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Zoning and Development By-law Information

Development within the City of Markham is regulated by a number of By-laws passed by Council, under the Planning Act, Municipal Act, or various other Provincial Acts. These By-laws may regulate various aspects of the development and construction process, including the uses or size of a building on a property, how much a builder would need to contribute to municipal services or parkland to be permitted to build, or what and which trees on a property must be preserved, and which one could be removed. While not a complete list, this page provides many of the commonly used and applied By-laws applicable to development within the City of Markham.

Refer the new Comprehensive Zoning By-law 2024-19.

NOTE: On September 19, 2024, the Ontario Land Tribunal (OLT) approved the City's Comprehensive Zoning By-Law (CZBL) on a City-wide basis, save and except for lands associated with remaining site specific appeals.  The OLT has ruled that the CZBL shall be deemed to have come into force on January 31, 2024. 

Not all properties in the City are effected by the new Comprehensive Zoning By-law 2024-19. You can access the interactive zoning map to check if your property is affected by this new Zoning By-law. Areas that are greyed out on the attached interactive map are not included in the new Comprehensive Zoning By-law 2024-19.

Please be advised that:

Committee of Adjustment applications currently in process for lands not affected by an appeal to By-Law 2024-19 will be governed by this new zoning document.  If a variance was solely required under a previous zoning By-Law but is no longer necessary under 2024-19, applicants have the option to withdraw their variance application, Please contact City Staff for potential next steps.

The Comprehensive Zoning By-Law (CZBL) includes transitional provisions in Section 1.7 for complete applications received before January 31, 2024.  These provisions will be in effect until January 27, 2027.  Any application affected by these transitional clauses must secure building permits before January 31, 2027.

 

Zoning By-laws

Comprehensive Zoning By-law 2024-19

NOTE: On September 19, 2024, the Ontario Land Tribunal (OLT) approved the City's Comprehensive Zoning By-Law (CZBL) on a City-wide basis, save and except for lands associated with remaining site specific appeals.  The OLT has ruled that the CZBL shall be deemed to have come into force on January 31, 2024. 

Not all properties in the City are effected by the new Comprehensive Zoning By-law 2024-19. You can access the interactive zoning map to check if your property is affected by this new Zoning By-law. Areas that are greyed out on the attached interactive map are not included in the new Comprehensive Zoning By-law 2024-19.

Please be advised that:

Committee of Adjustment applications currently in process for lands not affected by an appeal to By-Law 2024-19 will be governed by this new zoning document.  If a variance was solely required under a previous zoning By-Law but is no longer necessary under 2024-19, applicants have the option to withdraw their variance application, Please contact City Staff for potential next steps.

The Comprehensive Zoning By-Law (CZBL) includes transitional provisions in Section 1.7 for complete applications received before January 31, 2024.  These provisions will be in effect until January 27, 2027.  Any application affected by these transitional clauses must secure building permits before January 31, 2027.

Additional information on the Comprehensive Zoning By-law can be found online here: Comprehensive Zoning By-law 2024-19.

Zoning Search

During the planning state of your project, you must determine what zoning requirements apply to your property. Use the online Zoning Search form to request zoning information for any property within Markham.

Zoning By-laws

Contact the Project Planner to request the Draft Zoning By-Law Templates:

  • 2024- Amendment to 2024-19 from Another Parent By-Law.docx

  • 2024- Amendment to By-Law 2024-19.docx

  • Hold Removal By-law.docx

Zoning Bylaws contain standards governing the development of land and the construction of buildings including permitted uses, size, height and location of structures. For example, the City's Zoning Bylaws regulate how close to the lot line you can build or if you can locate a certain type of business at an address in Markham.

The City is currently regulated by 42 separate zoning by-laws that cover various areas of the City. The City’s by-laws have been established starting in the 1950’s, with most being passed prior to 1980. Due to their age, many of the City’s by-laws, particularly for areas developed prior to 1995, are not available in a digital format, and are not available online. Commonly requested sections of those By-laws, such as applicable deck, and home occupation by-laws have been made available digitally.

Much of the City developed since 1995, including areas like Cornel, Berczy, Wismer, Angus Glen, Box Grove, and Cathedral Town, are regulated by By-law 177-96 which is available in an office consolidated version here Regulations for Decks Urban Area By-law (By-Law 177-96)

Among various other regulations, By-law Area 177-96 updated February 26, 2024, contains separate area specific deck and home occupation regulations.

If you are unsure what By-law applies to your property, you can search your address through the property details search.

If you are not sure which zoning provisions apply to your property, you can perform a zoning search online, and City Staff will provide you with extracts of the applicable zoning by-law. If you are not sure if your project complies with the applicable zoning by-law, you can perform a zoning preliminary review.

Zoning Bylaws may be viewed or purchased at the City's Planning Department, Markham Civic Centre at the Thornhill Entrance, 101 Town Centre Boulevard, Markham, Ontario, L3R 9W3, or by emailing DSC@markham.ca. Purchase prices may vary based on the size of the document.

 

Development By-laws

In addition to Zoning By-laws, development within the City is regulated by a variety of other by-laws, passed under various Provincial Acts. Below are some of the more commonly applicable by-laws related to development within the City: