Home records, explained › The home and the lot
How many homes does the zoning allow on the lot?
Since 2022 Ontario's Planning Act requires municipalities to permit up to three units on a serviced residential lot (two in the house and one in a garden or laneway suite, or similar), and many cities permit more. The check reads the Act, the city's by-law summary from our hand-kept table, Toronto's multiplex rules by ward, Kingston's additional-unit schedules, and the registers of second units in Brampton, Newmarket and Oshawa.
Report check: Extra units allowed. Entry reviewed 20 Oct 2026; each source below shows its own data date.
How a report shows itsample, made-up home
Extra units allowedNote
The by-law permits up to 4 units on this lot, including a garden suite.
Where we read it
- Toronto
- Ottawa
- Hamilton
- Guelph
- Brampton
- Kingston
- Newmarket
- Oshawa
- Other Ontario
the town's own recordsOntario-wide records
Free checkreads it
Full reportevery report
DealbreakerExtra units allowed
Published byCity of TorontoCity of KingstonGovernment of OntarioCity of BramptonTown of Newmarket+2 more
Homes a lot may hold, town by town
The most homes on one lot (the main home and its extra units), as each town's extra-units line puts it. Zones, services and lot size can narrow it; each town's page has the full line, its by-law and the date we checked it. Towns whose line sets no single number are on their own pages.
4 homes20 towns
3 homes32 towns
- Aurora
- Bradford West Gwillimbury
- Brampton
- Brantford
- Brockville
- Cambridge
- Clarington
- Cornwall
- Fort Erie
- Georgina
- Grimsby
- Halton Hills
- Innisfil
- King
- Kingston
- Markham
- New Tecumseth
- Newmarket
- Niagara Falls
- Norfolk County
- Oakville
- Orangeville
- Oshawa
- Peterborough
- Pickering
- St. Catharines
- Stratford
- Tecumseh
- Timmins
- Welland
- Windsor
- Woodstock
2 homes3 towns
What the record is
The Planning Act sets the floor; each city's zoning by-law sets what applies on a given lot, with limits on size, parking, lot width and where a detached unit can sit. Toronto permits up to four homes in a house citywide and six in some wards; Hamilton and Guelph permit four; several cities require additional units to be registered.
The report line summarises the city's rule from our table (with the by-law number and the date we read it), adds the provincial minimum, and in Brampton, Newmarket and Oshawa says whether the City's register lists a second unit at the address. A unit that was never registered doesn't appear in a register.
Where it runs
At every Ontario address, from provincial and federal records:
- Planning Act, R.S.O. 1990, c. P.13, s.35.1; O. Reg. 299/19; Development Charges Act, s.2 (data date Planning Act consolidated 1 Jul 2026; checked 5 Oct 2026)
What each city's own records add:
What we read in each town9 towns, each with its source and date
| City | What the report reads |
|---|---|
| Toronto |
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| Ottawa |
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| Hamilton |
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| Guelph |
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| Brampton |
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| Kingston |
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| Newmarket |
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| Oshawa |
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| Other Ontario | Only the provincial and federal records above. |
Extra units, city by city
What each zoning by-law permits on a typical low-rise lot.
