Zoning · Burlington · Residential
R2.1 zone, Burlington: Low Density Residential R2.1
Zoning By-law 2020, Part 2 (Residential Zones), Sections 1-4; Table 2.3.1 (permitted uses), Table 2.4.1 (lot width, area, yards), Table 2.4.2 (other yards), Table 2.4.3 (lot coverage) of the City of Burlington Zoning By-law 09-2026 / 2020, as amended by 2020.374.
A low-density residential zone for single detached houses on larger lots (at least 18 m wide and 700 m²), with deep front and rear yards and side yards sized as a percentage of the lot width.
Is a property in the R2.1 zone? Enter its address and the lookup returns the zone and these standards, including any site-specific exception.
Check an addressWhat the R2.1 zone permits
- Detached Dwelling
- Additional Residential Units (Table 2.3.1 footnote (a))
Standards
| Requirement | By-law |
|---|---|
| Minimum lot area (interior lot) | 700 m² |
| Minimum lot width (interior lot) | 18 m |
| Minimum front yard | 11 m11 m (Table 2.4.1). Footnote (e): properties on the west side of Indian Road (Section 4.9 Character Area Maps) shall have a front yard of 4 m. Footnote (f): R2.1 properties within the Shoreacres Character Area shall have a front yard of 9 m. |
| Minimum interior side yard | See noteTable 2.4.1 footnote (a): with attached garage or carport, 10% of actual lot width; without attached garage or carport, 10% of actual lot width with 3 m minimum on one side. Footnote (d) for Roseland and Indian Point Character Areas (Section 4.9): with attached garage/carport - lots under 17 m wide 10% of lot width, lots 17-25 m wide 12% of lot width, lots over 25 m wide 15% of lot width up to a maximum of 5 m; without attached garage/carport - same percentages with a 3 m minimum on the side with a driveway. 'L' shaped dwellings without a garage forming a 4.5 m x 6.5 m parking space use the with-garage requirement (Part 2 s.1(g)). |
| Minimum exterior side yard | 4.5 m |
| Minimum rear yard | 10 m10 m (Table 2.4.1). Footnote (c): on a corner lot the rear yard may be 4.5 m. |
| Maximum building height | 10 mPart 2 s.4.4 refers to Part 1 s.2.31, Table 2.31.1 A) (R1-R4 zones). Peaked roof: 1 storey to 7.5 m, 1.5 storey to 8.5 m, 2 storey to 10 m, 2.5 storey not permitted. Flat roof: 1 storey to 4.5 m, 2 storey to 7 m. Additions to existing dwellings alternatively limited to two storeys measured from the 1st floor ceiling: max 6 m at roof peak or 3 m to a flat roof for two-storey/second-storey additions; 4.5 m at peak or 2.25 m flat for one and one-and-a-half storey additions. Footnote (a): properties fronting/flanking or south of Lakeshore Road and North Shore Boulevard (excluding Indian Point) may go up to 2.5 storeys under Table 2.31.1 B) 'All Other Zones'. |
| Maximum lot coverage | 40 %Table 2.4.3, by dwelling type. With attached garage: one storey 40% including accessory buildings; one and a half storey 37.5% including accessory buildings; two or more storeys 35% including accessory buildings. Without attached garage: one storey 32% plus 8% for accessory buildings; one and a half storey 29.5% plus 8%; two or more storeys 27% plus 8%. In Designated Areas (shaded on Part 15 zoning maps): with garage 35% (one storey), 30% (one and a half storey), 25% (all other dwelling types) including accessory buildings; without garage 27%, 22%, 17% plus 8% for accessory buildings. Footnote (a): one accessory building under 10 m² and under 2.5 m high is exempt. Footnote (c): properties fronting/flanking or south of Lakeshore Road and North Shore Boulevard (excluding Indian Point Character Area) are exempt from lot coverage. |
| Maximum floor space index | See notePart 2 s.4.5: maximum floor area ratio of 0.45:1 applies only to properties in Designated Areas for Lot Coverage; within the Shoreacres Character Area the maximum is 0.4:1. No floor area ratio is stated for other R2.1 properties. |
Other provisions in this section
- Semi-detached dwellings and cluster homes are not permitted in R2.1 (Table 2.3.1).
