Zoning · Burlington · Residential

R3.1 zone, Burlington: Low Density Residential R3.1

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 detached houses on lots at least 15 m wide and 500 m² in area, with additional residential units allowed.

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What the R3.1 zone permits

Detached dwelling
Additional residential units (subject to footnote (a) of Table 2.3.1)

Standards

Requirement	By-law
Minimum lot area (interior lot)	500 m²
Minimum lot width (interior lot)	15 m
Minimum front yard	6 m
Minimum interior side yard	1.2 mFootnote (b), Table 2.4.1. Without attached garage or carport: one or one-and-a-half storey side 1.2 m, 3 m other side; two or more storey side 1.8 m, 3 m other side. With attached garage or carport: one or one-and-a-half storey side 1.2 m; two or more storey side 1.8 m. Part 2 s.1(g): an 'L'-shaped detached dwelling without attached garage forming a 4.5 m x 6.5 m parking space uses the with-garage side yards.
Minimum exterior side yard	4.5 m
Minimum rear yard	9 m9 m; 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 N/A. Flat roof: 1 storey to 4.5 m, 2 storey to 7 m. Additions alternatively limited to 2 storeys measured from 1st floor ceiling of existing dwelling (max 6 m peak / 3 m flat for two-storey additions; 4.5 m peak / 2.25 m flat for one or one-and-a-half storey additions). Footnote (a): properties abutting or south of Lakeshore Road / North Shore Boulevard (excluding Indian Point) may go up to 2.5 storeys under Table 2.31.1 B).
Maximum lot coverage	40 %Table 2.4.3, by dwelling type. With attached garage: one storey 40%, one-and-a-half storey 37.5%, two or more storeys 35% (all including accessory buildings). Without attached garage: one storey 32% + 8% accessory, one-and-a-half storey 29.5% + 8%, two or more storeys 27% + 8%. 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. Properties abutting or south of Lakeshore Road / North Shore Boulevard (excluding Indian Point Character Area) are exempt.
Maximum floor space index	See notePart 2 s.4.5: max floor area ratio 0.45:1 applies only to properties in Designated Areas for Lot Coverage; 0.4:1 within the Shoreacres Character Area. No FAR stated for other R3.1 properties.

Other provisions in this section

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.
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 abutting or south of Lakeshore Road / North Shore Boulevard (excluding Indian Point Character Area) are exempt; for through lots the front building elevation determines the front.
Garages (s.4.8): width of 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 street-facing wall containing residential floor area on the first storey. Dwellings legally existing at enactment of By-law 2020.374 (December 19, 2016) are deemed to conform for their life.
Architectural features (s.4.7): on street-facing elevations, first-storey columns may not exceed the height of the first-storey ceiling.
Parking per Part 1, Subsection 2.25 Off-Street Parking and Loading Requirements (s.4.3). Parking lots must be set back 4.5 m from a street line (s.1(h)).
Enclosed parking structures more than 1.6 m above finished grade must meet principal-building yard requirements; those below grade or up to 1.6 m above grade must be 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 zone: where the designation is preceded by 'H', permitted uses follow Part 11 s.1.1 and development is premature until the 'H' is removed under Part 11 s.1.2 (s.1(a)).
Prohibited (s.2, in addition to Part 1 s.2.22): parking/storing a motor vehicle (other than a recreational vehicle) over 3000 kg registered gross vehicle weight, 6 m long or 2.6 m high; any vehicle with a stake body; a recreational vehicle or utility trailer with load exceeding a combined height of 3.6 m; and parking/storing any vehicle, trailer, boat or similar conveyance within a landscaped open space area.
Zone exceptions per Part 14; Character Area Maps (Roseland, Indian Point, Shoreacres) in Part 2 s.4.9.

Source: 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, R2.1, R2.2, R2.3, R2.4, 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