King City and King Township Luxury Estates: Buyer’s Guide 2026

By Jatin Dua · Broker of Record, RE/MAX Quantum Realty — Estate pockets, Moraine and Greenbelt rules, conservation authorities, septic and well, schools, commute, pricing and inspections.

Looking for an estate in King City, Nobleton, Schomberg or rural King, including ones that never hit the open market? Tell me what you need and I will send you matches.

Where are the estate pockets in King Township?

King is a big, quiet place. It is the largest municipality in York Region by area but has the smallest population, about 27,333 people at the 2021 Census. The Township’s own Official Plan calls it a “community of communities”: three Villages (King City, Nobleton and Schomberg) and a string of rural Hamlets (Ansnorveldt, Graham Sideroad, Kettleby, Laskay, Lloydtown, Pottageville and Snowball), with farms, forest and horse country in between.

“King estates” usually means one of three purchases: a large serviced lot in a Village, an older estate subdivision, or rural acreage on well and septic. Each has different rules.

The Official Plan prohibits new estate residential development in the Rural Area, so existing estate streets like Kingscross are a fixed supply.

What does the Oak Ridges Moraine Conservation Plan mean for your lot?

About two thirds of King sits on the Oak Ridges Moraine. The Township’s economic development page puts it at 66%, and the Official Plan says “almost 70%”. The moraine is governed by the Oak Ridges Moraine Conservation Plan, which is a provincial regulation (O. Reg. 140/02). Where the Plan and the local Official Plan conflict, the Plan wins.

The moraine is mapped into four designations:

• Natural Core Areas: the most protected land. Permitted uses include conservation, agriculture, low-intensity recreation, home businesses and bed and breakfasts. There is no room for a new estate subdivision.
• Natural Linkage Areas: the corridors between core areas. The uses are similar to Natural Core.
• Countryside Areas: agricultural and rural uses. This is where most rural King homes sit.
• Settlement Areas: King City and part of Nobleton. Here the Plan mostly defers to the local Official Plan.

Three rules in the Plan matter most to an estate buyer:

• Your existing house is usually safe. Section 7 allows a single dwelling on an existing lot if the zoning permitted it on November 15, 2001, subject to showing no adverse effect on ecological integrity.
• Setbacks from nature are wide. The Table to Part III sets a minimum vegetation protection zone of 30 metres around wetlands, fish habitat, significant woodlands (measured from the drip line) and significant valleylands. It also sets a 120-metre “minimum area of influence” where new development needs a natural heritage evaluation. A new pool house, a barn or an addition near a pond or a wooded edge can trigger studies.
• Severing is close to impossible. Section 32 allows a new lot only in narrow cases. Examples are a surplus farm dwelling after a farm consolidation, agricultural lots of at least 100 acres each, infrastructure, conservation conveyances, minor lot additions, and separating legally established different uses. It also bans lots that would extend strip development.

I go deeper on what you can and cannot build in my guide to Greenbelt and Oak Ridges Moraine land.

What about the Greenbelt outside the moraine?

Most of the King land that is not on the moraine is in the Greenbelt’s Protected Countryside, including much of the Holland Marsh Specialty Crop Area in the north. The Official Plan says these provincial plans together cover about 98% of the Township. Under section 2.1 of the Greenbelt Plan (2017), the moraine rules continue to apply on moraine land. Off the moraine, section 4.6 applies: lot creation is “discouraged.” Where it is allowed for agriculture, the minimum is 40 hectares (100 acres) in prime agricultural areas and 16 hectares (40 acres) in specialty crop areas like the Marsh.

Roughly half of King is also in the Lake Simcoe watershed, which adds the Lake Simcoe Protection Plan. A big lot in King is almost always a big lot forever, so never pay for “severance potential” without a planner’s written opinion.

Which zoning by-law applies to a King property?