| Municipality | Rule | Record |
|---|---|---|
| Ajax | permits four units, the main home and up to three accessory dwelling units with at most one detached (section 4.4 of Zoning By-law 95-2003); none on lands the conservation authority determines to be hazardous | by-law 23-2025 Read by us 29 Oct 2026 |
| Aurora | permits up to three units on a residential lot, the main home with one or two units inside it, or one inside and one detached ancillary unit; every additional unit must be registered with the Town, and second suites are not permitted in an Environmental Protection zone | by-law 6660-24 Read by us 29 Oct 2026 |
| Barrie | permits up to four units per lot in residential zones (section 5.2.9) | by-law 2009-141 Read by us 5 Oct 2026 |
| Belleville | permits up to three accessory dwelling units with a one-unit dwelling on full municipal services in a residential zone (one on private or partial services), each with at most two bedrooms and 100 m², in at most one detached accessory building; none in natural hazard areas; legal units are listed in the City's registry | by-law 2024-100 s.16.13 Read by us 29 Oct 2026 |
| Bradford West Gwillimbury | permits up to two accessory dwellings with a detached, semi-detached or townhouse dwelling on urban residential land, at most one in a separate structure up to 4 m high, each up to 49% of the main building's floor area and none on hazard lands; units are registered with the Town | by-law 2010-050 s.4.3 Read by us 29 Oct 2026 |
| Brampton | permits a second and third unit, including a garden suite, and these units must be registered with the City; the new Zoning By-law 14-2026 (approved 4 Feb 2026) is under appeal, so both by-laws apply and the more restrictive rule governs | by-law 270-2004 Read by us 5 Oct 2026 |
| Brantford | permits three units on a lot, the main home and up to two additional dwelling units in a single detached, semi-detached or townhouse dwelling, one of which may be in an accessory structure; none in a basement on land in the Flood Protection Overlay | by-law 124-2024 s.3.2 Read by us 29 Oct 2026 |
| Brockville | permits up to two additional dwelling units wherever a single-detached, semi-detached, townhouse or linked dwelling is permitted, either two in the main dwelling or one there and one in an accessory building, with no more than one parking space each (tandem allowed); additional units may not house short term vacation rental guests | by-law 050-2014 s.3.4 Read by us 29 Oct 2026 |
| Caledon | permits up to three additional residential units with a detached, linked, semi-detached or townhouse dwelling (four units in all), with one parking space each; on estate, rural and agricultural lots the Oak Ridges Moraine, Greenbelt and Niagara Escarpment plans can set a lower number, and the Town says every additional unit is to be registered | by-law 2006-50 s.6.4 Read by us 29 Oct 2026 |
| Cambridge | permits three units: up to three in the house, or two in the house and one in a detached building (section 4.19; additional residential unit by-law 23-077) | by-law 26-007 Read by us 5 Oct 2026 |
| Chatham-Kent | permits up to four units on a lot with full municipal services in the RL, RM and UC(OS) zones: up to four in a single detached dwelling (up to two of them in an accessory building), or three in a semi-detached or row house unit plus one in an accessory building; two in the rural, estate, village and lakeside residential zones and one additional unit in the agricultural zone | by-law 216-2009 s.4.6(3) Read by us 29 Oct 2026 |
| Clarington | permits three units, the main home and up to two additional dwelling units in the house and an accessory building (section 3.2 of Zoning By-law 84-63), none in the Environmental Protection Zone; additional units must be registered with the Municipality | by-law 2021-082 Read by us 29 Oct 2026 |
| Collingwood | permits up to three attached or detached additional residential units, for up to four units on a lot, with a single-detached, semi-detached or townhouse dwelling on a year-round maintained road; at most two accessory buildings with units, each up to 7.5 m and no taller than the main building; none on natural hazard lands unless the conservation authority permits | by-law 2010-040 s.4.40 Read by us 29 Oct 2026 |
| Cornwall | permits up to three dwelling units on a serviced lot with a single detached, semi-detached, duplex, link or row house (three in the house, or two in the house and one in an ancillary building; up to four in a semi-detached house with none in an ancillary building), each with one parking space; no basement unit in the floodplain or natural heritage zones | by-law 2022-001 s.3.4 Read by us 29 Oct 2026 |
