What records explain extra dwelling units at an Ottawa home?
The City's zoning by-laws, which set what a lot may hold, and the City's submission requirements for an additional dwelling unit permit.
Sources checked October 16, 2026
The rule in Ottawa
Ottawa zoning by-law 2026-50 s.701 and s.702(9): 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.
From Ottawa by-law 2026-50 s.701 and s.702(9), checked 6 Oct 2026
- The recordExtra dwelling units
- Where to read itOttawa's new Zoning By-law 2026-50; Additional dwelling unit submissions
- The free check reads itPick “Extra units allowed”
What the record shows
Ottawa's zoning sets the uses and the number of units a lot may hold. The City says most of Zoning By-law 2026-50 is in force, while some provisions remain under appeal. Its transition page explains how the older and newer by-laws apply to applications.
A general rule for a zone does not make an existing basement apartment legal. The City's page on additional dwelling unit submissions lists the plans and details a permit application needs.
Where to read it yourself
- Ottawa's new Zoning By-law 2026-50: status, appeals and how the old and new by-laws apply
- Additional dwelling unit submissions: what a permit application must include
What OfferDue covers in Ottawa
Extra units allowed is in the free check as a summary of the City's rule, from our hand-kept table of city rules, and the full report adds the zoning line for the lot. Neither is confirmation that a particular unit holds a permit or may be occupied.
Free check: pick “Extra units allowed” See the sample report
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. What we cover, city by city.