Green Roof Toronto Bylaw

Biodiverse green roofs the guidelines for biodiverse green roofs identify describe and illustrate best practices for creating habitat and promoting biodiversity on green roofs in toronto.

Green roof toronto bylaw.

Toronto s green roof bylaw is the first of its kind in north america. As of 2019 approximately 620 new green roof permits have been required under the bylaw totaling over 501 000 square meters of new green roof area. Green roof bylaw what are green roofs. The green roof bylaw sets out a graduated green roof requirement for new development or additions that are greater than 2 000 m in gross floor area.

As a result the city relied on extensive input from stakeholders to develop and refine the content of the toronto green roof construction standard and the requirements for green roofs on new development. Luckily toronto is the place to be for green roof hopping. The incentive program has provided funding for over 70 green roofs and 336 cool roofs since 2010. Green roof bylaw toronto was the first city in north america to have a bylaw to require and govern the construction of green roofs on new developments.

In 2009 toronto became the first city in north america to adopt a bylaw requiring green roofs on new commercial institutional and residential developments. They are intended to support and expand the toronto green roof construction standard supplementary guidelines. Thanks to a 2010 bylaw mandating that new commercial and residential buildings in toronto reserve at least 20 percent of their roof space for vegetation toronto was recently recognized for having installed the most green roof area in north america. The impact of the green roof bylaw and eco roof incentive in toronto is significant.

These guidelines are primarily designed for use by architects and landscape architects involved. Types of green roofs toronto s leadership in green roof policy began with the development of a green roof strategy for the city which would lay the foundation for requiring green roofs on new development in 2009. There are now 700 green roofs in the city according to toronto s planning department and the largest is on the recently completed 181 million mcnicoll bus garage at kennedy road and. The green roof bylaw sets out a graduated green roof requirement for new development or additions greater than 2 000 m gross floor area as well as governing the construction standards of green roofs.