Toronto: how to determine if you can have a garden suite

Step #1:   Measure your yard size

^ Take a quick measure of your LOT WIDTH and BACK YARD DEPTH.

 

 

^ Ideally, it meets these minimums.  20′ lot width and 35′ back yard depth.  A garden suite can be built on a smaller lot, but it becomes more difficult, with less options.

 

 

 

Step #2:  Make sure there is a path to the back yard

^ There needs to be a clear, 1.0m (39 inches) wide path to get to the back yard, for first responders.  That’s usually down one side of the house or the other.  If you must “borrow” some space from the neighbour, there is a process for that.  For most lots outside the downtown core, this is rarely an issue.  Closer to downtown where houses are very close to one another, this can be challenging.

 

 

 

Step #3:  Check the distance to the nearest fire hydrant

^ Generally, you need a fire hydrant nearby.  This is a bit of a complex calculation, but most homes are close enough to the nearest hydrant.

 

 

 

Step #4:  Now calculate the size allowed

^ Generally, the maximum size of your garden suite is going to be determined by the maximum “buildable area”, and that is calculated by finding the minimum setbacks on all four sides.

A:  normally 4m (13.1 feet)

B:  normally 10% of the lot width (subject to both minimums and maximums) – so on a 30-foot wide lot, each side setback is 3′.  To have windows and doors on these sides, you might be required to move further from the property lines.

C:  varies, but it’s normally 4.9′ for smaller lots and 9.8′ for larger lots

Once you calculate these setbacks, the red area is your buildable area.  You can build within this area, to a maximum **footprint** of 645 square feet.  Then you might be permitted to have three floors at this size:   645 basement, plus 645 main floor, plus 645 upper floor.

So a two-storey (main plus upper) garden suite can be as high as 1,290 square feet, and with a basement, it can be as high as 1,936 square feet.  On exceptionally large lots, you can apply to exceed these figures.

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