| East Gwillimbury | permits one accessory apartment in a single detached, semi-detached or townhouse dwelling where the zone allows it, with one more parking space; none on a lot with a garden suite or coach house, or in the Environmental Protection or Oak Ridges Moraine Core, Core Linkage and Countryside zones; on serviced urban land, section 35.1 of the Planning Act bars a zoning by-law from prohibiting up to three units | by-law 2018-043 s.4.1 Read by us 29 Oct 2026 |
| Fort Erie | permits up to two accessory dwelling units with a single-detached, semi-detached or townhouse dwelling in a residential zone inside the urban boundary on full municipal water and sewer, both inside or one inside and one detached, each up to 40% of the main dwelling's floor area or 100 m², with one parking space each (tandem allowed) | by-law 129-90 s.6.43 Read by us 29 Oct 2026 |
| Georgina | where Zoning By-law 500 applies, permits up to three units on a lot with a single family, semi-detached, linked or townhouse dwelling: the main home and two additional residential units, one of which may be in a detached building 3 to 50 m from the house; the countryside is under Zoning By-law 600 | by-law 500 s.5.50 Read by us 29 Oct 2026 |
| Greater Sudbury | permits up to four units per lot in many urban areas served by municipal water and sewer | by-law 2010-100Z Read by us 5 Oct 2026 |
| Grimsby | permits up to two additional residential units with a single-detached, semi-detached or street townhouse dwelling on municipal water and wastewater in the specified residential and downtown zones, both in or attached to the house or one there and one in an accessory building, with one parking space each; one unit in the Hamlet Residential and specified rural and agricultural zones, and the Niagara Escarpment Plan's policies in its area | by-law 14-45 s.4.19 Read by us 29 Oct 2026 |
| Guelph | permits a detached house plus up to three additional units (By-law (2024)-21024, 10 Dec 2024), including up to two detached units in one rear-yard building | by-law (2023)-20790 Read by us 5 Oct 2026 |
| Halton Hills | permits two additional residential units with a single-detached, semi-detached or townhouse dwelling in urban zones, both inside or one inside and one detached, with one parking space each beyond the main home's two; every unit must be registered with the Town before it is occupied (By-law 2023-0060) | by-law 2024-0098 Read by us 29 Oct 2026 |
| Hamilton | permits up to four units (a fourplex) in the R1, R1a and R2 zones since February 2024; areas still under a former municipality's by-law follow that by-law's rules | by-law 05-200 Read by us 5 Oct 2026 |
| Innisfil | permits up to two accessory dwelling units with a single-detached, semi-detached or street townhouse dwelling, each with up to three bedrooms and half the main home's floor area to 100 m²; none in the Cookstown settlement area, on septic lots within 100 m of Lake Simcoe or on hazard land; each unit is registered with the Town | by-law 043-21 Read by us 29 Oct 2026 |
| Kawartha Lakes | permits up to three additional units on a lot with full municipal services in the urban areas of Lindsay, Bobcaygeon, Fenelon Falls and Omemee, up to two in the rural area (on a lot of at least 0.4 ha) and one inside a single detached house on the Oak Ridges Moraine (City guide, May 2025); every unit must be registered under By-law 2020-162 | by-law 2020-162 Read by us 29 Oct 2026 |
| King | the Countryside by-law permits up to two additional residential units where a single detached dwelling is permitted (only one in a detached accessory building, up to 50% of the house's floor area or 85 m²), one inside the house in the Oak Ridges Moraine Countryside zone and none in its Natural Core, Linkage and Feature Protection zones, each with one more parking space; in the villages of King City, Schomberg and Nobleton, section 35.1 of the Planning Act bars a zoning by-law from prohibiting up to three units on serviced urban land | by-law 2022-053 s.3.3 Read by us 29 Oct 2026 |
| Kingston | permits a second and third unit in most urban areas; a fourth unit is subject to a holding symbol (Schedule D3), and Schedules D1 and D2 limit additional units in some areas | by-law 2022-62 Read by us 5 Oct 2026 |
| Kitchener | permits up to four units on lots where a single, semi-detached or street townhouse is permitted (amendments approved 25 Mar 2024) | by-law 85-1 and 2019-051 Read by us 5 Oct 2026 |
| LaSalle | permits, beside the main home, either up to two attached additional residential units in a single detached, semi-detached or street townhouse dwelling (one in a duplex), together no larger than the main home, or one detached unit of at most 100 m² and no larger than the main home, 6.5 m high; every unit on full municipal sewer and water | by-law 8600 s.3.1 Read by us 29 Oct 2026 |
