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Residential, commercial and industrial design

Rendering of a two-storey timber multiplex on a residential street

Multiplexes · 4–6 units

Multiplex design and permits in Toronto. Fourplex to sixplex.

Toronto allows four units on most residential lots, six in the Toronto and East York District and Ward 23 (Scarborough North), and one garden or laneway suite behind either. We tell you which number your lot and house can carry, then design the units and draw one coordinated permit set.

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BCIN registered
Insured · 20+ years

Does this sound like my house?

Most multiplex projects start with one of these.

If one sounds like yours, say so in your request, and Rocco starts from there.
  • You own a detached house in Toronto and East York or Ward 23 and want to know if six units fit inside the existing walls. Or whether that takes an addition.
  • Your bungalow sits on a 40-foot lot. A fourplex makes more sense than a second-storey reno, but nobody has told you what the zoning actually allows.
  • You bought a semi for the income and someone said “sixplex”. We'll tell you straight: under By-law 654-2025 a semi stops at four units.
  • You're a small builder who needs a complete conversion set: fire separations, exits and the per-unit fee math done right.

How many units can my lot carry?

Which unit mix fits your lot?

Set your lot width, depth, house type and which part of Toronto it is in. The planner applies the City's unit-count and height rules, plus our rule-of-thumb area thresholds, and shows each option floor by floor.

Your answers can go with your request.

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Fourplex · convert the house · 3 optionsJump to the full result
Your lot
ft
1560
ft
60200
The house on it now
Where is the lot?

What fits the sample lot

Three options for this lot.

Options on this lot

Units by floor

front-and-back pairs

  1. 2nd floorUnit 3Unit 4
  2. Main floorUnit 2
  3. Lower levelUnit 1
Lot area
3,600 sq ft
Permitted here
6 + 1 units
+1 garden suite, subject to the zoning review
How it gets built: convert inside the existing house

Lowest-cost route: the units sit inside walls that already exist. Front-and-back pairs.

  • No parking spaces are required for a fourplex (City rule since February 3, 2022).
  • Usually exempt from the City's growth fees (development charges and parkland cash-in-lieu) at up to four units on the lot. A garden suite makes five, so we confirm the charges then.
  • Plus one garden suite or laneway suite behind the house (one or the other, not both), if the lot meets their size and setback rules.

Height: 10 m as-of-right (allowed without a variance), 10.5 m for five or six units when the lowest level meets By-law 654-2025. Garden or laneway suite: one per lot, on top of the units in the house. Parking: none required for up to four units since February 3, 2022.

Architalcan keeps 20 ready-made multiplex layouts for common Toronto lot sizes (our own designs, not City plans). Send the numbers and we tell you which apply.

Add this to my quote request

A first estimate, not a zoning review. The pairing widths are our planning rules of thumb, not by-law numbers; setbacks, lot coverage, trees, servicing and site-specific zoning exceptions also decide what fits.

Sources (4)

What will it take?

What the City requires for a multiplex, and what we design.

The City's rules in plain English, each linked to its toronto.ca source, then every sheet in the set and each step from start to finish.

In short

  • Zoning review on your lot before you spend a dollar on drawings
  • 20 ready-made multiplex layouts for common Toronto lot sizes (our own designs)
  • Architectural, structural, HVAC and fire separations in one coordinated set
Silver Maple stacked as a three-storey multiplex rendering

Four-unit multiplexes are permitted city-wide in Toronto's residential zones (R, RD, RS, RM and RT: the zones for houses, semis, townhouses and small multiples). On June 25–26, 2025, Council enabled up to six units in the Toronto and East York District and Ward 23 (Scarborough North). You still need a building permit and must meet zoning.

toronto.ca · City of Toronto: Multiplex Housing (opens in a new tab)

What does it cost?

Design and permit fees for a multiplex: the City's, and ours.

Two bills, kept apart. The City's fees follow its published 2026 schedules and are paid when each application is filed. Ours is quoted in writing.

Paid to the City of Toronto

City fee, interior alterations
$11.53/m²
Toronto Building's 2026 rate for residential interior work, paid to the City.
City fee, each new unit
$56.33
Charged for every new residential unit in the application.
City fee example: 200 m², 3 new units
$2,474.99
200 × $11.53 + 3 × $56.33. The City's fee, not ours. Minimum permit fee is $214.79.

