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Zoning · Burlington · Residential

RH2 zone, Burlington: High Density Residential RH2

By-law 2020 Part 2, Sections 1-2 and 13-15 (Tables 2.13.1, 2.14.1, 2.15.1, 2.15.2) of the City of Burlington Zoning By-law 09-2026 / 2020.

A high-density residential zone for apartment buildings, stacked and street townhouses and retirement homes on lots of at least 0.2 hectares, with buildings up to 18 storeys and yards that grow with building height and wall length.

Is a property in the RH2 zone? Enter its address and the lookup returns the zone and these standards, including any site-specific exception.

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What the RH2 zone permits

  • Apartment Building
  • Stacked Townhouse
  • Back-to-Back Townhouse (subject to RM3 zone regulations, except maximum density of 65 units per hectare; Table 2.13.1 note (a))
  • Street Townhouse
  • Retirement Home
  • Additional Residential Units (subject to Part 1, Section 2.21, Subsection (u); Table 2.13.1 note (b))

Standards

RequirementBy-law
Minimum lot area (interior lot)2000 m²Lot area 0.2 ha (2000 m2) for apartment building, stacked townhouse, retirement home (Table 2.14.1); 165 m2 per street townhouse lot (Table 2.15.1)
Minimum lot width (interior lot)45 mLot width 45 m for apartment building, stacked townhouse, retirement home (Table 2.14.1); 5.5 m per street townhouse lot (Table 2.15.1)
Minimum front yard7.5 mApartment/stacked townhouse/retirement home: 7.5 m plus 1 m for each storey above 6 storeys to a maximum of 15 m; abutting North Shore Boulevard minimum 15 m (Table 2.14.1 note (a)). Street townhouse: 6 m (Table 2.15.1)
Minimum interior side yard7.5 mApartment/stacked townhouse/retirement home (note (b)): buildings up to 6 storeys 7.5 m (plus 1 m for each 5 m the building wall exceeds 30 m); buildings over 6 storeys 1/2 the building height (plus 1 m for each 5 m wall length exceeds 30 m). Abutting R1, R2, R3, LN3, LN4, LN5, LN6 zone (note (c)): 15 m up to 6 storeys, 15 m plus 1 m per storey over 6 for taller, each plus 1 m per 5 m wall length over 30 m. Street townhouse: 1.2 m, interior (attached) side yard 0 m (Table 2.15.1)
Minimum exterior side yard7.5 mStreet side yard for apartment/stacked townhouse/retirement home: same as front yard - 7.5 m plus 1 m for each storey above 6 storeys to a maximum of 15 m; 15 m abutting North Shore Boulevard (note (a)). Street townhouse: 4 m (Table 2.15.1)
Minimum rear yard7.5 mApartment/stacked townhouse/retirement home (note (b)): buildings up to 6 storeys 7.5 m (plus 1 m for each 5 m the building wall exceeds 30 m in length); buildings over 6 storeys 1/2 the building height (plus 1 m for each 5 m wall length exceeds 30 m). Abutting R1, R2, R3, LN3, LN4, LN5, LN6 zone (note (c)): 15 m up to 6 storeys, 15 m plus 1 m per storey over 6 for taller buildings, each plus 1 m per 5 m wall length over 30 m. Street townhouse: 7.5 m (Table 2.15.1)
Maximum building heightSee note18 storeys maximum for apartment building, stacked townhouse, retirement home (Table 2.14.1; stacked townhouse height per Part 1, Subsection 2.31, note (g)). Street townhouse: 2 storeys maximum (s.15.5(b)); residential building height per Part 1, Subsection 2.31
Maximum floor space index1.25Floor area ratio 1.25:1 maximum applies to Retirement Home only (Table 2.14.1)
Maximum density100Apartment/stacked townhouse (excluding retirement home), note (e): minimum 50 units per hectare; maximum 50 units per hectare plus 1.5 units per hectare for each 100 m2 increase in lot area over the 2000 m2 minimum, to 100 units/ha. Back-to-back townhouse maximum 65 units/ha (Table 2.13.1 note (a)). Street townhouse: minimum 50 units per hectare (s.15.2), no maximum stated

