Burlington · Custom Home Construction
Custom Home Construction in Burlington
Roseland's character area rules cap a rebuild with a floor area ratio, introduced at 0.45, and an 18 m maximum house depth on lots with a 25% coverage limit. Those numbers decide the size of a Roseland custom home before design starts. Creek lots add Conservation Halton, and rural lots north of the escarpment add the Niagara Escarpment Commission.
Custom Homes in Burlington
What’s different in Burlington
| Permit office | City of Burlington Building and By-law Department (official site, opens in a new tab) |
|---|---|
| Character areas | Roseland and similar 25% coverage areas: floor area ratio cap (0.45 when introduced) and 18 m maximum house depth. |
| Private trees | Permit to remove or injure protected trees on urban lots. Replacement or compensation can be a condition. |
| Creek and shoreline lots | Tuck, Shoreacres, Appleby and Roseland Creeks and Lake Ontario: Conservation Halton permit before the building permit. |
| Rural north Burlington | NEC development permit first, then a drilled well and a septic system sized to the house. |
| Knock-down servicing | Disconnection and new water and sewer services through Halton Region. |
Worth knowing first
In Roseland, the lot sets the size before the architect does
On a Roseland lot with a 25% coverage limit, two numbers control a rebuild: the floor area ratio cap, introduced at 0.45, and an 18 m maximum house depth. On a 15 by 45 m (50 by 150 ft) lot, that supports roughly 300 m² (3,250 sq ft) above grade before any variance, depending on how the by-law counts floor area. The new residential zoning by-law carries these areas forward, so we confirm the current figures for your zone first. Variances are possible. Character-area applications get close scrutiny at the Committee of Adjustment.
The scope, pricing tiers and 5-step process are the same everywhere we work. See Custom Home Construction ›
Frequently asked questions
Custom Homes in Burlington: three local questions
Yes, for protected trees. Burlington's private tree by-law requires a permit to remove or injure protected trees on urban private property, which covers most mature trees on lots in Roseland, Shoreacres and Aldershot. Expect an arborist report, protection fencing for trees that stay, and replacement planting or compensation. City boulevard trees are handled separately. Tree locations can move the foundation, so the arborist joins during design.
Its own permit, issued before the City's building permit. Lots along Tuck, Shoreacres, Appleby, Sheldon or Roseland Creeks, or on the Lake Ontario shoreline, may sit partly in a flood plain, erosion hazard or regulated area. Conservation Halton reviews under Ontario Regulation 41/24 and may require studies, setbacks or floodproofing elevations. That review can add several months. We pull the mapping before design.
More approvals and private services. Most rural lots sit inside the Niagara Escarpment Commission's area of development control, so an NEC development permit comes before the City's building permit. The home needs a drilled well and a septic system sized to the design, and septic approval depends on soil and lot layout. Rural driveway access needs approval too. Plan on several extra months compared with an urban lot.
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