| Lakeshore | permits attached and basement additional residential units with a single detached, semi-detached or townhouse dwelling in every residential and agricultural zone and detached ones in residential zones (at most 50% of the main home to 120 m², 6.5 m high) and the agricultural zone (to 140 m²); none in basements on hazard lands; two parking spaces for the main home and one per unit; By-law 82-2025 permits up to four units on fully serviced urban lots | by-law 2-2012 (ZBA-80-2024; 82-2025) Read by us 29 Oct 2026 |
| Lincoln | the Town's published zoning text (July 2022) permits one secondary residential unit within a single-detached, semi-detached or townhouse dwelling, or one in an accessory structure if the house has none, up to half the main dwelling's floor area, with one extra parking space (tandem allowed); section 35.1 of the Planning Act bars zoning that prohibits up to three units on a serviced urban residential lot | by-law 2022-50 s.3.34 Read by us 29 Oct 2026 |
| London | permits up to four units in total (up to three additional units, up to two in a detached building) where a single, semi-detached, duplex, triplex or street townhouse is permitted (section 4.37); Interim Control By-law CP-1600-300 currently limits an additional unit to 80% of the main home's floor area | Z.-1 Read by us 5 Oct 2026 |
| Markham | permits up to two additional residential units inside a detached, semi-detached or townhouse dwelling, or one inside and one in an accessory building, under Zoning By-law 2024-19 (not in a GWY1 zone or TRCA hazard lands; properties outside 2024-19 follow older zoning by-laws); every suite must be registered with Markham Fire and Emergency Services | by-law 2024-19 s.4.9.9 Read by us 29 Oct 2026 |
| Milton | permits up to three additional residential units (four units in all) on an urban lot with a detached, semi-detached, semi-link or townhouse dwelling and municipal water and sewer, no more than one in an accessory building; rural lots may have one or two; every unit must be registered with the Town (By-law 032-2025) | by-law 016-2014 s.4.10 Read by us 29 Oct 2026 |
| Mississauga | permits up to two additional units in a detached, semi-detached or town home, or a fourplex (a new four-unit building or a conversion of the house), as of right on low-rise residential lots since December 2023 | by-law 0174-2023 and 0196-2023 Read by us 28 Oct 2026 |
| New Tecumseth | permits up to two additional residential units with a single detached, semi-detached or street townhouse dwelling (one attached, one detached, one of each, or two attached); a detached unit is limited to half the main building's floor area, to 80 m², and 6.5 m in height | by-law 2021-128 s.2.1.1 Read by us 29 Oct 2026 |
| Newmarket | permits three units, the main home and two additional residential units; additional units must be registered with the Town (By-law 2013-13) | by-law 2026-10 Read by us 5 Oct 2026 |
| Niagara Falls | permits up to two additional dwelling units with a detached, semi-detached or townhouse dwelling, two inside or one inside and one in an accessory building, three units in all, with one parking space each (tandem allowed); the units cannot be severed or used as vacation rental units in residential zones | by-law 79-200 Read by us 29 Oct 2026 |
| Norfolk County | permits up to three dwelling units on a lot in R1 to R4, RH and A zones, the main home plus one interior and one detached additional residential dwelling unit; additions and detached units up to 75 m²; one parking space each; none in a vacation or seasonal home or a farm building | by-law 1-Z-2014 s.3.2.3 Read by us 29 Oct 2026 |
| North Bay | permits up to three additional dwelling units (four units in all) in or beside a single-detached, semi-detached or townhouse dwelling on a lot in the urban settlement area connected to municipal services, and one additional unit in the rural area; each unit is registered with the City, with no fee | by-law 2015-30 (as amended by 2025-37) Read by us 29 Oct 2026 |
| Oakville | permits up to two additional residential units with a detached, semi-detached, linked or townhouse dwelling: two inside the house, or one inside and one in an accessory building (Zoning By-laws 2014-014 s.4.1 and 2009-189 s.4.29) | by-law 2024-111 and 2024-112 Read by us 29 Oct 2026 |
| Orangeville | permits up to two additional residential units with a detached, semi-detached, linked or townhouse dwelling (two inside, or one inside and one detached), for three units in all; each with at most two bedrooms and one extra parking space; a detached unit up to 4.3 m in height (6.1 m above a garage) | by-law 22-90 s.5.29 Read by us 29 Oct 2026 |
