Zoning · Hamilton · Commercial
C1 zone, Hamilton: Residential Character Commercial (C1) Zone
Section 10.1 (10.1.1 Permitted Uses; 10.1.3 Regulations; 10.1.4 Single Detached, Duplex and Triplex Dwelling Regulations) of the City of Hamilton Zoning By-law 05-200, as amended by 17-240, 19-062, 21-071, 22-132, 24-137, 25-075, 25-155, 25-229.
A small-scale, neighbourhood-serving commercial zone where one- and two-storey shops, offices and converted houses (and houses themselves) sit close to the street and are sized to fit the surrounding residential area.
Is a property in the C1 zone? Enter its address and the lookup returns the zone and these standards, including any site-specific exception.
Check an addressWhat the C1 zone permits
- Artist Studio
- Child Care Centre
- Duplex Dwelling
- Dwelling Unit, Mixed Use
- Educational Establishment
- Emergency Shelter
- Office
- Personal Service
- Repair Service
- Residential Care Facility
- Restaurant
- Retail
- Single Detached Dwelling
- Triplex Dwelling
Standards
| Requirement | By-law |
|---|---|
| Minimum lot area (interior lot) | 330 m²330.0 m2 for an interior lot applies only to single detached, duplex and triplex dwellings (s.10.1.4 e). For all other (commercial) uses there is no minimum lot area but a MAXIMUM lot area of 500.0 m2 (s.10.1.3 e). |
| Minimum lot area (corner lot) | 360 m²360.0 m2 for a corner lot applies only to single detached, duplex and triplex dwellings (s.10.1.4 e ii). |
| Minimum lot width (interior lot) | 12 mMinimum lot width 12.0 m for an interior lot applies only to single detached, duplex and triplex dwellings (s.10.1.4 f i); no lot width stated for commercial uses. |
| Minimum lot width (corner lot) | 15 mMinimum lot width 15.0 m for a corner lot applies only to single detached, duplex and triplex dwellings (s.10.1.4 f ii). |
| Minimum interior side yard | 1.5 m1.5 m, or 3.0 m where abutting a Residential or Institutional Zone or a lot containing a residential use (s.10.1.3 c i); 6.0 m for an Educational Establishment abutting a Residential Zone (s.10.1.3 c ii). Single detached, duplex and triplex dwellings: minimum side yard 1.5 m (s.10.1.4 c). |
| Minimum rear yard | 7.5 m7.5 m (s.10.1.3 b i; also 7.5 m for single detached/duplex/triplex under s.10.1.4 b). On a corner lot where the rear lot line abuts a street, the maximum 3.0 m building setback from a street line of s.10.1.3 a) applies instead. |
| Maximum building height | 11 m |
| Maximum dwelling units | 4Dwelling Unit, Mixed Use: maximum of 4 permitted on a lot (s.10.1.1.1 i). Does not limit single detached, duplex or triplex dwellings, which are separate permitted uses. |
Other provisions in this section
- Maximum building setback from a street line: 3.0 m (s.10.1.3 a); no minimum front yard is stated.
- Single detached, duplex and triplex dwellings: maximum yard abutting a street 3.0 m; minimum rear yard 7.5 m; minimum side yard 1.5 m; maximum height 11.0 m (s.10.1.4 a-d).
- Maximum lot area for the zone's general (commercial) regulations: 500.0 m2 (s.10.1.3 e).
- Dwelling Unit, Mixed Use: maximum of 4 per lot (s.10.1.1.1 i).
- Residential Care Facility: maximum capacity 6 residents (s.10.1.1.1 ii).
- Emergency Shelter: maximum capacity 6 residents (s.10.1.1.1 iii).
- Except as provided in Section 4, every Emergency Shelter or Residential Care Facility must be on a lot with a minimum 300 m radial separation (lot line to lot line) from any other lot occupied by a Residential Care Facility, Emergency Shelter, Corrections Residence or Correctional Facility (s.10.1.1.1 iv).
- An existing Emergency Shelter or Residential Care Facility within 300 m of another such facility may be expanded or redeveloped but only up to the number of residents permitted by the zone (s.10.1.1.1 v).
- Prohibited uses, even as accessory uses: Drive-Through Facility; Educational Establishment consisting of a College or University; Outdoor Commercial Patio (s.10.1.2).
- Visual barrier required along any lot line abutting a Residential Zone, Institutional Zone or Downtown (D5) Zone, per Section 4.19 (s.10.1.3 f).
- No outdoor storage of goods, materials or equipment; display of goods for retail purposes accessory to a retail use is permitted only in the front or flankage yard (s.10.1.3 g).
- Accessory buildings: per Section 4.8 of the By-law (s.10.1.5).
- Parking: per Section 5 of the By-law (s.10.1.6).
- Additional dwelling units: per Section 4.33 of the By-law (s.10.1.7).
Source: Section 10.1 (10.1.1 Permitted Uses; 10.1.3 Regulations; 10.1.4 Single Detached, Duplex and Triplex Dwelling Regulations), By-law 05-200 (City of Hamilton), 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 commercial zones in Hamilton: C2, C3, C6, C7, E1, S2, TOC2