Zoning · Hamilton · Residential
D6 zone, Hamilton: Downtown Multiple Residential (D6) Zone
Section 6.6 (6.6.1 Permitted Uses; 6.6.2.1 Multiple Dwelling etc. Regulations; 6.6.2.2 Street Townhouse Dwelling Regulations), with Section 6.0 Downtown Zones General Provisions of the City of Hamilton Zoning By-law 05-200, as amended by 06-324 (October 25, 2006), 08-227 (September 24, 2008), 14-238 (September 10, 2014), 14-273 (September 24, 2014), 15-107 (April 22, 2015), 18-114 (May 9, 2018), 21-070 (May 12, 2021), 25-155 (August 06, 2025).
A downtown Hamilton zone for apartment buildings, street townhouses, lodging houses, retirement homes and similar multi-unit residential uses, with buildings placed close to the street (at most 3 m back) and at least 9 m tall.
Is a property in the D6 zone? Enter its address and the lookup returns the zone and these standards, including any site-specific exception.
Check an addressWhat the D6 zone permits
- Community Garden
- Educational Establishment
- Emergency Shelter
- Lodging House
- Multiple Dwelling
- Place of Worship
- Residential Care Facility
- Retirement Home
- Street Townhouse Dwelling
- Urban Farm
- Urban Farmers Market
- Uses accessory to the above
Standards
| Requirement | By-law |
|---|---|
| Minimum lot area (interior lot) | See noteNo minimum lot area stated for Multiple Dwellings and the other 6.6.2.1 uses. Street Townhouse Dwelling: minimum 150.0 m² for each dwelling unit (6.6.2.2 a). Section 6.0 c) vi): buildings exceeding 44.0 m in height require a minimum lot area of 1,575.0 m². |
| Minimum lot width (interior lot) | 12 mMinimum Lot Width 12.0 m for Educational Establishment, Emergency Shelter, Lodging House, Multiple Dwelling, Place of Worship, Residential Care Facility and Retirement Home (6.6.2.1 a). No lot width stated for Street Townhouse Dwellings (unit width 5.5 m applies instead). Section 6.0 c) v): buildings exceeding 44.0 m in height require a minimum lot frontage of 35.0 m. |
| Minimum front yard | See noteThe by-law sets a MAXIMUM front yard, not a minimum: maximum 3.0 m (6.6.2.1 b for Multiple Dwellings etc.; 6.6.2.2 c) i) for Street Townhouse dwellings). Street Townhouse: minimum 6.0 m for a garage only (6.6.2.2 c) ii). On a corner lot either street-abutting lot line may be the front lot line at the owner's option (Section 6.0 a) ii). |
| Minimum interior side yard | See noteMultiple Dwellings etc.: the by-law sets a MAXIMUM side yard of 7.5 m (6.6.2.1 d), no minimum. Street Townhouse Dwelling: minimum 1.2 m, except 0 m for the side yard on the common wall of the dwelling unit (6.6.2.2 d) i). Section 6.0: portions of a building above 22.0 m need a 3.0 m side setback; portions above 44.0 m need 12.5 m. |
| Minimum exterior side yard | See noteMultiple Dwellings etc.: the by-law sets a MAXIMUM flankage yard of 3.0 m (6.6.2.1 c), no minimum. Street Townhouse Dwelling: minimum 3.0 m to a flankage yard (6.6.2.2 d) ii). |
| Minimum rear yard | 3 mMinimum 3.0 m for Multiple Dwellings and the other 6.6.2.1 uses (6.6.2.1 e); minimum 7.0 m for Street Townhouse Dwellings (6.6.2.2 e). Section 6.0: any portion of a building exceeding 22.0 m in height requires a minimum 3.0 m setback from a side or rear lot line; portions exceeding 44.0 m require minimum 12.5 m from all side and rear lot lines (except flankage) and 9.5 m from a lot line abutting a laneway. |
| Maximum building height | See noteMinimum building height 9.0 m. Maximum building height is by lot location as shown on Figure 1 of Schedule 'F' - Special Figures (6.6.2.1 f; 6.6.2.2 f). Section 6.0 b)/c): minimum 3.0 m stepback from the building base facade height shown in Schedule 'F' Special Figure 15; additional setbacks for portions above 22.0 m and 44.0 m; 25.0 m separation between exterior walls on the same property for portions above 44.0 m. |
| Minimum landscaped open space | 10 %Not less than 10% of the lot area shall be landscaped area, for Multiple Dwellings only (6.6.2.1 i). No landscaped area requirement stated for other uses or Street Townhouse Dwellings. |
| Minimum unit width | 5.5 mMinimum Unit Width 5.5 m for each dwelling unit, Street Townhouse Dwellings only (6.6.2.2 b). |
Other provisions in this section
- Minimum Floor Area Ratio of 0.6 for new Multiple Dwellings (6.6.2.1 h) - a minimum density, not a maximum.