| Orillia | permits up to three additional dwelling units on a lot with a dwelling: up to three inside a single-detached, semi-detached or townhouse dwelling, or up to two in an accessory structure (not a boathouse, nothing below grade) limited to 75–140 m² by lot area and 6.5 m in height; none on a septic lot unless the by-law and Building Code allow | by-law 2014-44 s.5.2 Read by us 29 Oct 2026 |
| Oshawa | permits three units, with at most one in an accessory building (sections 5.1 and 5.12); additional units must be registered with the City | by-law 60-94 Read by us 5 Oct 2026 |
| Ottawa | permits a coach house on a lot with a home where the lot holds no more than 4 dwelling units in Neighbourhood (N1-N6) zones with adequate municipal water and sewer, no more than 3 in other zones that allow homes (villages included) and no more than 2 in AG, RR, RU and NU zones, the coach house counting toward the limit; on lots under 0.4 ha it needs public or communal water and wastewater and sits in the rear yard, it may be up to 3.6 m high (4.5 m in the rural area, 6.1 m there with a garage) and its footprint is capped at 95 m²; each unit of a semi-detached house or townhouse may have up to 2 additional dwelling units, a coach house counting as one. The City says applications deemed complete since 11 March 2026 must also meet the old By-law 2008-250, with the stricter rule applying, and some parts of 2026-50 are still under appeal | by-law 2026-50 s.701 and s.702(9) Read by us 6 Oct 2026 |
| Peterborough | permits up to two additional residential units with a single unit, semi-detached or street townhouse dwelling, both inside or one inside and one in an accessory building, each with at most two bedrooms and less floor area than the main home; none in a floodway | by-law 23-087 Read by us 29 Oct 2026 |
| Pickering | permits up to two additional dwelling units with a detached, semi-detached or townhouse dwelling, one or two inside the home or one in a separate building, with up to one parking space each; every home with one must be registered with the City (By-law 8040/23) | by-law 2511, 2520, 3036, 3037, 7364 and 7553, as amended in 2023 Read by us 29 Oct 2026 |
| Quinte West | permits up to three additional residential units on a lot with a single detached, semi-detached, duplex or townhouse dwelling in a settlement area on municipal water and sewers (no more than two in a detached accessory structure), and one outside a settlement area; one parking space per unit; none in a floodplain or on a private or unmaintained road | by-law 14-86 s.4.2 (as amended by 25-025 and 25-075) Read by us 29 Oct 2026 |
| Richmond Hill | permits up to four units (up to three additional units, up to two in an accessory building) on lots served by municipal water and sewer | by-law 143-24 Read by us 5 Oct 2026 |
| Sarnia | permits one secondary dwelling unit in a house in the UR2 to UR5 zones (in a single detached house in the UR1, SR1, RR1 and RU1 zones), outside areas mapped as Natural Hazards, with a building permit; a new comprehensive zoning by-law is in draft | by-law 85 of 2002 s.3.10(4) Read by us 29 Oct 2026 |
| Sault Ste. Marie | permits one or more residential structures per lot in the Gentle Density Residential (R2) zone, which covers most single-detached neighbourhoods, with no set cap on dwelling units beyond the zone's building rules; the Estate Residential (R1) and Rural Area zones allow at most two dwelling units per lot | by-law 2005-150 Read by us 29 Oct 2026 |
| St. Catharines | permits two accessory dwelling units with a detached, semi-detached or townhouse dwelling, inside it or in an accessory structure, each up to 80 m² of floor area, with 0.5 parking spaces per accessory unit (housekeeping By-law 2024-032) | by-law 2013-283 s.2.2.1 Read by us 29 Oct 2026 |
| St. Thomas | permits up to three additional residential units with a single detached, semi-detached or street townhouse dwelling in any residential zone, all in the house or up to two in the house and one in a rear- or side-yard accessory building; one parking space each; none in a regulated flood plain or in a basement below the sewer level, and full municipal services are required | by-law 50-88 s.4.2.11 Read by us 29 Oct 2026 |
| Stratford | generally permits up to three units on a residential lot served by municipal water and sewers, three in the main building or two there and one in an accessory building or garage, where the zoning provisions can be met; one parking space per additional unit; short-term rentals are not permitted in additional units | by-law 10-2022 Read by us 29 Oct 2026 |