Other provisions in this section

  • Amenity area: 25% (Table 2.14.1, apartment building, stacked townhouse, retirement home).
  • Yard abutting a pipeline easement: 7 m; yard abutting a railway right-of-way: 30 m; building setback abutting a creek block: 7.5 m, or 4.5 m if the block includes a 3 m buffer (Tables 2.14.1 and 2.15.2).
  • Landscape area (s.14.2): 4.5 m abutting a street with a deemed width up to 26 m; 6 m abutting a street with a deemed width greater than 26 m.
  • Landscape buffer (s.14.2): 6 m abutting R1, R2, R3, LN3, LN4, LN5, LN6 zones; 3 m abutting R4, R5, LN3, LN7 zones; 3 m abutting RM1 to RM5, LN3, LN8 zones.
  • Parking per Part 1, Subsection 2.25 'Off-Street Parking and Loading Requirements' (s.14.3(a), s.15.4). Enclosed occupant parking in the RH2 zone: none required (s.14.3(b)).
  • Parking lots shall be set back 4.5 m from a street line (s.1(h)).
  • Townhouses, back-to-back, stacked townhouses, cluster homes and apartment buildings up to 3 storeys: driveways and parking lots set back 3 m from a building wall containing habitable room windows (not applicable where the space/driveway is for the exclusive use of the unit occupant); parking spaces set back at least 6 m from an R1, R2, R3, LN3, LN4, LN5, LN6 zone (s.1(i)(i)).
  • Apartment buildings 4 storeys or more: driveways set back 9 m and parking spaces 6 m from a habitable room window of a ground floor or basement unit; driveways and parking spaces set back 6 m from an R1, R2, R3, LN3, LN4, LN5, LN6 zone (s.1(i)(ii)).
  • Enclosed parking structure extending more than 1.6 m above finished grade is subject to the same yard requirements as a principal building; one below grade and up to 1.6 m above grade shall be set back 3 m from a street line; no parking structure may encroach into a required landscape buffer abutting a residential zone (s.1(j)).
  • Street townhouse requiring vehicle access to a street with a deemed width of 26 m or greater: only indirect access via a common lane is permitted (s.15.3).
  • Waste stored outside shall be kept within a solid screen enclosure (s.14.4).
  • Prohibited (s.2): parking/storing a motor vehicle (other than a recreational vehicle) over 3000 kg registered gross vehicle weight, 6 m length or 2.6 m height; vehicles with a stake body; recreational vehicles or utility trailers exceeding a combined height of 3.6 m; and any vehicle, trailer, boat or similar conveyance within a landscaped open space area. Also prohibited uses in Part 1, Subsection 2.22.
  • Holding 'H' prefix: uses per Part 11, Subsection 1.1; development deemed premature until the 'H' is removed per Part 11, Subsection 1.2 (s.1(a)).
  • Accessory buildings (Part 1 s.2.2), patios and decks (s.2.3), fencing and privacy screens (s.2.4), swimming pools (s.2.5), lands adjacent to Lake Ontario and Burlington Bay (s.2.30) apply by reference (s.1(b)-(f)).
  • Exceptions to zone designations: see Part 14.

Source: By-law 2020 Part 2, Sections 1-2 and 13-15 (Tables 2.13.1, 2.14.1, 2.15.1, 2.15.2), 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, R3.1, R3.2, R3.3, R3.4, R4, R5, RAL1, RAL2, RAL3, RAL4, REV1, REV2, REV3, RH1, RH3, RH4, RH5, RM1, RM2, RM3, RM4, RM5, RNA1, RNA2, RNA3, RO1, RO2, RO3, RO4, SNA, URH, URM