King has several zoning by-laws, and the right one depends on where the property sits. Per the Township’s zoning page:

• Countryside Zoning By-law 2022-053 covers the rural areas and Hamlets. Parts of it are under appeal at the Ontario Land Tribunal. On appealed lands, the older By-law 74-53 also applies.
• By-law 2005-23 also applies to lands in the Oak Ridges Moraine and Greenbelt Plan areas.
• By-law 2017-66 covers the King City and Schomberg Urban Areas.
• By-law 2016-71 covers the Nobleton Urban Area.
• Site Plan Control By-law 2022-052, as amended by 2022-074, applies site plan control in certain areas, including parts of the Greenbelt Natural Heritage System.

Get a zoning certificate and confirm that outbuildings, a second dwelling or a home business are actually permitted.

TRCA or LSRCA: which conservation authority covers which part?

King is split between two conservation authorities. Both regulate development near valleys, streams, wetlands and flood plains under Ontario Regulation 41/24.

• Toronto and Region Conservation Authority (TRCA) covers the south-draining land, the headwaters of the Humber River system. The East Humber River runs by King City. Generally, south-draining King City and Nobleton land falls here, but confirm by address.
• Lake Simcoe Region Conservation Authority (LSRCA) covers the north-draining half of the Township in the Lake Simcoe watershed. That includes Schomberg, where LSRCA’s flood plain mapping shaped the Schomberg Special Policy Area, and the Holland Marsh side.

Appendix 1 of the Official Plan maps both Regulation Limits, but contact the authority for current mapping before you price a renovation. Their permit comes on top of the building permit. My explainer on conservation authority regulated land walks through the process.

How do septic and well work on a King estate?

King City is on municipal sewers. The King City sanitary servicing project began in 2005 and required homes to connect and decommission their septic tanks. Outside the serviced Village areas it is a different story. The Official Plan says the Hamlets “are provided with private services” and that this is expected to continue. Most rural estates run on a drilled or dug well and a septic system.

That changes your due diligence. You need the following:

• A potability test for bacteria and a flow (quantity) test on the well. You also need the well record if one exists.
• A septic inspection with the tank pumped and a look at the bed, plus the original permit and the tank size measured against the bedroom count.
• Conditions in the offer that give you time to do both.

I cover the full checklist in septic and well for rural lot buyers in Ontario. Put both checks into the offer as conditions, with enough days to book the contractors.

How long is the commute from King City?

The Township describes itself as about 50 minutes north of downtown Toronto. The real commute depends on traffic and on which end of King you live in.

• Train: King City GO Station, 7 Station Road, is on the GO Barrie line and is the only train station in the Township. Metrolinx is adding a new west platform, a pedestrian bridge and expanded parking to support future two-way, all-day service. Check the current GO timetable.
• Highways: Highway 400 cuts through the middle of King, Highway 27 runs through the west side near Nobleton, and Highway 9 runs along the north end near Schomberg.

Drive the commute at rush hour before you buy.

Which schools do King buyers ask about?

School choice drives many King purchases. These are the ones buyers ask me about:

• The Country Day School: 13415 Dufferin Street. Independent, co-ed, JK to Grade 12, founded in 1972, on a 100-acre campus.
• St. Thomas of Villanova College: 2480 15th Sideroad, King City. Independent Catholic, co-ed, Grades 4 to 12.
• King City Secondary School: 2001 King Road. York Region District School Board, Grades 9 to 12, the only public secondary school in the Township, with French immersion added in 2019.
• Seneca College King Campus: in the southeast of the Township.

Confirm public school boundaries with the board by address.

For golf, King Valley Golf Club (15675 Dufferin Street) is a ClubLink members’ club designed by Doug Carrick with Curtis Strange, and King’s Riding Golf Club is also near King City. Forest covers almost 25% of the Township, and Cold Creek Conservation Area is a local favourite for trails.

Buying a horse property in King: what is different?

