MODULAR X

Feasibility Check

Does your lot qualify?

The free feasibility check screens whether a garden or laneway suite may work on your property; it is not municipal approval. Toronto and Mississauga addresses have an instant zone-code lookup, while other GTA cities use the questions and manual review.

Use this page to screen the property first, then share the site details needed for a closer feasibility review.

Key takeaways

QuestionShort answerSource
Instant lookupZone-code screen for Toronto and Mississauga, not a site approvalReview steps
Site fitSetbacks, separation and coverage need property-specific reviewReview steps
Access and treesPhysical access and tree constraints need more than a zoning mapReview steps
DocumentsStart with the address and an existing survey if availableReview steps
ResultA preliminary indication, with outstanding checks before approvalReview steps
Step 1 · Zoning check

What's the property address?

We query the City of Toronto and Mississauga zoning maps directly. Takes about two seconds.

What this check actually tells you

Type an address and we read the zone code straight off the municipal map. That answers one question: whether the zoning on your lot permits a detached additional residential unit at all. It is a first screen, not an approval.

What it can determine

  • The zone code the municipality has assigned to your property
  • Whether that zone permits a garden or laneway suite in principle
  • Which municipal rule set applies to your lot

What it cannot determine

  • Whether your rear yard is deep enough once setbacks and separation are applied
  • Whether a fire access path of the required width and height physically fits
  • Whether protected trees, easements, grade or servicing distance rule the build out
  • Whether your lot abuts a public lane, which decides garden suite versus laneway suite

Those four are the reasons most lots that look fine on a map do not proceed. They need a survey and a site visit, not a lookup.

Municipalities currently supported

Instant zone lookup covers Toronto and Mississauga. For Brampton, Oakville, Milton, Burlington and the rest of the GTA there is no instant zone code — we check those manually.

What happens if the lot looks feasible

We ask the lot questions the map cannot answer. If it still holds, we book a free site assessment and measure the things that actually decide the project. No obligation, and no cost.

Laneway suite eligibility checklist (Toronto)

These are the City of Toronto laneway suite criteria. We confirm each one in your feasibility check — nothing here is an approval.

  • The house is a detached, semi-detached, townhouse or other low-rise house in a residential zone that permits laneway suites (R, RD, RS, RT or RM).
  • The rear or side lot line abuts a public lane for at least 3.5 metres (or 3.5 metres combined along the side and rear lot lines).
  • There is no garden suite on the lot — Toronto allows one or the other, not both.
  • Fire department access works from the street the house faces, or a flanking street at the end of the lane, within Toronto Fire Services travel-distance limits.
  • Private or City trees near the suite can be protected, or the design can work around them.
  • Water, sewer and power can reach the suite from the house.

Sources: City of Toronto — Changing Lanes · Zoning By-law 569-2013, s. 150.8. Permit detail: Toronto laneway permit guide.

This tool does not grant, guarantee or predict municipal approval. Zoning permission is the first of several tests, and the municipality is the only authority that can approve a suite.

What a closer feasibility review checks, step by step

The instant zoning screen and the closer property review are different stages. The map identifies a zone code for supported addresses; it does not measure a backyard or approve a design. The follow-up review brings the survey, site information and municipal requirements together so the proposed suite can be tested as a whole.

First, establish the municipality, zone and existing unit count. Second, check the proposed footprint against setbacks, separation and lot coverage. Third, trace the fire-access route and identify where measurements are needed. Fourth, review trees and their relationship to the building, excavation and access. Fifth, consider water, sewer and electrical routes, grading and delivery access. Unknowns remain questions for the designer, site assessment or municipality, not assumed approvals.

Documents and details to have ready

Have the property address and an existing survey available if you have one. A survey helps locate boundaries, buildings and other recorded features, but it may not show every current condition. Identify additions, accessory buildings and existing residential units, and note whether the lot has a public lane. Do not estimate a legal lot line from a fence alone.

Useful site information includes access restrictions, visible overhead obstructions, significant trees and known water or sewer arrangements. You do not need to invent measurements or commission every drawing before asking for the first screen. The review can identify missing information and the next professional input needed before a design is treated as workable.

What a positive or negative screen means

A positive zoning indication means the zone may permit the unit type in principle. It does not confirm that a particular building fits, that trees can be affected or that services are adequate. The questions may describe a strong or promising candidate, or flag concerns; those are preliminary indicators rather than a binary permit decision.

A concern or an unavailable lookup is not automatically a refusal. The next step may be checking the property manually, measuring access, reviewing a survey or considering another unit type. Separate a confirmed restriction from missing information. Keep a short record of what has been checked, what remains uncertain and who must confirm it.

Use the result to choose the next action

Where the site appears workable, a closer assessment and coordinated drawings can test the proposed layout. A constrained detached option may justify reviewing an internal or attached unit instead; the Ontario ADU overview compares those forms without assuming they share the same permit file.

For a Toronto lane lot, read the Toronto laneway housing guide before selecting a garden-suite drawing. A catalogue design still needs site review. The municipality, not the lookup or a preliminary recommendation, determines approval through its permit process. Do not order a module or treat a preferred floor plan as approved solely because the first screen looks encouraging.

FAQ

No. It is an initial screen, not a building permit or a promise of approval. The municipality must review the drawings and applicable requirements, and a site assessment is needed for physical constraints the zoning map cannot show.

Sources

Municipal rules, fees, and programs change. Confirm current requirements with the city at application. Modular X provides exact pricing only after a site-specific feasibility review.