GC zone, Vaughan: General Commercial Zone
Part 9, Section 9.2 (Table 9-2 Permitted Uses; Table 9-3 Lot and Building Requirements) of the City of Vaughan Zoning By-law 001-2021.
A general commercial zone for shops, offices, restaurants, hotels, clinics, vehicle sales and repair, and community uses on lots of at least 900 m² with buildings up to 11 m high.
Is a property in the GC zone? Enter its address and the lookup returns the zone and these standards, including any site-specific exception.
Check an addressWhat the GC zone permits
- Art studio
- Automotive detailing
- Business service (3)
- Car wash (3) - only if legally existing on the lot on the effective date of the By-law (E)
- Clinic
- Commercial school
- Commercial storage (3)
- Financial institution (3)
- Funeral services (3)
- Fueling station (1)(3) - only if legally existing on the lot on the effective date of the By-law (E)
- Garden centre (3)
- Health and fitness centre (3)
- Heavy equipment sales, rental and service establishment (3)
- Hotel (3)
- Hotel (small scale) (3)
- Micro-manufacturing (1)
- Motor vehicle body repair - only if legally existing on the lot on the effective date of the By-law (E)
- Motor vehicle rental
- Motor vehicle repair
- Motor vehicle sales (3)
- Office
- Personal service (3)
- Pet care establishment (3)
- Place of assembly (3)
- Place of entertainment (3)
- Research and development
- Restaurant (3)
- Restaurant, take-out (3)
- Retail (3)
- Retail, convenience (3)
- Service or repair shop (3)
- Shopping centre (3)
- Supermarket (3)
- Taxi stand
- Theatre (3)
- Veterinary clinic
- Community facility
- Community garden (1)
- Day care centre
- Emergency service
- Place of worship (1)
- Public parking
- Drive-through (1) (specified accessory use)
- Outdoor display area (1) (specified accessory use)
- Outdoor patio (1) (specified accessory use)
- Seasonal outdoor display area (1) (specified accessory use)
- Temporary sales office (1)
Standards
| Requirement | By-law |
|---|---|
| Minimum lot area (interior lot) | 900 m² |
| Minimum lot width (interior lot) | 20 m |
| Minimum front yard | 4.5 m |
| Minimum interior side yard | 3 m |
| Minimum exterior side yard | 4.5 m |
| Minimum rear yard | 12 m |
| Maximum building height | 11 m |
| Maximum lot coverage | 50 % |
| Minimum landscaped open space | 10 % |
| Maximum gross floor area | 10000Footnote (3) to Table 9-2: maximum gross floor area on each lot for all uses marked (3) combined is 10,000.0 m2; uses not marked (3) are not capped by this provision |
Other provisions in this section
- Minimum setback of 12 m from any building or structure to a lot line abutting a Residential Zone, Institutional Zone, or the Open Space Zone (Table 9-3).
- Minimum landscape strip of 3 m width abutting any street line (Table 9-3).
- Minimum landscape strip of 6 m width on any interior side lot line or rear lot line abutting a Residential Zone or the Open Space Zone (Table 9-3).
- Uses marked (1) in Table 9-2 (fueling station, micro-manufacturing, community garden, place of worship, drive-through, outdoor display area, outdoor patio, seasonal outdoor display area, temporary sales office) are subject to specific use provisions in Part 5 of the By-law.
- Uses marked (3) in Table 9-2: the maximum gross floor area on each lot for all such uses combined is 10,000.0 m2 (footnote 3 to Table 9-2).
- Footnote (2) to Table 9-2 (maximum total gross floor area of specified uses 185.0 m2 per lot) is not applied to any use in the GC column.
- Car wash, fueling station and motor vehicle body repair are permitted only if legally existing and used on the lot on the effective date of the By-law ('E' in Table 9-2).
- Pet services establishment is not permitted in the GC zone (blank in Table 9-2).
Source: Part 9, Section 9.2 (Table 9-2 Permitted Uses; Table 9-3 Lot and Building Requirements), By-law 001-2021 (City of Vaughan), 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.