Zoning · Cambridge · Institutional
N3 (By-law 150-85) zone, Cambridge: Institutional N3
By-law 150-85 (2012 consolidation) s.3.2.1.1 permitted uses (by-law p.103-104, PDF p.121-122), s.3.2.1.2 site development specifications (by-law p.104, PDF p.122) of the City of Cambridge Zoning By-law 150-85.
An institutional zone for class 4 group homes, special care facilities, domiciliary hostels and retirement homes.
Is a property in the N3 zone? Enter its address and the lookup returns the zone and these standards, including any site-specific exception.
Check an addressWhat the N3 zone permits
- Domiciliary hostel; retirement lodge; retirement home
- Special care facility and class 4 group home
- Uses permitted in all zones under s.2.1.1
- Accessory uses, buildings and structures
Standards
| Requirement | By-law |
|---|---|
| Minimum lot area (interior lot) | 450 m² |
| Minimum lot width (interior lot) | 15 m |
| Minimum front yard | 6 m |
| Minimum interior side yard | 3 m3.0 m (s.3.2.1.2(e)); 7.5 m where the yard abuts an R-class or RS-class zone (s.3.2.1.2(g)). |
| Minimum exterior side yard | 6 m |
| Minimum rear yard | 7.5 m7.5 m (s.3.2.1.2(d)); any yard abutting an R-class or RS-class zone must be at least 7.5 m (s.3.2.1.2(g)). |
| Maximum building height | See noteNo maximum building height in s.3.2.1.2. Overlay limits only: s.2.1.9 core areas (Map Z7: 15/21/28/34 m; 6 m minimum in Maps Z4-Z6 shaded areas) and s.2.1.10 airport (Map Z1). |
| Maximum lot coverage | 40 % |
| Minimum landscaped open space | 30 % |
| Minimum parking | See noteSpecial care facility 4 + 1 per 10 residents; domiciliary hostel 4 + 0.25 per bed; retirement lodge/home 4 + 1 per bedroom (s.2.2.1.3(c)-(e), by-law p.68, PDF p.86). |
Other provisions in this section
- Planting strips and fencing per s.2.4 (s.3.2.1.2(j)); an institutional use next to an R- or RS-class zone needs a 1.5 m chain-link fence along the lot line, and full planting strips where its parking adjoins such a zone (s.2.4.2.4, PDF p.100).
- Item (d) of the N-zone use table is repealed (PDF p.121).
- A bachelor or one-bedroom caretaker's dwelling unit is allowed in a non-residential building in an N-class zone (s.2.1.1.4, PDF p.61).
- Day nurseries / day care centres are not listed for this zone; s.2.1.18.2 extends them to N1 (and commercial, industrial and OS2 zones) only (PDF p.75).
- Compound zones N2 or N3 with an RM zone: RM residential uses only together with a nursing home or domiciliary hostel on the same site (s.2.1.3.5, PDF p.63).
- Hospitals, homes for the aged, group homes and domiciliary hostels may not be on land more than 1 m below the regulatory flood line, and their access may not be below the flood line. This applies to (F)-prefixed land in the Floodplain Management Special Policy Area (s.2.1.8.1(b)-(c), PDF p.66) and to any land below the regulatory flood line outside that area, Map Z3 (s.2.1.8.2, by-law p.49, PDF p.67; this paragraph is missing from the PDF text layer and was read from the page image).
- (H) holding prefix (s.2.1.4, by-law p.45, PDF p.63): until Council removes the (H) by amendment, the land may only be used for farming (no intensive animal, fur or fish farming), market or landscape gardening, and uses permitted in all zones under s.2.1.1. Map codes such as (H1), (H2), (H3) are numbered holding provisions set by site-specific amendments and are not described in the 2012 consolidation.
- Parking lots and access driveways for a non-residential use within or next to a residential use class zone must be landscaped and fenced under s.2.4 (s.2.2.2.5, PDF p.90; this paragraph is missing from the PDF text layer and was read from the page image).
Source: By-law 150-85 (2012 consolidation) s.3.2.1.1 permitted uses (by-law p.103-104, PDF p.121-122), s.3.2.1.2 site development specifications (by-law p.104, PDF p.122), By-law 150-85 (City of Cambridge), checked 2026-10-13. 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.