◆ Scarborough homes and renovations

Scarborough Building Permit Services for Multiplexes, Basement Units and Additions

Scarborough applications go to Toronto Building, but the answers change from ward to ward and lot to lot. Before a building permit drawing is started, it pays to know whether the house is in Scarborough North, where six units are allowed as of right, whether the rear yard runs toward the Bluffs, Highland Creek or the Rouge, and whether the house will be rented by the room, something Scarborough zoning did not allow before 2024.

Six Units in Scarborough North, Four in the Other Wards

Scarborough North, Ward 23, was the city’s multiplex pilot area. When council approved sixplexes as of right on June 25, 2025, Ward 23 was one of the nine wards included, and it is the only one outside the old city. In Scarborough Southwest, Scarborough Centre, Scarborough-Agincourt, Scarborough-Guildwood and Scarborough-Rouge Park the limit by right is still four units, plus a garden or laneway suite where the lot qualifies. Those wards can be added if the local councillor asks the Chief Planner to opt in.

What that means on a Scarborough lot:

Ward 23. RD, RS, RT and RM lots can hold up to six units, either in a converted detached house that keeps its existing form or in a new building.
The other five wards. A fifth or sixth unit needs a rezoning for the property, or an opt-in for the ward.
Rooming houses. Multi-tenant houses were not permitted in Scarborough before the City’s framework took effect on March 31, 2024. They are now allowed in every neighbourhood, and every operator needs a City licence.

Each of these projects, from a basement unit to a full conversion, is described on the residential building permits page.

◆ Before the drawings

Borough Drive and the Scarborough Panel

Toronto Building’s Scarborough district office is on the third floor of the Scarborough Civic Centre, 150 Borough Drive. Its 30-minute in-person appointments cover general zoning by-law questions, and they have to be booked in the district where the property is, so a Scarborough address is handled there rather than at City Hall.

When a design needs relief from the zoning by-law, the application goes to the Scarborough panel of the Committee of Adjustment. Most Scarborough lots fall under city-wide Zoning By-law 569-2013, but some are still governed by one of the former Scarborough zoning by-laws, so confirming which document applies to the address is the first check before any variance is planned.

On a multiplex conversion, the zoning question is only half of it. Turning one house into four or six units brings in fire separations, exits and, often, a separate entrance for each lower unit, and those Building Code items can limit the unit count as much as the ward does.

The Bluffs, Highland Creek and the Rouge

Several approvals that come up on Scarborough lots are issued outside Toronto Building, and it is easier to plan for them before the permit drawings are finished.

Toronto and Region Conservation Authority. Lots along the Scarborough Bluffs, the branches of Highland Creek and the Rouge River can sit inside TRCA’s regulated area. Development there, from an addition to a deck, needs TRCA approval, and that clearance becomes part of the permit file.

Ravine and natural features. Much of the same valley land is covered by the City’s Ravine and Natural Feature Protection By-law, so grading, fill or tree removal near a ravine needs a separate City permit.

Multi-tenant house licence. A house where four or more rooms are rented to separate people is a multi-tenant house. Municipal Licensing and Standards issues the licence, and the house is inspected as part of the application.

◆ A Scarborough file, start to finish

The Order of Approvals on a Scarborough Lot

Each step relies on the one before it, so the order below saves rework on most Scarborough projects.

Assess

Ward, zone and valley check

Confirm the ward, the zoning document for the lot, and whether TRCA or the ravine by-law reaches any part of it.

Intake

Check

Unit count and layout

Set the number of units the ward allows and the layout the Building Code will accept, then plan a variance if the design needs one.

Feasibility

Prepare

Zoning certificate

Apply for the certificate with the same drawings that will go into the permit set, so zoning and the examiner review one design.

Drawings

File

Permit, licence and inspections

File the permit, book inspections at each stage and, for rented rooms, have the licence in place before tenants move in.

Municipal

◆ Scarborough projects

Common Scarborough House Projects

The kinds of work behind most Scarborough permit questions.

RENOVATIONS

Interior Renovations in Scarborough

Kitchens, bathrooms and wall removals in existing Scarborough houses.

SECOND UNITS

Scarborough Basement Units

Basement apartments with their own exit and fire separation, often the first step toward a later multiplex.

ADDITIONS

Rear and Second-Storey Additions

Additions to Scarborough houses, heard by the Scarborough panel when a variance is needed.

DECKS

Decks and Walkouts

Decks and walkouts, including rear yards that slope toward a ravine or the Bluffs.

GARAGES

Garages and Garden Suites

Detached garages and garden suites where the lot depth and fire access allow one.

MULTIPLEX

Fourplex and Sixplex Conversions

Converting a house to four units, or to six in Scarborough North, with zoning and Building Code checked first.

Toronto Fees on a Scarborough Project in 2026

Scarborough pays Toronto’s city-wide rates. On a multiplex conversion or a new house, these 2026 items are the ones that add up:

Item	2026 City fee
Zoning certificate: new house, addition, alteration, garden or laneway suite	$644.38
Zoning certificate: garage, porch or balcony	$214.79
New residential floor area	$18.56 per m²
Each new dwelling unit	$56.33 per unit, on top of the floor-area fee
Demolition	$0.18 per m²

The zoning certificate fee is not refundable, so the unit count and layout are worth settling before it is paid. Development charges, parkland and education charges are billed separately and are paid by EFT or wire transfer only.

Planning Work on a Scarborough Lot?

Send the address and the number of units you have in mind to see which approvals the lot needs and in what order.

◆ Why iPermit?

Questions to Ask Before Hiring Help in Scarborough

In Scarborough the expensive mistakes tend to happen before the drawings: designing six units in a ward that allows four, missing a TRCA line at the back of the lot, or renting rooms before the licence is issued. Ask any consultant which ward rules they checked, who prepares the zoning certificate application and who answers the examiner. Toronto Building reviews the application, issues the permit and inspects the work; a consultant prepares and coordinates the file within the agreed scope.

◆ Scarborough owners often ask

Scarborough Permit Questions

Short answers to questions that come up on Scarborough projects.

What does a rooming house licence cost in Toronto?

The application or renewal fee is $25 per room, plus a $150 inspection fee for each house. Toronto Community Housing and non-profit social housing providers are exempt.

How many rooms can a multi-tenant house in Scarborough have?

Up to six rooms are allowed in every neighbourhood. Larger houses, of up to 12 or 25 rooms, are allowed only in certain locations, and the parking requirement depends on access to transit.

Does an unfinished basement count toward the permit fee?

Not in a new detached house, semi, duplex or townhouse. Toronto leaves an unfinished basement out of the floor area used to calculate the fee; finishing it later needs its own permit.

Do I need TRCA approval for a deck near the Bluffs?

If the deck is inside TRCA’s regulated area, it can count as development and need TRCA approval even though the City permit is simple. The lot is checked against TRCA’s mapping before anything is drawn.