- Maximum front yard 3.0 m, maximum flankage yard 3.0 m, maximum side yard 7.5 m for Multiple Dwellings, Educational Establishments, Emergency Shelters, Lodging Houses, Places of Worship, Residential Care Facilities and Retirement Homes (6.6.2.1 b-d).
- Street Townhouse Dwelling: maximum front yard 3.0 m for the dwelling; minimum front yard 6.0 m for a garage only (6.6.2.2 c).
- Parking for all uses in accordance with Section 5 of the By-law (6.6.2.1 g; 6.6.2.2 g; 6.0 g).
- A visual barrier is required along any side or rear lot line abutting a Downtown D1, D2, D3 or D4 Zone, per Subsection 4.19 (6.6.2.1 j).
- Emergency Shelters and Residential Care Facilities 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 (6.6.2.1 k) i).
- An existing Emergency Shelter or Residential Care Facility closer than 300 m to another such facility may be expanded or redeveloped only up to the number of residents permitted by its zone (6.6.2.1 k) ii).
- No new Residential Care Facility or Emergency Shelter is permitted within the lands bounded by Queen Street, Hunter Street, James Street and Main Street (6.6.2.1 k) iii).
- Maximum capacity for an Emergency Shelter or Residential Care Facility: 6 residents (6.6.2.1 l).
- Urban Farms per Section 4.26; Community Gardens per Section 4.27; Urban Farmers Markets per Section 4.28 (6.6.2.3-6.6.2.5).
- Accessory Buildings per Section 4.8 unless otherwise regulated by the Downtown Zones (6.0 h).
- Section 6.0 b): buildings up to 44.0 m in height built after the by-law's effective date require a minimum 3.0 m stepback from the building base facade height in Schedule 'F' Special Figure 15, and a minimum 3.0 m setback from side and rear lot lines for any portion above 22.0 m.
- Section 6.0 c)/d): buildings exceeding 44.0 m in height additionally require minimum 9.5 m from a lot line abutting a laneway and 12.5 m from all side and rear lot lines (except flankage) for the portion above 44.0 m, a minimum lot frontage of 35.0 m, a minimum lot area of 1,575.0 m², and 25.0 m between exterior walls on the same property.
- Section 6.0 e): on lots in the Heritage Character Zone (Schedule 'F' Figure 2), facade work must provide at least 60% clear glazing on the ground floor facade, 25%-40% windows on the second and third storey facades, a ground floor storey height of 3.6-4.5 m, second and third storeys of 3.0-4.0 m each, and cladding of no more than two of brick, concrete panels, stone, stucco or metal panels (excluding aluminium siding); alternative designs approved by a Heritage Permit under the Ontario Heritage Act are deemed to comply (6.0 f).
- Section 6.0 a): in Downtown Zones, on a corner lot the front lot line is either street-abutting lot line at the owner's option.
Source: Section 6.6 (6.6.1 Permitted Uses; 6.6.2.1 Multiple Dwelling etc. Regulations; 6.6.2.2 Street Townhouse Dwelling Regulations), with Section 6.0 Downtown Zones General Provisions, 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 residential zones in Hamilton: R1, R1a, R2, R3, R4, R4a, S1, TOC3