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A 15 m² shed with no permit can still break the zoning rules

November 3, 2026

In Toronto a shed under 15 m² needs no building permit. The zoning by-law still applies to it, and its numbers are different: 10 m² and 2.5 m tall. A shed between 10 and 15 m² needs no permit but is already past both.

What the permit page says

The City’s “When Do I Need a Building Permit?” page: a shed under 15 m² (161 sq ft) needs no permit if it is one storey, not attached to another building, used only for storage and has no plumbing. The City adds that zoning still applies, permit or not.

What the zoning by-law says

Zoning By-law 569-2013, clause 10.5.60, for sheds, detached garages and other ancillary buildings in residential zones:

  • Not in the front yard. 10.5.60.10(1)
  • Over 2.5 m tall or over 10 m² of floor area: at least 1.8 m from the house. 10.5.60.30(1)
  • Less than 1.8 m from the house: at most 10 m² and 2.5 m tall, and the same side setback as the house. 10.5.60.50(3), 10.5.60.40(2), 10.5.60.20(3)
  • Up to 4.0 m tall, one storey. 10.5.60.40
  • Usually 0.3 m from the rear and side lot lines. Over 2.5 m tall or 10 m²: half its height from the rear lot line on a lot deeper than 45 m, and from the side lot lines in a zone whose required frontage is 21.0 m or more. 10.5.60.20(2), (3)
  • All ancillary buildings together: up to 60 m² of floor area on a lot 12.0 m wide or more, 40 m² otherwise, 10.5.60.50(2) and covering no more than 10 % of the lot. 10.5.60.70(1)

None of these waits for a shed to reach 15 m².

A worked example

A lot 7.6 m wide and 33.5 m deep (254.6 m²) with a 16.5 m² detached garage. The owner puts a 3.0 × 4.0 m shed (12 m²), 2.8 m tall, 1.2 m from the back of the house. No permit: it is under 15 m².

  1. Too close to the houseBreaks the rule

    It is over 10 m² and over 2.5 m tall, so it must be 1.8 m from the house; at 1.2 m it would also have to be 10 m² or less and 2.5 m tall or less. 10.5.60.30(1), 10.5.60.50(3), 10.5.60.40(2)

  2. Too much of the lot coveredBreaks the rule

    10 % of 254.6 m² is 25.46 m². Garage and shed together cover 28.5 m². 10.5.60.70(1)

  3. Total floor areaFits

    28.5 m² is under the 40 m² allowed on a lot narrower than 12.0 m. 10.5.60.50(2)

A 2.4 × 3.6 m shed (8.64 m²) up to 2.5 m tall fixes both: it is 10 m² or less, so it may stand closer than 1.8 m to the house with the house’s side setback, and garage and shed cover 25.14 m², under 25.46 m².

An example, not your lot. A site-specific exception (an x number in the zone label) or a lot still under a former city’s by-law can change these rules, and the coverage limit works differently on a lot with a houseplex or a secondary suite (10.5.60.70(1)(C)).

Check this example in the shed tool

Draw your shed on your own lot

Sources

lotmara isn’t made by or connected to the City of Toronto. Rules change: check the source before you build.