Toronto · Ontario
Laneway & Garden Suites in Toronto
Toronto legalized laneway suites in the Toronto and East York District on 28 June 2018 and extended them city-wide on 16 July 2019, then adopted garden suites on 2 February 2022 — opening hundreds of thousands of lots to backyard homes. In a market where every square foot counts, a factory-built modular suite turns underused backyard space into family housing or long-term rental income.
01 — Bylaws & feasibility
What Toronto allows
Short answer: a Toronto garden suite is capped at 120 square metres of gross floor area (60 if single storey); a laneway suite is capped by envelope at 8.0 by 10.0 metres with no square-metre cap. Both run to two storeys and 6.3 metres in height at 7.5 metres or more from the house, need no vehicle parking, and lost their angular plane rules on 24 July 2025 under By-laws 847-2025 and 849-2025.
Toronto runs two programs and your lot picks one. A laneway suite needs a rear or side lot line abutting a lane for at least 3.5 metres; a garden suite is the option where there is no lane. A lot cannot have both. Laneway suites are capped by envelope rather than area, at 8 metres wide by 10 metres long, while a garden suite is capped at 120 square metres of gross floor area, or 60 if it is a single storey. Both run to two storeys, reach 6.3 metres in height once they sit at least 7.5 metres from the house, and require no parking. Council deleted the angular plane rules for both programs on 24 July 2025, which changed what fits on a lot. Ontario's ARU legislation also requires most municipalities to permit additional residential units. We review your lot against the current rules during feasibility.
| Which program applies | A laneway suite needs a rear or side lot line abutting a lane for at least 3.5 metres; a garden suite is the option without lane access. A lot may not contain both |
| Laneway suite size | Maximum 8.0 metres wide by 10.0 metres long, with gross floor area that must stay below the gross floor area of the house. There is no square-metre cap |
| Garden suite size | Maximum 120 square metres of gross floor area, or 60 square metres if the suite is a single storey |
| Height | Two storeys for both programs: 4.0 metres where the suite sits less than 7.5 metres from the house, and 6.3 metres at 7.5 metres or more |
| Parking | No vehicle parking required for either program, or for the other units on the lot; two bicycle parking spaces are required |
| Angular planes | Deleted for both programs by By-laws 847-2025 and 849-2025, enacted 24 July 2025. The City's online consolidation still shows the old rules, so check the amending by-laws |
| Severance | The City states that severances resulting in the house and a garden suite on separate lots are not permitted. There is no equivalent published statement for laneway suites |
02 — Why modular here
Why modular here
Toronto backyard sites are tight and expensive to run trades through. A modular suite is built and finished in-factory under CSA A277 with third-party inspection, ships as a complete unit, and is craned into place — dramatically less site time, disruption, and schedule risk. Cross-country transport and permits are coordinated by our logistics partners.
Before you order: Bylaws change and every lot is different. We confirm the current rules for your exact address as the first step of every project — free.
03 — Modular models
Modular models suited to Toronto lots
CSA A277 modulars — mortgage-financeable as real property.
12' × 44' · Foundation · CSA A277 modular
Mortgage-financeable as real property on a permanent foundation.
Launch pricing announced at consultation.
10' × 32' · Foundation · CSA A277 modular
Mortgage-financeable as real property on a permanent foundation.
Launch pricing announced at consultation.
04 — Common questions
Toronto laneway & garden suite FAQs
Local answers, in plain language.
Do you really deliver from BC to Toronto?
Yes — modular units travel cross-country by specialized carrier, and it's routine in the industry. Transport is quoted per project and often surprises people by how reasonable it is against Toronto construction costs.
Laneway suite vs. garden suite — which one is my lot?
If your lot backs onto a public lane, it's likely a laneway suite; if not, the garden suite program applies. The programs have different siting rules but similar intent. We'll confirm which fits your address.
05 — Working with the builder
Choosing a laneway suite builder
A search for a laneway suite builder in Torontousually turns up two different things: general contractors who will build one on your site over several months, and resellers who sell units somebody else manufactured. We are neither. KYRAX builds every home in our own factory and delivers it finished.
That is what makes custom laneway suites genuinely custom here. Because we manufacture the unit, the layout, the exterior and the specification are adjusted to your lot and your budget instead of picked from a fixed catalogue, and modern designs are the default rather than an upgrade. Every home is built to CSA A277 and certified in the factory by a third party before delivery, so the build record follows the home to your address.
Being straight about geography: we manufacture in Surrey, BC and deliver to Toronto. Cross-country transport is routine in modular construction and is quoted per project, and the shorter time on your site is usually what makes the arithmetic work.
06 — Other guides
Other laneway & garden suite guides
07 — Sources
Where these bylaw facts come from
The zoning and size figures on this page are researched claims, not boilerplate. Each links to the municipal authority it came from.
By-law 849-2025 (garden suites), enacted and passed 24 July 2025: maximum gross floor area 120 sq m, or 60 sq m for a one-storey suite; height 4.0 m under 7.5 m separation and 6.3 m at 7.5 m or more; angular plane regulations 150.7.60.30(2), (3) and (4) deleted
toronto.caBy-law 847-2025 (laneway suites), enacted and passed 24 July 2025: separation of no less than 4.0 m at or below 4.0 m height and 7.5 m above it, 6.3 m height, and angular plane regulations 150.8.60.30(2), (3) and (4) deleted
toronto.caZoning By-law Chapter 150.8: a laneway suite must be on a lot with a rear or side lot line abutting a lane for at least 3.5 metres; maximum building length 10.0 m and width 8.0 m; no parking space required
toronto.caCity of Toronto garden suites page: a garden suite is located in an ancillary building not on a public lane, and severances resulting in a primary dwelling and a garden suite on two separate lots are not permitted; Council adopted the Garden Suites Official Plan and Zoning By-law Amendment on 2 February 2022
toronto.caCity of Toronto Changing Lanes page: Council adopted amendments permitting laneway suites in R zones in the Toronto and East York District on 28 June 2018, and adopted amendments permitting them in R, RD, RS, RT and RM zones across the City on 16 July 2019
toronto.ca
What does your Toronto lot allow?
Send us your address — we’ll review zoning, siting, and servicing and give you a straight answer. Free, no obligation.