ZonePlan

Look up an Ontario property before you buy, sell or invest

What a property can become depends on its zone, its lot, and what sits around it: a floodplain, a conservation authority's regulated area, a heritage district, a planned road. That information is public, but it is spread over a city zoning map, a by-law that runs to hundreds of pages, and several other maps. Enter an address and ZonePlan puts it in one place.

No account needed.

What a lookup shows

  • The zone and its by-law. The zone the lot is in, the by-law that governs it, and any site-specific exception the city has mapped on it.
  • What the zone allows. Permitted uses, minimum lot area and frontage, front, side and rear yards, height and lot coverage, each with the by-law section it comes from.
  • The lot. Lot area, frontage and depth from the city's parcel data, and the building permits on file.
  • What else applies. Floodplain and conservation authority regulated area, heritage designation or district, Official Plan designation, nearby development applications, and provincial plan areas such as the Greenbelt, depending on what the city and its agencies publish.

Then ask about it in plain words: whether you can add a basement unit, what a rear addition would need, or how close to the lot line a garage can go.

Who uses it

Buyers and sellers

Check what a house can become before an offer, or answer a buyer's questions about your lot before they ask.

Investors

See how many units a zone allows, whether additional residential units are permitted, and what could hold up a permit, before you spend on a survey or a planner.

Agents and brokers

Have the zoning, lot and flood and heritage status ready for a listing, with sources a client can check.

Going further than zoning? The Ontario property due diligence checklist lists every record to check and where it comes from.

Cities covered

Questions

Where does the information come from?
From the city's own zoning map and zoning by-law, the city's parcel and building-permit data, and the published maps of the conservation authority, the city and the Province. Each item in a report names its source.
How accurate are the zoning numbers?
Every zone's standards were transcribed from the official by-law and then checked by a second, independent read before they were published. Site-specific exceptions on a lot can change individual numbers, and the report says when a lot has one. Treat it as a first look and confirm with the city before you rely on a number.
Does it show the sale price or the assessed value?
No. Sale history, MPAC assessments, title, liens and tax arrears come from paid or restricted sources and are not included.
Do I need an account?
No. You can look up an address without one. A free account keeps your lookups and lets you ask follow-up questions about the property.

A first look, not a legal opinion or a survey. Confirm with the municipality before you rely on it.