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Zoning · Burlington · Residential

RH5 zone, Burlington: High Density Residential RH5

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, with no maximum building height and a density of 50 to 185 units per hectare.

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What the RH5 zone permits

  • Apartment Building
  • Stacked Townhouse
  • Back-to-Back Townhouse (subject to RM3 zone regulations, except maximum density is 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 m²0.2 ha for Apartment Building, Stacked Townhouse, Retirement Home (Table 2.14.1); Street Townhouse 165 m2 (Table 2.15.1)
Minimum lot width (interior lot)45 m45 m lot width for Apartment Building, Stacked Townhouse, Retirement Home (Table 2.14.1); Street Townhouse 5.5 m (Table 2.15.1)
Minimum front yard7.5 mApartments/stacked townhouse/retirement home: 7.5 m plus 1 m for each storey above 6 storeys to a maximum of 15 m; 15 m abutting North Shore Boulevard (Table 2.14.1 note (a)). Street Townhouse: 6 m (Table 2.15.1)
Minimum interior side yard7.5 mApartments/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 per 5 m wall length over 30 m). Yard abutting R1, R2, R3, LN3, LN4, LN5, LN6 zone (note (c)): 15 m up to 6 storeys, plus 1 m per storey over 6, plus 1 m per 5 m wall length over 30 m. Street Townhouse: 1.2 m, interior side yard 0 m (Table 2.15.1)
Minimum exterior side yard7.5 mStreet side yard for apartments/stacked townhouse/retirement home: 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 mApartments/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 per 5 m wall length over 30 m). Yard abutting R1, R2, R3, LN3, LN4, LN5, LN6 zone (note (c)): 15 m up to 6 storeys, plus 1 m per storey over 6, plus 1 m per 5 m wall length over 30 m. Street Townhouse: 7.5 m (Table 2.15.1)
Maximum building heightSee noteNo maximum for apartment building/retirement home (Table 2.14.1); stacked townhouse height per Part 1, Subsection 2.31 'Residential Building Height' (note (g)); Street Townhouse maximum 2 storeys, per Part 1 s.2.31 (s.15.5)
Maximum floor space index1.25Floor Area Ratio 1.25:1 maximum applies to Retirement Home only (Table 2.14.1)
Maximum density185Apartment/stacked townhouse (excluding Retirement Home): 50 units/ha minimum, 185 units/ha maximum (Table 2.14.1); Back-to-Back Townhouse maximum 65 units/ha (Table 2.13.1 note (a)); Street Townhouse minimum 50 units/ha (s.15.2)

Other provisions in this section

  • Amenity area (apartment/stacked townhouse/retirement home): 25 m2 per bedroom; 15 m2 per efficiency unit (Table 2.14.1)
  • 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: 4.5 m abutting a street with deemed width up to 26 m; 6 m abutting a street with deemed width greater than 26 m (s.14.2)
  • Landscape buffer: 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 (s.14.2)
  • Parking per Part 1, Subsection 2.25 'Off-Street Parking and Loading Requirements' (s.14.3(a), s.15.4)
  • Enclosed occupant parking in RH5 zone: 75% of all required occupant parking (s.14.3(b))
  • Waste stored outside must be kept within a solid screen enclosure; in an RH5 zone the enclosure must be attached to a principal building (s.14.4)
  • Street Townhouse: where vehicle access is required to a street with deemed width 26 m or greater, only indirect access via a common lane is permitted (s.15.3)
  • 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 apartments up to 3 storeys: driveways and parking lots set back 3 m from a building wall with 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; a structure 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))
  • 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 per 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 (s.1(b)-(f))
  • Prohibited: 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; any vehicle, trailer, boat or similar conveyance within a landscaped open space area (s.2)
  • Subject to Part 1 (General Conditions and Provisions) and Part 14 (Exceptions to Zone Designations) (s.1)

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, RH2, RH3, RH4, RM1, RM2, RM3, RM4, RM5, RNA1, RNA2, RNA3, RO1, RO2, RO3, RO4, SNA, URH, URM