Zoning · Toronto · Residential
RT zone, Toronto: Residential Townhouse Zone
Chapter 10, Section 10.60 (10.60.20 Permitted Uses; 10.60.30 Lot Requirements; 10.60.40 Principal Building Requirements) of the City of Toronto Zoning By-law 569-2013, as amended by 545-2019, 1453-2017, 1210-2019, 101-2022, 156-2023, 474-2023, 608-2024, 1062-2025(OLT), OMB PL130592 (Feb 7, 2017), PL130592 (Mar 2018).
A residential zone mainly for townhouses that also allows detached, semi-detached, duplex, triplex and fourplex houses, plus apartment buildings on lots abutting a major street.
Is a property in the RT zone? Enter its address and the lookup returns the zone and these standards, including any site-specific exception.
Check an addressWhat the RT zone permits
- Dwelling unit in a permitted residential building type: detached house, semi-detached house, townhouse, duplex, triplex, fourplex; apartment building only if the lot abuts a major street (10.60.20.40)
- Municipal shelter
- Park
- With conditions (10.60.20.100): ambulance depot, fire hall, police station (1); cogeneration energy / renewable energy (2); community centre, library (3); day nursery (4, s.150.45); group home (5, s.150.15); home occupation (6, s.150.5); place of worship (8, s.150.50); private home daycare (9); public utility (10, 11); secondary suite (12, s.150.10); seniors community house (13, s.150.30); transportation use (14); short-term rental (15, s.150.13); laneway suite (16, s.150.8); garden suite (17, s.150.7); multi-tenant house (18, s.150.25)
Standards
| Requirement | By-law |
|---|---|
| Minimum lot area (interior lot) | See note10.60.30.10(1): the 'a' value in the zone label (m²); if one semi-detached house is on two lots, each lot needs 50% of the 'a' value; if no 'a' value, min lot area = required min lot frontage x 30 m. (2): an 'au' value in the label is the min lot area per dwelling unit in a townhouse. |
| Minimum lot width (interior lot) | 6 m10.60.30.20: the 'f' value in the zone label per dwelling unit for a detached, semi-detached or townhouse with every unit fronting on a street; 6.0 m per unit if no 'f' value; townhouse frontage may be reduced by 1.0 m per unit without an individual private driveway to its front; 30.0 m if a townhouse has any unit not fronting directly on a street or for a non-residential building; 6.0 m for a duplex, triplex or fourplex. |
| Minimum front yard | 6 m10.60.40.70(1): 6.0 m unless front-yard averaging under 10.5.40.70(1) applies (setback of neighbouring building(s) within 15 m). (4)(A) townhouse/apartment on a lot abutting a major street: lot depth <= 36.0 m -> lesser of averaged setback or 6.0 m where averaging applies, else 3.0 m, but 6.0 m on a through lot; lot depth > 36.0 m -> 6.0 m. |
| Minimum interior side yard | 0.9 m10.60.40.70(3): 7.5 m generally; 0.9 m for a detached, semi-detached, duplex, triplex, fourplex, or a townhouse where all units front directly on a street. (4) on a lot abutting a major street: townhouse 0.9 m if all units front a street, else 7.5 m; apartment building 2.4 m for main wall portions without primary windows, 5.5 m with primary windows, 7.5 m for portions beyond 25.0 m building length. |
| Minimum exterior side yard | See noteOnly stated for an apartment building on a corner lot abutting a major street: 3.0 m from the side lot line abutting a street (10.60.40.70(4)(D)(iv)). Otherwise the interior side yard rule applies. |
| Minimum rear yard | 7.5 m |
| Maximum building height | 10 m10.60.40.10: the 'HT' value on the Height Overlay Map, or 10.0 m if none; duplex/triplex/fourplex: greater of HT value or 10.0 m; on a lot abutting a major street: townhouse greater of 13.0 m or HT, apartment building greater of 19.0 m or HT. Storeys: the 'ST' value on the Height Overlay Map (not limited if none; does not apply to duplex/triplex/fourplex); on a major street, townhouse greater of 4 storeys or ST, apartment greater of 6 storeys or ST (excluding mechanical penthouse). |
| Maximum lot coverage | See note10.60.30.40: the value on the Lot Coverage Overlay Map (% of lot area); no lot coverage limit if the lot has no overlay value; townhouse or apartment building on a lot abutting a major street: 50%. |
| Maximum floor space index | See note10.60.40.40: the 'd' value in the zone label; not limited if no 'd' value; does not apply to a duplex, triplex or fourplex, nor to a townhouse or apartment building with 60 units or less on a lot abutting a major street. |
| Minimum unit width | 6 m10.60.40.1(3), townhouse dwelling units: 5.0 m if the unit has no individual private driveway leading directly to its front; 6.0 m in all other cases. |
| Maximum dwelling units | See note10.60.40.1(2): the 'u' value in the zone label; for an apartment building on a lot abutting a major street, the greater of 60 units or the 'u' value. |
Other provisions in this section
- Maximum building length on a lot abutting a major street: 19.0 m for a townhouse, 25.0 m for an apartment building (10.60.40.20).
- Separation between main walls of the same residential building where one main wall projects onto another: 5.5 m if no openings to dwelling units in one or more of the walls; 11.0 m if each wall has an opening to a dwelling unit (10.60.40.80(1)).
- Separation between residential buildings on the same lot: 5.5 m if no openings in the front or rear main wall of one or more buildings; 11.0 m if each front or rear main wall has an opening to a dwelling unit; 2.4 m between side main walls (10.60.40.80(2)).
- Lawfully existing buildings with a lesser separation keep that lawful separation; additions must meet 10.60.40.80(1)-(2) or obtain a Section 45 minor variance (10.60.40.81).
- Ancillary buildings and structures are governed by Article 10.5.60, not Article 10.60.40 (10.60.40.1(1)).
- Duplex, triplex, fourplex, townhouse or apartment building is permitted despite 900.1.10(3) and 900.1.10(4)(A) if it complies with the RT regulations, or is authorized by a Section 45 minor variance (10.60.20.40(2)).
- Ambulance depot, fire hall or police station: lot must front on a major street, or on a street intersecting a major street within 250 m of the intersection (10.60.20.100(1)).
- Community centre or library: lot must have a front or side lot line abutting a major street, or a street intersecting a major street with the lot within 80 m of that intersection (10.60.20.100(3)).
- Place of worship: comply with s.150.50; lot must abut a major street, have lot area of at least 2,000 m² and frontage of at least 30 m; building max 2,500 m² gross floor area; lawfully existing places of worship exempt from the lot/GFA rules. Clause under appeal to the OLT, not in full force (10.60.20.100(8)).
- Private home daycare play area must be fenced and not in the front yard or a side yard abutting a street (10.60.20.100(9)).
- Public utility may not be a sewage treatment plant, water filtration plant or above-ground water reservoir; a hydro transformer station or natural gas regulator station must be enclosed by walls and meet RT lot coverage, setbacks and height (10.60.20.100(10)-(11)).
- Cogeneration or renewable energy production must be combined with another permitted use on the lot (10.60.20.100(2)).
- A transportation use building must comply with all requirements for a building on that lot (10.60.20.100(14)).
- Front yard averaging (10.5.40.70(1)) may replace the 6.0 m front yard: setback of the neighbouring building, or the average of two, where those buildings are within 15.0 m of the subject lot.
- Zone-label suffixes carry site-specific values: f = min lot frontage (m), a = min lot area (m²), au = min lot area per townhouse unit, d = max FSI, u = max dwelling units; HT/ST and Lot Coverage come from overlay maps.
Source: Chapter 10, Section 10.60 (10.60.20 Permitted Uses; 10.60.30 Lot Requirements; 10.60.40 Principal Building Requirements), 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.