Four Units Plus a Garden Suite: The Real North York Ceiling

Second units and basement work in North York

In June 2025 Council legalized six units as-of-right in nine wards. Every one of those wards is in the former Toronto and East York district, plus Ward 23 in Scarborough. No North York ward was included, and none has opted in since. So in Willowdale, Bathurst Manor, Parkwoods or anywhere else north of the old city limits, the ceiling is still four units in the main house under the city-wide multiplex by-law — with a garden suite permitted on top of that. For most North York homeowners that means the honest answer is not a sixplex conversion. It is a proper basement suite with its own entrance, and a garden suite in the back yard if the lot supports one.

The second thing that separates North York is the shape of the ground. Toronto has roughly 2,400 public laneways and almost all of them sit in the pre-war grid downtown, in Leslieville, Riverdale, the Annex. North York was farmland until the 1950s — the population went from under 30,000 in 1951 to over 340,000 by 1971 — and the subdivisions that filled it were laid out with driveways, not lanes. A laneway suite is off the table for nearly every property up here. A garden suite is not. Toronto's garden suite rules require a minimum lot depth of 30 metres, and North York's postwar lots, typically 110 to 130 feet deep, clear that comfortably where a 25-foot downtown semi never will.

The same subdivisions gave you something else useful: side yards. A 1950s Willowdale bungalow or a Don Mills sidesplit sits on a lot wide enough to cut a proper exterior stairwell down the side of the house without fighting for a variance. That is why the separate entrance is our flagship job in North York. Excavation, cut the foundation wall, form the stairwell, install the door, drain and cover — typically three days on site, and it is the single change that turns a finished basement into a rentable unit.

We are a Mississauga head office with 25-plus years in residential renovation, WSIB covered and fully insured. Permits and drawings are handled in-house — we file them, we chase them, we meet the inspector.

North York requirements

What North York allows right now

- Four units as-of-right in the main house. Toronto's multiplex by-law permits up to four dwelling units in Neighbourhoods zones city-wide, no rezoning and no public meeting for a compliant build. The nine-ward sixplex permission from June 2025 does not cover North York. - A garden suite on top of that. Garden suites became as-of-right across eligible Toronto residential zones in 2022 and are the realistic backyard option in North York. Minimum lot depth is 30 metres. Rear yard setback is generally 1.5 m on lots up to 45 m deep; deeper lots use the greater of 1.5 m or half the suite height. - Laneway suites need a public laneway. North York has very few. Check before anyone sells you a design. - No separate registry. Unlike Mississauga and Brampton, Toronto has no second-unit registration by-law. Legality here runs through the building permit and the inspections — a permit for the interior alteration, or a change-of-use permit if the suite already exists and was never permitted. There is no certificate to hang on the wall; the permit file is the proof.

The basement height problem, specifically

This is the one that kills North York deals before they start. The Ontario Building Code allows 1.95 m (6'5") of clear height in a secondary suite, with relief down to 1.85 m under beams and ducts. Postwar North York basements were poured as utility space, not living space, and a good number of the 1950s and early-60s bungalows and backsplits in Willowdale, Newtonbrook, Bathurst Manor and Clanton Park land right on or just under that line once you account for joists, ductwork and the finished floor assembly.

Measure before you plan. We take height from the underside of the lowest duct, not from the joists, because that is the number the inspector uses. Where the basement comes up short there are two routes — underpinning or bench footings to gain the height, or reworking the mechanicals and running a low-profile floor to claw back the two or three inches you actually need. The second is far cheaper and works more often than people expect. We will tell you which one your house is before you spend money on drawings.

Later North York stock is easier. Don Mills, developed 1953 to 1965 as Canada's first planned suburb, and the mid-60s and 70s builds in Bayview Village, Henry Farm and Hillcrest Village generally come with more usable basement height and often a side or rear grade entry already roughed in.

Ravines, valleys and the Don

North York is cut through by the west and east branches of the Don, by Black Creek, and by the ravine system that follows them. Two separate approvals can apply and they are not the same thing:

- Toronto's Ravine and Natural Feature Protection By-law (Municipal Code Chapter 658) governs ravine and natural-feature lands — it covers ground disturbance and trees of any size inside the protected area. - The Toronto and Region Conservation Authority regulates development in valley corridors, floodplains, wetlands and near slopes. The City cannot issue your building permit until TRCA clearance is in hand.

If your property backs onto the Don valley in Hoggs Hollow, Armour Heights, Banbury-Don Mills or Victoria Village, or sits near Black Creek in the Downsview area, this gets checked first — before design, not after. It affects excavation for a walkout more than almost anything else. Worth knowing: the G. Ross Lord Dam on the West Don was built after Hurricane Hazel specifically to protect Hoggs Hollow, which tells you what that valley bottom is.

Water in the basement

North York's postwar sewer separation is inconsistent and the clay under most of it does not drain. Before you finish a basement you intend to rent, sort the water. The City's Basement Flooding Protection Subsidy Program was expanded on May 1, 2026 and now covers up to $6,650 per property at 80% of eligible cost — up to two backwater valves at $1,600 each, a sump pump at $2,250, battery backup at $300, a plumbing assessment at $500 and weeping tile capping at $400. Downspout disconnection is not covered. We build the protection into the suite scope and hand you the paperwork for the claim.

Where the paperwork goes

North York permits and minor variance applications run through the North York district — the Committee of Adjustment's North York panel sits at the North York Civic Centre, 5100 Yonge Street, in hybrid hearings. If a design needs a variance we tell you at the estimate stage and we build the timeline around the hearing calendar, rather than discovering it halfway through.

What we build in North York

Separate basement entrances and walkouts (typically three days on site). Legal basement apartments and second units, permitted and inspected. Garden suites and garage conversions. Home additions on the deep postwar lots. Full home renovations — kitchens, bathrooms, basements, flooring, tile, countertops.

Call 905-749-4608 for a site visit. We will measure the height, check the ravine and TRCA layers against your address, and tell you honestly whether the suite pays for itself before you commit to anything.