| Tecumseh | permits up to two additional residential units with a detached, semi-detached or townhouse dwelling on a serviced lot, at most one in an accessory building (100 m² and no more than half the main home, 6.5 m high, 3 m from the house); on an agricultural or unserviced lot one unit inside the main home only; a conservation authority permit in its regulated area | by-law 2026-050 s.5.2 Read by us 29 Oct 2026 |
| Thunder Bay | permits additional dwelling units in the Urban Low-rise and Urban Mixed-use zones on lots with City water and sewer, up to four homes on an Urban Low-rise lot depending on its frontage and area, with one on-site parking space per home | by-law 1-2022 Read by us 29 Oct 2026 |
| Timmins | the City says the Planning Act allows up to three dwelling units on a lot in a serviced residential area (in a detached house, semi-detached house or rowhouse, or one in an ancillary building), with one parking space per unit and a building permit but no rezoning; the zoning by-law limits a converted single detached dwelling to three units of at least 51 m² each | by-law 2011-7100 s.4.6 Read by us 29 Oct 2026 |
| Toronto | permits up to 4 homes in a house (a multiplex) in residential zones citywide since May 2023; garden suites (By-law 101-2022, updated 849-2025) and laneway suites (By-law 1210-2019) are permitted under their own rules | by-law 569-2013 as amended by 474-2023 Read by us 5 Oct 2026 |
| Waterloo | permits up to four units on a low-rise residential property, in buildings up to four storeys, inside the house or in a backyard coach house or other detached building (section 3.A.1B) | by-law 2018-050 Read by us 28 Oct 2026 |
| Welland | permits up to two accessory dwelling units with a single-detached, semi-detached, two-unit or townhouse dwelling, at most one of them in an accessory building | by-law 2017-117 s.5.2 Read by us 29 Oct 2026 |
| Whitby | permits four units, the main home and up to three additional dwelling units with at most one in an accessory structure (one in all outside the urban area, on Oak Ridges Moraine farm and rural settlement lands and in the Protected Countryside); additional units must be registered with the Town (By-law 8156-25) | by-law 8141-24, 8142-24, 8143-24 Read by us 29 Oct 2026 |
| Whitchurch-Stouffville | on full municipal water and sewage services, permits up to three additional residential units with a single detached house (three only on lots with at least 15 m of frontage and 555 m²) and up to two with a semi-detached house or townhouse, each with one more parking space; one unit in all on an unserviced or partially serviced hamlet lot; none on land zoned Flood Hazard or Environmental | by-law 2010-001-ZO s.3.28 Read by us 29 Oct 2026 |
| Windsor | permits three units: three in the main building, or two in it and one in an accessory building | by-law 8600 (and 85-18) Read by us 5 Oct 2026 |
| Woodstock | permits up to two additional residential units with a single-detached, semi-detached or street row house, both inside or one inside and one in an accessory building on a lot of 540 m² or more; together at most 60% of the house's floor area to 100 m², basement units not counted; one parking space each; none in the conservation authority regulation limit without its approval | by-law 8626-10 s.5.2.8 Read by us 29 Oct 2026 |
Summarised by OfferDue from each municipality's own by-law or published page on the date shown. The by-law or rate schedule is the authoritative text.
Sources
- City of Toronto Wards; By-laws 653-2025 and 654-2025 (Official Plan Amendment 818): data date Jun 2025
- City of Kingston Zoning By-law 2022-62, Schedules D1 to D3 and 4: data date 2026
- Planning Act, R.S.O. 1990, c. P.13, s.35.1; O. Reg. 299/19; Development Charges Act, s.2: data date Planning Act consolidated 1 Jul 2026; checked 5 Oct 2026
- City of Brampton Registered Additional Residential Units and Two-Unit Dwellings: data date updated weekly
- Town of Newmarket Additional Residential Units: data date no date published
- City of Oshawa Registered Two Unit Apartments: data date Dec 2025
- OfferDue's hand-kept table: extra units
Contains information from the City of Brampton, licensed under Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY). Contains information licensed under the Open Data Licence – City of Kingston. Contains information licensed under the Open Data Licence – Town of Newmarket. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Oshawa. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Toronto. Ontario statutes and regulations from e-Laws (ontario.ca/laws), © King's Printer for Ontario.
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