Zoning · Hamilton · Commercial
C3 zone, Hamilton: Community Commercial (C3) Zone
Section 10.3 (Regulations in Section 10.3.3; gas bar/service station regulations in Section 10.3.4) of the City of Hamilton Zoning By-law 05-200, as amended by 17-240, 17-240-OLT-05, 19-062, 21-189, 24-137, 25-155.
A neighbourhood-serving commercial zone for shops, offices, restaurants, services and gas bars along collector or arterial roads, typically larger plazas up to 10,000 square metres, with apartments allowed only above the ground floor.
Is a property in the C3 zone? Enter its address and the lookup returns the zone and these standards, including any site-specific exception.
Check an addressWhat the C3 zone permits
- Artist Studio
- Catering Service
- Child Care Centre
- Commercial School
- Communications Establishment
- Community Garden
- Craftsperson Shop
- Dwelling Unit, Mixed Use
- Emergency Shelter
- Financial Establishment
- Laboratory
- Medical Clinic
- Microbrewery
- Motor Vehicle Gas Bar
- Motor Vehicle Service Station
- Office
- Personal Service
- Repair Service
- Restaurant
- Retail
- Social Services Establishment
- Tradesperson's Shop
- Urban Farm
- Urban Farmers Market
- Veterinary Service
Standards
| Requirement | By-law |
|---|---|
| Minimum front yard | 1.5 mBuilding setback from a street line: minimum 1.5 m; maximum 4.5 m (except where a visibility triangle is required for a driveway access); 6.0 m for the portion of a building providing an access driveway to a garage; the 4.5 m maximum does not apply to any portion of a building exceeding the facade-width requirements of 10.3.3 i) ii) and iii). Gas bars/service stations: minimum 4.5 m from a street (10.3.4 a). |
| Minimum interior side yard | 1.5 m1.5 m; 3.0 m where abutting a Residential or Institutional Zone or a lot containing a residential use. |
| Minimum exterior side yard | 1.5 mThe street-line setback in 10.3.3 a) applies to every lot line abutting a street: minimum 1.5 m, maximum 4.5 m (6.0 m for the portion providing a driveway to a garage). Gas bars/service stations: minimum 4.5 m. |
| Minimum rear yard | 6 m6.0 m; 7.5 m where abutting a Residential or Institutional Zone or a lot containing a residential use; on a corner lot where the rear lot line abuts a street, the street-line setback of 10.3.3 a) applies instead. |
| Maximum building height | 14 m |
| Maximum gross floor area | 10000Maximum total gross floor area for commercial uses 10,000.0 m2; maximum 500.0 m2 per unit for an individual office; maximum 700.0 m2 for a microbrewery; maximum 175.0 m2 for retail accessory to a motor vehicle gas bar. |
Other provisions in this section
- Maximum lot area 10,000.0 m2 (10.3.3 e).
- Prohibited use, even as accessory: Commercial Parking Facility (10.3.2).
- Emergency Shelter: maximum capacity 6 residents; minimum 300 m radial separation (lot line to lot line) from any other lot occupied by an Emergency Shelter; an existing shelter closer than 300 m may be expanded or redeveloped up to the permitted number of residents (10.3.1.1 i).
- Dwelling Unit, Mixed Use: permitted only above the ground floor (except access, accessory office and utility areas) and may not exceed 50% of the total gross floor area of all buildings on the lot; also permitted in a basement or cellar (10.3.1.1 ii).
- Garden Centre permitted only as an accessory use to Retail; no outdoor bulk storage of soils, mulch or aggregate (10.3.1.1 iii).
- Built form for new buildings/additions (10.3.3 i): rooftop mechanical equipment must be located or screened from view of any abutting street; interior/through lot: ground floor facade facing the front lot line must be at least 40% of the front lot line length; corner lot: combined ground floor facade facing street lines must be at least 50% of all lot lines abutting a street; facade width excludes access driveways and required yards; new commercial buildings under 650 m2 GFA on commercial development existing at passing of the by-law are exempt from the facade-width rules.
- No parking, driveways, stacking lanes or aisles between a building facade and the front or flankage lot line, except for portions of a building exceeding the facade-width requirements (10.3.3 i vi).
- At least one principal entrance within the ground floor facade set back closest to a street, accessible directly from the public sidewalk (10.3.3 i vii).
- A walkway is permitted in a required Planting Strip (10.3.3 i viii).
- Properties designated under the Ontario Heritage Act: alternative design/materials approved by Heritage Permit are deemed to comply with 10.3.3 (10.3.3 i ix).
- Planting Strip: minimum 1.5 m wide where a lot line abuts a Residential or Institutional Zone lot line (not a laneway) (10.3.3 j); gas bars/service stations: minimum 3.0 m planting strip abutting any street line or Residential/Institutional Zone lot line, except at ingress/egress points (10.3.4 c).
- Visual barrier required along any lot line abutting a Residential, Institutional or Downtown (D5) Zone per Section 4.19 (10.3.3 k).
- No outdoor storage of goods, materials or equipment; display of goods accessory to a Retail use only in a front or flankage yard (10.3.3 l).
- Motor Vehicle Gas Bar / Service Station: fuel pump islands, fuel pumps and canopies minimum 4.5 m from any lot line; accessory retail to a gas bar maximum 175.0 m2 GFA (10.3.4 b, d).
- Accessory buildings per Section 4.8 (10.3.5); parking per Section 5 (10.3.6); Urban Farm per Section 4.26; Community Garden per Section 4.27; Urban Farmers Market per Section 4.28.
Source: Section 10.3 (Regulations in Section 10.3.3; gas bar/service station regulations in Section 10.3.4), 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: C1, C2, C6, C7, E1, S2, TOC2