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Understanding Heritage Listings in Toronto - What restrictions apply? You might be surprised.

Writer's picture: AndrewAndrew

Updated: Feb 27, 2023

Toronto is an historic city, with a vast array of heritage sites. This means you might want to buy a property that has been heritage listed under the Ontario Heritage Act. But what does that mean and what restrictions does the Act place on your ability to modify the property? A heritage listing does not necessarily mean a property is going to be problematic, but it is diligent to get all of the details before making any decisions. Being aware of the impact these listings and designations have on you as an owner or buyer is an important component of being able to make informed real estate decisions and remaining compliant with your obligations as a property owner. Let us try to explain the somewhat complicated system of heritage statuses that might apply to your property.

Disclaimer that our lawyers made me include: I’m not a lawyer, this is just what I’ve worked out from reading the Act and doing some research. If you have specific questions about the impact of heritage listings on your property, you should seek legal advice.


Before looking into this topic, I had a very basic understanding. Like most people, I knew that there was the concept of a "heritage listing" and I knew that this could have an impact on the owner of a property and restrict their ability to make certain types of changes. Naturally, I wanted to understand these restrictions.


However, early into the process I was surprised to learn that there are multiple types of “heritage listings”, and the difference between the restrictions that apply to each type is substantial.

What are the different types of heritage listings in Toronto?


There are five common heritage scenarios for properties in Ontario:

  1. Not heritage listed or designated

  2. Heritage listed but not designated

  3. Heritage listed and designated under Part IV as a Property of Cultural Heritage Value or Interest

  4. Heritage listed and designated under Part V as a Property within a Heritage Conservation District

  5. Heritage listed and designated under Part VI as a property containing Resources of Archaeological Value


Not heritage listed or designated


If your property is not heritage listed or designated then there are no restrictions placed on the property by the Ontario Heritage Act. Although you may require a building permit for certain alterations.


Heritage listed but not designated


Properties that are heritage listed but not designated do not have any protection under the Ontario Heritage Act, except insofar as an owner must give the council at least 60 days notice of their intention to demolish or remove any structure on the property. This allows the municipality time to decide whether to move forward with designation of the property under the Ontario Heritage Act. When this happens a write up will be generated by the city explaining their decision of the site and it's historical value, an example of this can be found here for 127 Strachan Ave (Which at the time of writing this document is the site of a bar called Pennies).


Being listed but not designated does not involve additional maintenance requirements over and above existing property standards, or restrict altering any features that do not require a building permit. Further, it does not allow the City to withhold a building permit for non-demolition related alterations and it does not preclude a property from undergoing renovation or development.


380 College St Toronto (presently a local food bank) is listed, but not designated.


Heritage listed and designated under Part IV as a Property of Cultural Heritage Value or Interest

Part IV of the Ontario Heritage Act is the part that deals with buildings or structures other than ruins, burial mounds, petroglyphs and earthworks. This often means that there will be restrictions placed upon the owner when they attempt to obtain a permit to modify the interior or exterior of the building, and possibly that there will be restrictions imposed when modifying the surrounding site.


365 College St Toronto (a church) is listed and designated under part IV


Heritage listed and designated under Part V as a Property within a Heritage Conservation District

Part V of the Ontario Heritage Act is the part that deals with heritage conservation districts. These districts define areas of interest around the city and influence the creation and maintenance of future heritage listings and policies employed to protect the heritage significance of these areas.


282 Augusta Ave Toronto is listed and designated under part V


Heritage listed and designated under Part VI as a property containing Resources of Archaeological Value


Part VI of the Ontario Heritage Act is the part that deals with the conservation of heritage sites, but likely not its buildings. Part VI sets out the rules and regulations that must be followed when conserving a heritage site, as well as the responsibilities of the property owner. In practice this can have multiple effects on a property owner ranging from the city requiring documentation of the site through photographs, videos or writing, having an archeological survey conducted prior to the site being excavated, to preventing the site being modified at all in order to preserve its historical significance.


Want to know what restrictions apply to your property or your next purchase?


Now that you’re informed about the possible heritage statuses that may apply to your property, you’re no doubt asking “How do I find out the heritage status of my property?” That’s where we come in. At MappedBy, we have brought together all the information about your property that you could ever need in one place.


With a MappedBy Property Report, you can simply navigate to the "Heritage" section of your property report to get the designation status, an explanation of how this impacts the property and a direct link to the relevant By-Law outlining the restrictions.


In the case of heritage districts it is typical for multiple nearby properties to be Part V designated.

Alternatively, you can do this by looking up the property in the City of Toronto heritage register.


Our goal is to take the difficulty out of finding and understanding this information, that’s why we’ve made easy to understand reports that boil everything you need to know about any address into a single page.


Your MappedBy Property Report also includes information about Building Permits, Development Applications, Land Parcels and Zoning, Flood Plains, Sunlight modelling, Internet speeds, School Zones, Transit links, local Food options and more.


Generate your MappedBy Property Report and become informed by using our property search tool or check out an example heritage report for a Part V heritage designated property.

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