ZonePlan

Zoning · Burlington · Residential

RH4 zone, Burlington: High Density Residential RH4

Burlington Zoning By-law 2020, Part 2 (Residential Zones), 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, back-to-back and street townhouses and retirement homes on larger lots (at least 45 m wide and 0.2 ha), with buildings up to 12 storeys and a density of 50 to 150 units per hectare.

Is a property in the RH4 zone? Enter its address and the lookup returns the zone and these standards, including any site-specific exception.

Check an address

What the RH4 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 m²Table 2.14.1: Lot Area 0.2 ha (= 2,000 m2) for Apartment Building, Stacked Townhouse, Retirement Home. Street Townhouse per Table 2.15.1: 165 m2 with 5.5 m lot width.
Minimum lot width (interior lot)45 mTable 2.14.1: Lot Width 45 m for Apartment Building, Stacked Townhouse, Retirement Home. Street Townhouse per Table 2.15.1: lot width 5.5 m.
Minimum front yard7.5 mTable 2.14.1 note (a): Front Yard and Street Side Yard 7.5 m plus 1 m for each storey above 6 storeys, to a maximum of 15 m; abutting North Shore Boulevard the minimum yard is 15 m. Street Townhouse (Table 2.15.1): front yard 6 m.
Minimum interior side yard7.5 mTable 2.14.1 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 the wall exceeds 30 m). Yard 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 above that, each plus 1 m per 5 m of wall length over 30 m. Street Townhouse (Table 2.15.1): side yard 1.2 m, interior side yard 0 m.
Minimum exterior side yard7.5 mTable 2.14.1 note (a): Street Side Yard 7.5 m plus 1 m for each storey above 6 storeys, to a maximum of 15 m; abutting North Shore Boulevard 15 m. Street Townhouse (Table 2.15.1): street side yard 4 m.
Minimum rear yard7.5 mTable 2.14.1 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 the wall exceeds 30 m). Yard abutting R1, R2, R3, LN3, LN4, LN5, LN6 zone (note c): 15 m for buildings up to 6 storeys, 15 m plus 1 m per storey over 6 for taller buildings, each plus 1 m per 5 m of wall length over 30 m. Street Townhouse (Table 2.15.1): rear yard 7.5 m.
Maximum building heightSee noteTable 2.14.1: maximum 12 storeys (Apartment Building, Stacked Townhouse, Retirement Home); note (g) stacked townhouse building height per Part 1, Subsection 2.31 'Residential Building Height'. Street Townhouse (s.15.5): maximum 2 storeys, per Part 1, Subsection 2.31.
Maximum floor space index1.25Table 2.14.1: Floor Area Ratio 1.25:1 maximum applies to Retirement Home only.
Maximum density100Table 2.14.1 note (f) (excluding Retirement Home): minimum 50 units per hectare; maximum 100 units per hectare plus an additional 10 units per hectare for each 3% increase in enclosed parking, to 150 units per hectare. Back-to-Back Townhouse maximum 65 units per hectare (Table 2.13.1 note a). Street Townhouse (s.15.2): minimum 50 units per hectare.

Other provisions in this section

  • Amenity Area (Table 2.14.1): 25 m2 per bedroom; 15 m2 per efficiency unit.
  • Other yards (Table 2.14.1 / Table 2.15.2): 7 m abutting a pipeline easement; 30 m abutting a railway right-of-way; building setback abutting a creek block 7.5 m, or 4.5 m if the block includes a 3 m buffer.
  • 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 (s.14.3(a), s.15.4): per Part 1, Subsection 2.25 'Off-Street Parking and Loading Requirements'.
  • Enclosed Occupant Parking (s.14.3(b)), RH4 zone: 75% of all required occupant parking must be enclosed.
  • Street Townhouse standards (Table 2.15.1): lot width 5.5 m, lot area 165 m2, front yard 6 m, rear yard 7.5 m, side yard 1.2 m (interior side yard 0 m), street side yard 4 m; density minimum 50 units/ha (s.15.2); maximum height 2 storeys (s.15.5).
  • Street Townhouse access (s.15.3): where vehicle access is required to a street with a deemed width of 26 m or greater, only indirect access via a common lane is permitted.
  • Outside storage (s.14.4): waste stored outside must be kept within a solid screen enclosure.
  • Parking lots must be set back 4.5 m from a street line (Part 2 s.1(h)).
  • Townhouses, back-to-back townhouses, 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 parking 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 (Part 2 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 dwelling unit; driveways and parking spaces set back 6 m from an R1, R2, R3, LN3, LN4, LN5, LN6 zone (Part 2 s.1(i)(ii)).
  • Parking structures (Part 2 s.1(j)): an 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 must be set back 3 m from a street line; no enclosed parking structure may encroach into a required landscape buffer abutting a residential zone.
  • Holding zone (Part 2 s.1(a)): where the designation is preceded by 'H', uses are per Part 11 s.1.1 and development is premature until the 'H' is removed per Part 11 s.1.2.
  • Accessory buildings, patios and decks, fencing and privacy screens, swimming pools, and lands adjacent to Lake Ontario/Burlington Bay are governed by Part 1, Subsections 2.2, 2.3, 2.4, 2.5 and 2.30 respectively (Part 2 s.1(b)-(f)).
  • Prohibited (Part 2 s.2, plus Part 1 s.2.22): parking/storing a motor vehicle (other than a recreational vehicle) exceeding 3000 kg registered gross weight, 6 m length or 2.6 m height; any 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 vehicle, trailer, boat or similar conveyance within a landscaped open space area.
  • Exceptions to zone designations are listed in Part 14 (Part 2 s.1).

Source: Burlington Zoning By-law 2020, Part 2 (Residential Zones), 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, RH2, RH3, RH5, RM1, RM2, RM3, RM4, RM5, RNA1, RNA2, RNA3, RO1, RO2, RO3, RO4, SNA, URH, URM