Property lookup · For agents and brokers
Zoning, flood and heritage checks for a listing, from one address
Buyers ask what they can do with a property: add a unit, build a garage, put on a second storey. The answers are public, but they sit in a zoning map, a by-law of several hundred pages, the conservation authority's maps and the city's heritage register. Getting them for one listing can take an afternoon.
Enter the address and ZonePlan pulls them together, with the by-law section or map each item came from, so you can answer the question and show where the answer comes from.
What you get for a listing
- The zone, the by-law that governs it, and any site-specific exception mapped on the lot.
- What the zone permits, and its setbacks, height, lot coverage and minimum lot size, each cited.
- Lot area, frontage and depth, and the building permits on file.
- Whether any part of the lot is in a floodplain or a conservation authority's regulated area, which means a permit from the authority as well as the city for most work.
- Heritage designation, listing or district, which means a heritage permit for exterior changes.
- The Official Plan designation and development applications nearby: a rezoning down the street matters to a buyer.
Every check reports what it found, that it looked and found nothing, or that it couldn't check. A clear floodplain result is as useful in a conversation with a buyer as a hit.
Questions buyers ask that this answers
- Can I add a basement apartment or a garden suite here?
- How close to the back lot line can I build an addition?
- Is the house heritage designated, and what does that stop me doing?
- Is the lot in the floodplain, and will that affect insurance or a building permit?
- What is being built on that empty lot two doors down?
After a lookup you can ask follow-up questions about the same property in plain words and get an answer that cites the by-law or the Building Code.
What it doesn't cover
Sale history, MPAC assessed value, title, liens, mortgages and tax arrears come from paid or restricted sources and aren't included. Open work orders and unpermitted work only show up in a compliance letter from the municipality. For the full checklist, see Ontario property due diligence.
Cities covered
BramptonMississaugaTorontoOakvilleCaledonHamiltonBurlingtonVaughanCambridge
Questions
- Can I put this in a listing or send it to a client?
- You can quote what the report shows and point to its sources: each item names the city or agency map it came from. Present it as a first look and tell the client to confirm with the municipality, the same as you would with any zoning information you didn't get from the city in writing.
- How is this different from the city's zoning map?
- The city map tells you the zone code. ZonePlan adds what that code means under the by-law (permitted uses, setbacks, height, lot coverage, minimum lot size, with section numbers), the lot dimensions, permits on file, and the conservation authority, heritage and planning maps for the same lot, so you don't have to open six websites.
- Does it replace a zoning compliance letter?
- No. A compliance letter is the municipality confirming in writing whether the current use and buildings comply and whether there are open orders. ZonePlan tells you what the by-law says for that zone and what the public maps show; it cannot see work orders or unpermitted work.
- Which cities?
- Brampton, Mississauga, Toronto, Oakville, Caledon, Vaughan, Burlington, Hamilton and Cambridge.
A first look, not a legal opinion, a survey or a substitute for the city's own records. Confirm with the municipality before you rely on it.