or six units that is classed as an apartment building isn't a fiveplex or sixplex under these rules.

How a sixplex differs from a fourplex

Where

Fourplexes are allowed in residential zones across Toronto. Five and six units are allowed only inside the overlay.

Zones

In Ward 23 the City lists RD, RS, RM and RT as the eligible zones (Ward 23 Multiplex Study). Citywide, multiplexes of up to four units are allowed in R, RD, RS, RM and RT (Considerations When Building Multiplexes). Confirm your lot's zone on the zoning map.

Building type

Fourplexes can take several forms. Five or six units require a detached building, and only a detached house can be converted.

Height

The usual multiplex height is 10 metres where the map shows less. A sixplex can reach 10.5 metres with a qualifying lower-level unit.

Provincial overrides

Ontario Regulation 462/24 relaxes some angular plane, lot coverage, density and separation rules, but only where a lot has no more than three units (Expanding Housing Options in Neighbourhoods). A sixplex has to meet the City's own standards.

Development charges

Since July 2025, no development charges are payable for up to six units on a single parcel. A seventh unit is also exempt if it is an eligible garden or laneway suite under a deferral agreement (City of Toronto report, May 2026). Before that, the exemption stopped at four units.

Financing

Five units is the threshold for CMHC's MLI Select multi-unit program (CMHC). Owner-occupied homeowner insurance covers up to four units. Going from four units to five can change your lender, your down payment and your paperwork.

Building Code

More units means more demanding fire separation, exit and servicing requirements. Ask your designer early how the fifth and sixth units change the design and the budget.

What to check on a lot

1. Is it inside the overlay? Check the address against the sixplex overlay map in By-law 654-2025, or run it through our lot check.
2. What is the zone and exception? Note the zone, any height or lot coverage overlay, and any site-specific exception that may cap density.
3. Is it a detached house? Only detached houses can be converted to five or six units. Semis and townhouses can't.
4. Does the lot have the width and depth? The City's design tests for sixplexes modelled three-storey buildings on wide, mid-width and narrow lots, and found narrow lots were the tightest fit (City of Toronto storyboard, April 2025). Depth and side yards usually decide what fits.
5. Are there protected trees? Any private tree 30 cm or more in diameter, and any City street tree, can shape where you build.
6. What have neighbours been granted? Review Committee of Adjustment rulings on your street and nearby to see which variances are typical.
7. Is the building heritage-listed or in a heritage district? That adds a separate review. Ask the City before you firm up.
8. Servicing. Ask whether the water and sewer connections can handle six units, and budget for upgrades.

If you're buying, not building

• You can't confirm from a listing description that a sixplex is legal. Ask for the building permits and final inspections for every unit.
• Ontario's Non-Resident Speculation Tax of 25% applies to residential properties with one to six units, including fiveplexes and sixplexes (Ontario Ministry of Finance). Buyers who aren't Canadian citizens or permanent residents should get legal advice first.
• Units first occupied for residential purposes after November 15, 2018 are exempt from Ontario's rent increase guideline. Tenants in older units are covered by it (Ontario: residential rent increases).

For the full process from zoning review to building permit, see our guide Can I build a multiplex in Toronto?

Want a second opinion on a specific lot? Talk to Mehran or run the lot check.

This guide is general information, not legal, tax or financial advice. Rules and rates change; confirm the details with your lawyer, lender or accountant.