Guides
Read this before you draw.
What Ontario owners ask before they spend on drawings: severances, variances, extra units and who does what.
All guides
- G-01 · 6 minHow to sever a lot in OntarioWhat a lot severance (consent) is in Ontario, who decides it, the steps from zoning check to new deed, and what makes an application succeed.
- G-02 · 5 minMinor variances in Ontario: the four testsWhat a minor variance is, the four tests the Committee of Adjustment applies under the Planning Act, and how to prepare an application that passes.
- G-03 · 5 minThree units on one lot: additional residential units in OntarioSince the More Homes Built Faster Act, 2022, most urban residential lots in Ontario can hold up to three units. What that means and what still applies.
- G-04 · 4 minWhat a development consultant does, and when you need oneArchitect, planner, builder or development consultant? Who does what on a small Ontario infill or severance project, and how fixed-fee project management works.
- G-05 · 5 minHow to read your zoning by-lawWhat an Ontario zoning by-law controls (use, setbacks, height, lot frontage and area, parking, coverage), where to find yours, how to read the zone table for your lot, and the three numbers that decide whether a severance or an extra unit is realistic.
- G-06 · 5 minThe pre-consultation meeting: what to bringHow a pre-consultation meeting with an Ontario municipality works before a severance, rezoning or site plan application: who attends, what to bring (survey, concept sketch, zoning check, photos, questions), what the planners tell you, and the list of studies you leave with.
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Two questions, then the address and your details. We review the property against the zoning before we call, so the first conversation is about your lot, not a sales pitch.
Talk to ADBPickering, Ontario. Ria answers now; we reply within one working day.
Nothing in chat is legal or planning advice for a specific property. Your municipality's by-law in force prevails.
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