Zoning · Burlington · Residential
R2.3 zone, Burlington: Low Density Residential R2.3
By-law 2020 Part 2, Sections 1-4 (Table 2.3.1; Tables 2.4.1, 2.4.2, 2.4.3) of the City of Burlington Zoning By-law 09-2026 / 2020, as amended by 2020.374.
A low-density residential zone for detached houses on lots at least 18 m wide and 680 m² in area, with a 7.5 m front yard, 9 m rear yard and side yards of 1.2 m to 3 m depending on storeys and whether there is an attached garage.
Is a property in the R2.3 zone? Enter its address and the lookup returns the zone and these standards, including any site-specific exception.
Check an addressWhat the R2.3 zone permits
- Detached dwelling
- Additional residential units (subject to Table 2.3.1 footnote (a))
Standards
| Requirement | By-law |
|---|---|
| Minimum lot area (interior lot) | 680 m² |
| Minimum lot width (interior lot) | 18 m |
| Minimum front yard | 7.5 m |
| Minimum interior side yard | 1.2 mTable 2.4.1 footnote (b). Without attached garage/carport: 1- or 1.5-storey side 1.2 m with 3 m on the other side; 2-or-more-storey side 1.8 m with 3 m on the other side. With attached garage/carport: 1- or 1.5-storey side 1.2 m; 2-or-more-storey side 1.8 m (both sides). 'L'-shape dwellings without a garage that form a 4.5 m x 6.5 m parking space use the with-garage values (s.1(g)). |
| Minimum exterior side yard | 4.5 m |
| Minimum rear yard | 9 m9 m; on a corner lot the rear yard may be 4.5 m (Table 2.4.1 footnote (c)) |
| Maximum building height | 10 mPer 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. Lots with a front or street side yard abutting Lakeshore Road or North Shore Boulevard, and all lots south of them (excluding Indian Point Character Area), may go to 2.5 storeys under Table 2.31.1 B (footnote (a)). Additions to existing dwellings have alternative limits (max two storeys measured from the 1st floor ceiling: 6 m peak / 3 m flat for a two-storey or second-storey addition; 4.5 m peak / 2.25 m flat for a one or one-and-a-half-storey addition). |
| Maximum lot coverage | 35 %Table 2.4.3. With attached garage (including accessory buildings): 1 storey 40%, 1.5 storey 37.5%, 2+ storeys 35%. Without attached garage (plus 8% for accessory buildings): 1 storey 32%, 1.5 storey 29.5%, 2+ storeys 27%. In Designated Areas (shaded on Part 15 zoning maps): with garage 35% / 30% / 25%; without garage 27% / 22% / 17% plus 8% accessory. One accessory building under 10 m² and under 2.5 m high is exempt (footnote (a)). Properties with a front or street side yard abutting Lakeshore Road / North Shore Boulevard and all properties south of them (excluding Indian Point Character Area) are exempt (footnote (c)). |
| Maximum floor space index | See notes.4.5: maximum floor area ratio 0.45:1 applies only to properties in Designated Areas for Lot Coverage; 0.4:1 for properties in the Shoreacres Character Area. No FAR stated for other R2.3 lots. |
Other provisions in this section
- Semi-detached dwellings and cluster homes are not permitted in R2.3 (Table 2.3.1).
- Other yards (Table 2.4.2): building setback abutting a creek block 7.5 m (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.
- 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 (s.4.6); properties with a front or street side yard abutting Lakeshore Road / North Shore Boulevard and all properties south of them (excluding Indian Point Character Area) are exempt.
- Garages (s.4.8): a front-loading attached garage may not exceed 50% of the width of its building elevation; an attached garage with a door facing a street may not project beyond the longest portion of a street-facing wall containing first-storey residential floor area. Dwellings legally existing at the enactment of Zoning By-law 2020.374 (December 19, 2016) are deemed to conform for the life of the dwelling.
- Architectural features (s.4.7): on building elevations facing a street, first-storey columns may not exceed the height of the first-storey ceiling.
- Parking is provided per Part 1 s.2.25 (s.4.3); parking lots are set back 4.5 m from a street line (s.1(h)). Parking structures (s.1(j)): an enclosed structure extending more than 1.6 m above finished grade is subject to principal-building yards; one below grade and up to 1.6 m above grade is set back 3 m from a street line; a structure below and above grade may not encroach into a required landscape buffer abutting a residential zone.
- Prohibited (s.2, plus Part 1 s.2.22): parking or storing a motor vehicle over 3000 kg registered GVW, 6 m overall length or 2.6 m overall height (recreational vehicles excepted); a motor vehicle with a stake body; a recreational vehicle or utility trailer with load exceeding a combined height of 3.6 m; and parking or storing any motor vehicle, motorcycle, snowmobile, jetski, trailer, recreational vehicle or boat within a landscaped open space area.
- Lands adjacent to Lake Ontario / Burlington Bay (s.1(f), Part 1 s.2.30): on lots within 30 m of the top of the long-term stable slope, buildings and structures over 10 m² must be set back 30 m from that slope; lots adjacent to the shoreline must keep a 5 m side yard along one side lot line. Either may be reduced to the base-zone standard with Conservation Halton approval (shoreline protection works, docks, waterfront trails and similar works exempt).
- Accessory buildings and structures (Part 1 s.2.2), patios and decks (s.2.3), fences and privacy screens (s.2.4) and swimming pools (s.2.5) are governed by Part 1 (s.1(b)-(e)).
- Holding 'H' prefix: permitted uses are limited per Part 11 s.1.1 and development is deemed premature until the 'H' is removed per Part 11 s.1.2 (s.1(a)). Exceptions to zone designations are in Part 14.
- Character Areas (s.4.9 maps): the width-based side yards of Table 2.4.1 footnote (d) (Roseland and Indian Point) apply only to zones marked (d) and so do not apply to R2.3, which is marked (b) only; footnotes (e), (f) and (g) apply to R2.1 and R2.4, not R2.3. The only Character Area rule reaching R2.3 is the Shoreacres maximum floor area ratio of 0.4:1 (s.4.5(b)).
Source: By-law 2020 Part 2, Sections 1-4 (Table 2.3.1; Tables 2.4.1, 2.4.2, 2.4.3), 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, R2.1, R2.2, 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