- Additional Residential Units are permitted subject to Table 2.3.1 footnote (a).
- Maximum dwelling depth 18 m measured from the building wall closest to the front lot line to the wall closest to the rear lot line; properties fronting/flanking or south of Lakeshore Road and North Shore Boulevard (excluding Indian Point Character Area) are exempt; for through lots the front building elevation determines the front (s.4.6).
- Front-loading attached garage width shall not exceed 50% of the width of its building elevation (s.4.8(a)).
- An attached garage with a door facing a street may not project beyond the longest portion of a street-facing wall containing residential floor area on the first storey (s.4.8(b)); dwellings legally existing as of December 19, 2016 (By-law 2020.374) are deemed to conform for the life of the dwelling.
- On street-facing elevations, first-storey columns shall not exceed the height of the first-storey ceiling (s.4.7).
- Other yards (Table 2.4.2): building setback abutting a creek block 7.5 m, or 4.5 m if the block includes a 3 m buffer; yard abutting a pipeline easement 7 m; yard abutting a railway right-of-way 30 m.
- Parking per Part 1, Subsection 2.25 Off-Street Parking and Loading Requirements (s.4.3); parking lots set back 4.5 m from a street line (s.1(h)).
- Enclosed parking structures more than 1.6 m above finished grade are subject to principal building yard requirements; those below grade and up to 1.6 m above grade set back 3 m from a street line; no encroachment into a required landscape buffer abutting a residential zone (s.1(j)).
- Accessory buildings and structures per Part 1 s.2.2; patios and decks per Part 1 s.2.3; fencing and privacy screens per Part 1 s.2.4; swimming pools per Part 1 s.2.5; lands adjacent to Lake Ontario and Burlington Bay per Part 1 s.2.30 (s.1(b)-(f)).
- Holding 'H' prefix: uses per Part 11 s.1.1; development deemed premature until the 'H' is removed per Part 11 s.1.2 (s.1(a)).
- Zone exceptions per Part 14 (Exceptions to Zone Designations); general provisions per Part 1.
- Prohibited (s.2): parking or storing a motor vehicle (other than a recreational vehicle) over 3000 kg registered gross vehicle weight, 6 m length or 2.6 m height; any vehicle with a stake body; a recreational vehicle or utility trailer (including load) exceeding 3.6 m combined height; and any vehicle, trailer, boat or similar conveyance within a landscaped open space area; plus uses prohibited under Part 1 s.2.22.
- Character Area Maps (s.4.9): Roseland, Indian Point and Shoreacres Character Areas modify front and side yard, lot coverage and floor area ratio for R2.1 properties within them.
Source: Zoning By-law 2020, Part 2 (Residential Zones), Sections 1-4; Table 2.3.1 (permitted uses), Table 2.4.1 (lot width, area, yards), Table 2.4.2 (other yards), Table 2.4.3 (lot coverage), By-law 09-2026 / 2020 (City of Burlington), checked 2026-09-12. General provisions elsewhere in the by-law (parking, driveways, accessory buildings) also apply, and a numbered exception on the parcel can change any value here. Treat this as a pre-check, not a sign-off.
Other residential zones in Burlington: DRH, DRL, DRM, HN, LN1, LN2, LN3, LN4, LN5, LN6, LN7, LN8, R1.1, R1.2, R2.2, R2.3, R2.4, R3.1, R3.2, R3.3, R3.4, R4, R5, RAL1, RAL2, RAL3, RAL4, REV1, REV2, REV3, RH1, RH2, RH3, RH4, RH5, RM1, RM2, RM3, RM4, RM5, RNA1, RNA2, RNA3, RO1, RO2, RO3, RO4, SNA, URH, URM