Zoning · Toronto · Open space

O zone, Toronto: Open Space Zone

Chapter 90, Section 90.10 (Regulations 90.10.20.10 to 90.10.40.71) of the City of Toronto Zoning By-law 569-2013, as amended by 103-2016, 1031-2014.

Public parks, utilities and transportation lands where only very small, low buildings (up to 4 m tall and 50 m² of floor area) are allowed.

Is a property in the O zone? Enter its address and the lookup returns the zone and these standards, including any site-specific exception.

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What the O zone permits

  • Park
  • Public Utility
  • Transportation Use
  • Club (condition 1: not in a building)
  • Cogeneration Energy (condition 2: in combination with another permitted use on the lot)
  • Education Use (condition 1: not in a building)
  • Recreation Use (condition 1: not in a building)
  • Renewable Energy (condition 2: in combination with another permitted use on the lot)

Standards

RequirementBy-law
Minimum front yard1.5 mMinimum building setback from front lot line: 1.5 m if building/structure height is 2.0 m or less; 3.0 m if height is greater than 2.0 m (90.10.40.70(1))
Minimum interior side yard1.5 mMinimum building setback from a side lot line: 1.5 m if building/structure height is 2.0 m or less; 3.0 m if height is greater than 2.0 m (90.10.40.70(1)); by-law does not distinguish interior from exterior side lot lines in this zone
Minimum exterior side yard1.5 mMinimum building setback from a side lot line: 1.5 m if building/structure height is 2.0 m or less; 3.0 m if height is greater than 2.0 m (90.10.40.70(1)); by-law does not distinguish interior from exterior side lot lines in this zone
Minimum rear yard1.5 mMinimum building setback from rear lot line: 1.5 m if building/structure height is 2.0 m or less; 3.0 m if height is greater than 2.0 m (90.10.40.70(1))
Maximum building height4 m
Maximum gross floor area50

Other provisions in this section

  • Section 90.10 applies to all lands, uses, buildings and structures in the O zone (90.10.1.10(1)); category-wide Open Space regulations in Section 90.5 and all-zone regulations in Chapter 5 also apply.
  • Club, education use and recreation use are permitted only if not in a building (90.10.20.100(1)).
  • Cogeneration energy production and renewable energy production must be in combination with another permitted use on the lot and comply with all municipal, provincial and federal by-laws, statutes and regulations (90.10.20.100(2)).
  • Maximum height of any building or structure is 4.0 m (90.10.40.10(1)).
  • Height exemption: the 4.0 m maximum does not apply to a transportation use along Eglinton Avenue West and Eglinton Avenue East, provided the maximum building height is no greater than 10.5 m (90.10.40.11(1)) [103-2016] [By-law 1031-2014].
  • Maximum gross floor area of a building is 50.0 m² (90.10.40.40(1)).
  • Floor area exemption: the 50.0 m² maximum does not apply to a transportation use along Eglinton Avenue West and Eglinton Avenue East, provided the maximum floor area is no greater than 2 times the area of the lot (90.10.40.41(1)) [103-2016] [By-law 1031-2014].
  • Minimum building setback from front, rear and side lot lines is 1.5 m for a building/structure 2.0 m or less in height and 3.0 m if higher than 2.0 m (90.10.40.70(1)).
  • Setback exemption: the setback regulation does not apply to a transportation use along Eglinton Avenue West and Eglinton Avenue East, provided the setbacks are between 0 and 15 m (90.10.40.71(1)) [103-2016] [By-law 1031-2014].
  • No minimum lot area, lot frontage, lot depth, lot coverage, landscaped open space, FSI or parking standards are stated in Section 90.10; lot frontage/area/FSI/unit-count and height/coverage overlays, where applicable, are carried as zone-label suffixes and overlay maps on the zoning polygon.

Source: Chapter 90, Section 90.10 (Regulations 90.10.20.10 to 90.10.40.71), By-law 569-2013 (City of Toronto), 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 open space zones in Toronto: OC, OG, OM, ON, OR