◆ Etobicoke lots and homes

Lot Splits, New Homes and Basement Units: Building Permit Services in Etobicoke

Etobicoke owners who want more from a lot usually face one of three choices: split it, replace the house, or add units. iPermit provides building permit services for all three, from the Committee of Adjustment application to the permit drawings and the upload to Toronto Building. The work is ruled by Toronto’s city-wide by-laws, but the lots are Etobicoke’s own: wide post-war frontages in Alderwood and Long Branch, older houses near Mimico Creek and the Humber, and basements that flood in heavy storms.

Splitting a Lot or Adding Units in Etobicoke

Many Etobicoke houses sit on 50-foot (15.24 m) lots, which tempts owners and builders to sever them into two 25-foot lots with a new house on each. That is a consent application at the Etobicoke York panel of the Committee of Adjustment, usually paired with variances for each new house, and it is not automatic. In a 2018 Long Branch case, City Planning recommended refusing a split into two 7.62 m lots because the narrower frontages did not match the existing pattern of the street.

The alternative is to keep the lot whole and add units under Toronto’s city-wide rules:

Multiplex. Up to four units in a new building or a converted house, as of right on residentially zoned lots since May 2023.
Garden or laneway suite. A detached unit in the rear yard, where the lot is deep enough and fire access can be provided.
Sixplex. Not an option by right in Etobicoke’s three wards, which were not among the nine that council approved in 2025.

Which route pays off depends on frontage, depth and what the street already looks like, so we test the lot against both before anything is drawn. Our multiplex permit and new house permit pages cover each path in more detail.

◆ Feasibility first

569-2013 or the Old Etobicoke Zoning Code?

Toronto’s Zoning By-law 569-2013 covers most of Etobicoke, but not every lot. Lots left out of it, or covered by site-specific exceptions, may still answer to the former Etobicoke Zoning Code, which defines things like height and floor area its own way.

A building permit consultant in Etobicoke should settle that first, then run the drawings through Toronto’s zoning certificate, since no permit application is complete without it. Where the design cannot comply, variances go to the Etobicoke York Committee of Adjustment. Our article on whether a Toronto home addition needs a minor variance explains how that decision is made.

Creeks, Waterfront and Basement Flooding in Etobicoke

Three local conditions shape Etobicoke files more than the Building Code does.

Creeks and the waterfront. The Humber, Mimico Creek and Etobicoke Creek all cross Etobicoke on their way to Lake Ontario, and TRCA regulates much of the land along their valleys and the lakeshore. TRCA issues its own permit, and it has to be in place before the City will issue the building permit.

Basement flooding. A new basement unit, and any backwater valve, needs a building permit. Toronto’s Basement Flooding Protection Subsidy now pays up to $1,600 per backwater valve for up to two valves, $2,250 for a sump pump and $400 for pipe severance, to a maximum of $6,650 per property, for work done on or after November 12, 2025. The downspouts have to be disconnected and the contractor has to hold a City business licence, so we plan the plumbing drawings to qualify.

Trees. Any private tree 30 cm across or more needs a permit, and since September 1, 2026, the City may refuse outright to let a healthy tree over 61 cm come down. On a severed lot, one large tree can decide where both new houses sit.

◆ Order of work in Etobicoke

From Lot Check to Building Permit in Etobicoke

On an Etobicoke lot split or new house, the planning approvals come in a fixed order, and the building permit is the last step rather than the first.

Assess

Frontage, creeks and trees

Confirm the address, current use, permit history, frontage and depth, and whether the lot is near a creek valley, the lakeshore or a large protected tree.

Intake

Check

Consent, variance or neither

Pin down which zoning document governs, then decide whether the plan needs a consent, a variance or neither.

Feasibility

Prepare

Drawings and backwater valve

Prepare the architectural set, grading and plumbing drawings, including any backwater valve, and coordinate structural and HVAC design where needed.

Drawings

File

Certificate and permit

Obtain the zoning certificate, submit the permit application with TRCA clearance if the lot is regulated, then answer examiner comments until the permit is issued.

Municipal

◆ What we handle in Etobicoke

More Ways We Help in Etobicoke

The Etobicoke projects we handle most often, each with its own approvals.

RENOVATIONS

Interior Alterations in Etobicoke Bungalows

Opening up walls, redoing kitchens and baths, and reworking layouts in Etobicoke’s post-war bungalows and split-levels.