Paid to Architalcan

Design and permit set, our fee
In writing
Unit-mix study, conversion permit set, addition or new-build permit set, or a minor variance package. One number, quoted after the zoning review.

Who will draw it?

Architalcan Design, led by Rocco Schipano, BCIN-registered designer.

Rated 5.0 from 273 reviews on HomeStars. The photos are from Architalcan's Houzz and HomeStars project albums.
Rendering of a three-storey wood-clad semi-detached multiplex on a corner lot
1 / 7

Design renderings, not photographs of finished projects.

Renovation of a semi in Toronto

Rocco was efficient and effective. He worked closely with us to ensure the design meets our needs and recommended valuable solutions that we previously weren't aware of. We got the permit within a reasonable amount of time despite submitting it just before the holidays.

HomeOwner · Jan 17, 2025
Read all 273 on HomeStars (opens in a new tab)
Registration
BCIN 25897 – 41741 Look up the BCIN
Classes
House · Small Buildings · Large Buildings · HVAC-House
On the drawings
The designer's name, BCIN and signature, as Toronto Building requires; engineer-designed sheets carry the engineer's seal. Why the City asks (opens in a new tab)
About Rocco and the firm

How do I start?

Get a written quote for your multiplex.

Send the address, and email or WhatsApp the survey if you have one. We tell you which unit count is allowed without a variance, then quote our fee in writing.

Step 2 of 3 · Property

Project:Multiplexes

Where is the property?
Do you have a property survey?

A survey lets us confirm setbacks and buildable area from the start. No survey? We'll tell you how to get one.

BCIN registered · Insured · 20+ years in Toronto

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Questions before you send it

How many units can I build on my lot in Toronto?

Four, on most residential lots (R, RD, RS, RM and RT zones). Five or six only if the lot is in the Toronto and East York District or Ward 23, Scarborough North, under By-law 654-2025. On top of that, one garden suite or laneway suite can go behind the house, so four plus one city-wide and six plus one in those two areas. Elsewhere a fifth unit in the house needs a rezoning or a minor variance. We confirm your zone label on the first call using the City's Zoning By-law Interactive Map.

Can I convert my semi into a sixplex?

No. By-law 654-2025 states that no portion of a semi-detached house or townhouse may be converted to a fiveplex or sixplex. A semi can go to four units. A detached house in the permitted areas can go to six inside its existing envelope.

How tall can a multiplex be?

Where the City's Height Overlay Map shows less than 10.0 m, a multiplex can go to 10.0 m with no storey limit in the zoning. A fiveplex or sixplex may rise to 10.5 m when its lowest level holds a unit with ceilings at least 2.4 m high and the ceiling joists of that level sit 1.0 to 1.5 m above established grade (the ground level the by-law measures height from), both over at least 80% of that level's floor area. Larger multiplexes (over 3 storeys, or over 600 m² of floor area above ground) must be designed by an architect; we tell you at the zoning review if yours is one.

Do I need parking for a fourplex?

No. Since February 3, 2022, duplexes, triplexes and fourplexes are not required to provide parking. If you choose to add a space, it must meet Chapter 10 and Chapter 200 of the zoning by-law. Bicycle parking is not set on the City's multiplex pages; we confirm any requirement for your zone at the zoning review.

What does a multiplex conversion permit cost at the City?

Toronto Building's 2026 schedule: $11.53 per m² for interior alterations, plus $56.33 for each new residential unit, $18.56 per m² for new floor area, and a $214.79 minimum. A 200 m² conversion adding three units works out to $2,474.99. Our design fee is separate, quoted in writing after the zoning review.

Are multiplexes exempt from development charges?

The City lists an exemption from development charges and parkland cash-in-lieu where there are no more than four units on the lot (Municipal Code § 415-6 and § 415-30). For five or six units we confirm the charges with the City before you commit to the design.

If the zoning allows it, do I still need a building permit?

Yes. The City's multiplex page is explicit: you still need building permits and must meet zoning rules and all City by-laws. A conversion also brings mechanical and plumbing permits. Expect a Tree Declaration form and the Rental Renovation Licence Screening Form. Additions of 100 m² or more also need a Residential Infill Public Notice posted on site.

What are your 20 ready-made multiplex layouts?

They are multiplex layouts our office has already worked up for common Toronto lot sizes, not City pre-approved or City-certified plans. Send your lot width, depth and house type and we'll tell you which apply. Each still needs a site-specific zoning review and its own building permit.

Often done together

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