Home records, explained › The home and the lot
What zone is the home in, and what does the zone permit?
The zoning by-law divides a municipality into zones and says what each zone permits: the uses, the height, the setbacks, the lot coverage. Toronto, Ottawa, Hamilton and Guelph publish their zoning maps as open data, and Brampton publishes its zoning through the City's records; the check reads the zone at the address.
Report check: Zoning. Entry reviewed 20 Oct 2026; each source below shows its own data date.
How a report shows itsample, made-up home
Zone R3, residential. Maximum height 11 m.
- Zone
- R3
- Maximum height
- 11 m
- Maximum lot coverage
- 35%
Where we read it
- Toronto
- Ottawa
- Hamilton
- Guelph
- Brampton
- Other Ontario
the town's own records– not in our reports there yet
Published byCity of TorontoCity of OttawaCity of HamiltonCity of Guelph
What the record is
The zone code (R3, R1-A, RM2) is a key into the by-law text, where the permitted uses and the numbers live. Overlays and exceptions attached to a lot add rules on top of the base zone. The by-law changes: Ottawa replaced its 2008 by-law with By-law 2026-50 in March 2026, with parts under appeal.
The report line gives the zone code and its name, the main numbers the by-law sets for it, and any overlay or exception the map carries for the lot.
Where it runs
What the report reads for this check depends on what each municipality publishes.
What we read in each town6 towns, each with its source and date
| City | What the report reads |
|---|---|
| Toronto |
|
| Ottawa |
|
| Hamilton |
|
| Guelph |
|
| Brampton |
|
| Other Ontario | Not in our reports here yet. The municipality's zoning isn't in open data we can use. Its zoning by-law and zoning map, on the municipal website, show the zone for this address. List of Ontario municipalities |
Sources
- City of Toronto Zoning By-law 569-2013: data date 2026
- City of Ottawa Zoning By-law 2026-50: data date 11 Mar 2026 (By-law 2026-50)
- City of Hamilton Zoning By-law Boundary: data date 2026
- City of Guelph Zoning By-law (2023)-20790: data date 2026
Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – City of Guelph. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – City of Ottawa. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Toronto. Contains public sector Data made available under the City of Hamilton's Open Data Licence.
Check one address
This check answers the dealbreaker “What can be built” on the order form. It is in the full report, with the other 54 checks, for any Ontario home.
Public-record information, not legal, financial, insurance or inspection advice. Records change and can be incomplete, and this page describes the records, not any particular home. Spotted an error, or have a question about this record? Email [email protected]; we answer from the record, and corrections are listed on the guide index. What we cover, city by city.