King is known for its horse and cattle farms, and the Official Plan treats equestrian activity as part of the Township’s rural identity. Agricultural uses are permitted across the moraine designations and the Greenbelt. That said, a horse property comes with its own checks:

• Zoning for the barn and arena: confirm under the Countryside By-law that the barn, the indoor arena and any staff quarters are permitted and were built with permits.
• Setbacks from water: paddocks, manure storage and new buildings near wetlands, streams and woodlands run into the 30-metre protection zones and the conservation authority’s limits.
• Water supply: horses drink a lot. Make sure the well flow rate can handle the house and the barn together.
• Farm tax class: Ontario’s Farm Property Class Tax Rate Program taxes eligible farmland at no more than 25% of the residential rate. The house and residential land still pay the residential rate. Eligibility needs MPAC’s farmland assessment, a farm business on the property and a valid Farm Business Registration number. Agricorp runs the program. Do not assume a seller’s farm rate carries over to you.

How are property taxes and MPAC values handled in King?

Ontario’s assessment update was postponed. Your King tax bill is still based on MPAC’s assessed value as of January 1, 2016, multiplied by the combined Township, York Region and education tax rate for your property class. On an estate, that 2016 value can sit far from today’s market value in either direction. A recent renovation or addition may also trigger a supplementary assessment.

Before you buy, get the seller’s latest tax bill and check whether part of the property is in the farm class (see above). Budget for a change if the farm rate will not carry over. My explainer on the 2016 MPAC assessment covers how it works.

How are King Township estates priced: land or house?

This is where King buyers overpay most often. Four things drive estate value:

• Usable land, not total land. A 10-acre parcel with 7 acres of protected woodland and wetland setbacks has much less usable land than the listing suggests. Section 32(3) of the Moraine Plan even talks about “net developable area.” Ask for a survey and overlay the conservation authority’s mapping.
• Location within King. Estates near the Villages, GO and schools trade differently from remote farms.
• The house. A dated house on a premium lot is priced mostly on the land; a newer custom build on both.
• Outbuildings and extras. Barns, arenas, pools, tennis courts and coach houses add value only if they are permitted and in good shape.

Few estates trade each year, so automated estimates struggle. I build the value from land, location and improvements, then check it against the few true comparables.

What should you inspect on a King estate?

On the house itself, add the well pump, pressure tank, water treatment, grading on sloped moraine land and the outbuildings to a standard inspection. My list of what to test on a luxury home covers the rest.

Frequently asked questions

Sources

• Government of Ontario — Oak Ridges Moraine Conservation Plan (2017), PDF — Designations, s. 7 existing dwellings, s. 32 lot creation, Table to Part III protection zones
• Government of Ontario e-Laws — O. Reg. 140/02: Oak Ridges Moraine Conservation Plan — The regulation itself
• Government of Ontario — Greenbelt Plan (2017) — s. 2.1 relationship to ORMCP; s. 4.6 lot creation; Holland Marsh specialty crop area
• Township of King — Our King Official Plan (office consolidation, June 2023) — Villages and Hamlets, Kingscross Estates 2-acre minimum, private servicing, Schomberg Special Policy Area, ~98% plan coverage
• Township of King — Zoning By-laws — By-laws 2022-053, 74-53, 2005-23, 2017-66, 2016-71 and Site Plan Control 2022-052
• Township of King — Ideal Location — 66% on the moraine, 33% Greenbelt, highways, GO service, forest cover
• Metrolinx — King City GO Station — Barrie line upgrades: new platform, pedestrian bridge, parking
• Lake Simcoe Region Conservation Authority — Planning & Permits — Ontario Regulation 41/24 permits
• Toronto and Region Conservation Authority — Planning & Permits — Ontario Regulation 41/24 regulated areas
• Government of Ontario — Farm property class tax rate program — Farmland taxed at no more than 25% of residential rate; eligibility

Related reading

• Greenbelt and Oak Ridges Moraine land: what you can build
• Septic and well on a rural lot: what Ontario buyers check
• Buying conservation authority regulated land
• How luxury homes are valued
• Well and septic conditions in an Ontario offer