On July 15, 2025, Toronto’s Planning and Housing Committee ratified most recommendations of a garden suite review report, and it is expected the full council will do the same later this year. Some of the new changes are significant in many circumstances.
A Zoning By-law Amendment has been recommended to:
✔ Introduce increased minimum rear yard setbacks related to second storey
openings;
✔ Introduce an averaging requirement for side yard setbacks on corner lots;
Garden Suites Monitoring Program – Final Report Page 13 of 34
✔ Adjust minimum separation distance to primary dwelling and introduce
flexibility based on height to align with O. Reg. 462/24;
✔ Remove angular plane requirements to align with O. Reg. 462/24;
✔ Increase maximum height to align with laneway suite permissions;
✔ Introduce flexible options for second storey massing, including choice of
paired side roof slopes or increased setbacks;
✔ Update floor area provisions for garden suites from interior floor area to
gross floor area to align with the gross floor area calculation for residential
buildings in the Residential Zone category, and apply a maximum gross
floor area for garden suites based on the number of storeys contained in
the building; and
✔ Update lot coverage to align with O. Reg. 462/24 and remove redundant
rear yard coverage provision.
Height: most two-story builds will be permitted to go to 6.3m tall (up from the current 6.0m).
Angular planes: although a recent provincial law (O-reg.) made the imposition of 45-degree “angular plane” rules illegal, the City has returned with the introduction of a “choice of paired side roof slopes or increased setbacks”. Essentially, this means planes of at least 5:3 (5 vertical units for every 3 horizontal units), on top-floor walls above 4m, on the sides, if they are near the minimum setback line.
Second storey openings (rear windows and doors): Openings on the upper floor, facing the rear of the typical lot, will be permitted only if the setback is increased an additional 1.5m.
Minimum separation: The distance of minimum separation from the main house to the garden suite to be confirmed as 4m for any garden suite up to 4m tall, and 7.5m for any taller garden suite.