The fastest way: check your address with Zoned

Type your address into Zoned and the report shows your zone under Ottawa's current zoning data, then goes further than any map: setbacks for your exact lot, the buildable envelope, and whether projects like an addition, garden suite, or multiplex plausibly fit.

This matters more than usual right now, because Ottawa is transitioning from By-law 2008-250 to the new By-law 2026-50, and permits are checked against both with the most restrictive provision governing.

The city's own option: geoOttawa

The City of Ottawa's geoOttawa map (maps.ottawa.ca/geoottawa) shows the zoning layer for every parcel, including both the old 2008-250 code and the new 2026-50 code, with links to the by-law text. It is authoritative for the raw code, and the right place to double-check anything.

What it does not do is interpretation: geoOttawa will not compute your setbacks, your buildable area, or whether a garden suite fits behind your house. That is the gap Zoned fills.

Reading the code you find

• New codes look like N2B or N4C: the number is the zone (N1 lowest intensity to N6 high-rise), the letter is the character subzone (A most urban to F most suburban).
• Old codes look like R2F or R4UB: these come from By-law 2008-250 and still matter during the transition.
• Suffixes, overlays, and exception numbers can change the base rules on your street, which is why two lots with the same code can have different answers.

After you know your zone

• Read the matching zone page in the Ottawa zone lookup to see what the code typically permits.
• Run the address through Zoned to turn the code into a lot-specific buildable answer.
• If a project looks feasible, bring the report into your first contractor or designer conversation.

Frequently asked questions