SECOND UNITS

Basement Suites with Flood Protection

Basement units with the backwater valve and drainage details planned in, so the work can also qualify for the City’s flooding subsidy.

ADDITIONS

Etobicoke Home Additions

Adding a second storey or a rear addition, with the governing zoning document confirmed first.

DECKS

Decks Near Creek Valleys

Decks and porches, including lots backing onto a creek valley where TRCA review can apply.

GARAGES

Garages and Laneway Suites

Detached garages and garages paired with a garden or laneway suite in the rear yard.

ZONING

Lot Split and Zoning Review

Lot split feasibility, variance strategy and zoning certificate applications, sorted out ahead of any design work.

Etobicoke Permit and Approval Costs for 2026

Etobicoke pays Toronto’s city-wide rates. For a lot split or a new house, the planning fees matter as much as the building permit itself:

Item	2026 City fee
Consent to sever a lot into two	$8,080.65
Minor variance, new dwelling up to three units	$5,011.08
Minor variance, addition or alteration	$2,228.98
Building permit, new house or garden suite	$18.56 per m²
Building permit, interior alteration	$13.41 per m²
Deck, porch or garage permit	$214.79 each

A severance with a new house on each lot therefore carries one consent fee, two variance applications if the houses need them, and two building permits, before any design fees. The flooding subsidy works the other way: a backwater valve and sump pump installed with a permit can bring back up to $6,650. We price our part after seeing the lot; a basement unit and a two-house severance are very different amounts of work.

Why the Order of Approvals Matters in Etobicoke

Toronto will not accept a permit application until the earlier approvals are final, so on an Etobicoke lot split each step waits for the one before it:

Step	Who decides	Needed for
Consent to sever	Committee of Adjustment	Lot splits only
Minor variance	Committee of Adjustment	Designs that break a zoning rule
TRCA permit	Conservation authority	Regulated lots near creeks or the lake
Zoning certificate	Toronto Building	Every house permit application
Building permit	Toronto Building	10 business days for a house, 15 for a small building, once complete

Our building permit application services follow that sequence in Etobicoke, with the permit drawings developed from the same design the Committee approved, so the zoning examiner is not seeing a different house. A good permit expediter in Etobicoke shortens every step, not just the last one. The City and TRCA make the decisions, and their dates cannot be guaranteed.

Thinking About an Etobicoke Lot?

Send the lot address and your goal for it, and we’ll map the approvals in the order the City needs them.

◆ Why iPermit?

Picking a Permit Company for Your Etobicoke Project

For a lot split, the building permit company Etobicoke homeowners choose should also prepare the Committee of Adjustment file and attend the hearing, not just sign the drawings and answer the examiner. We are a Vaughan-based team, and the organization behind iPermit has been doing Ontario permit work since 2006. Toronto projects we have handled include new custom homes such as the Maplehurst Residence and commercial change-of-use files such as 485 Oakwood Ave, all reviewed under the same Toronto Building rules that apply in Etobicoke. Design and application work is ours within the agreed scope, and the City handles review, permit issuance and inspection.

◆ Common Etobicoke questions

Etobicoke Lot and Permit Questions

Etobicoke owners mostly ask what a wide lot can become and what the approvals will cost. Here is what we tell owners.

Can I split my 50-foot lot in Etobicoke?

Possibly, but it takes a consent from the Committee of Adjustment, and the City looks closely at whether two narrower lots fit the street. We review nearby decisions and lot patterns before you pay the $8,080.65 application fee.

Is a backwater valve worth installing when I add a basement unit?

Usually, yes. It needs a building permit, and the City’s subsidy can cover up to $1,600 per valve if the downspouts are disconnected and a licensed contractor does the work.

Do I need a TRCA permit?

Only if your lot is in TRCA’s regulated area, which in Etobicoke mostly means land near the Humber River, Mimico Creek, Etobicoke Creek or the Lake Ontario shoreline. We check this at the start, since the City will not issue the permit without it.

Which zoning by-law applies to my house?

Most Etobicoke lots are under Zoning By-law 569-2013, but some are still under the former Etobicoke Zoning Code. The zoning certificate review will use whichever one applies, so it is worth knowing before design.

I did work without a permit. What now?

The usual path is to apply for the permit, open up what the inspector needs to see and bring the work up to code. Our guide to renovation done without a permit in Toronto walks through the options.