Tools & guides
Canadian Small Home Rules Scorecard
Where backyard suites, garden suites and small homes are allowed by right — and where they take extra approvals. Every fact links to an official source.
Last reviewed October 2026.
Provinces
Ontario
FriendlySince November 28, 2022, Ontario law allows up to three residential units on most parcels of urban residential land with full municipal services, and one of the three can be in a separate building. Municipalities cannot require minimum unit sizes, cannot require more than one parking space per additional unit, and cannot charge development charges or parkland dedication on these units. A 2024 regulation also overrode some local zoning limits, including lot coverage, FSI, angular planes and building separation, on lots with these units.
- Backyard suites
- Provincial law allows backyard suites by right
- Units per lot
- Up to 3 units on most serviced urban residential lots: 3 in the main building, or 2 in the main building plus 1 in an ancillary building
British Columbia
FriendlyUnder Bill 44 (2023), municipalities over 5,000 people and lands inside urban containment boundaries must zone former single-family and duplex lots for at least 3 or 4 units, and 6 units near frequent bus service. Secondary suites and/or accessory dwelling units must be allowed in single-family zones in all municipalities and regional district electoral areas. Bill 25 (2025) widened which zones are covered, with a bylaw deadline of June 30, 2026.
- Backyard suites
- Provincial law allows backyard suites by right
- Units per lot
- In municipalities over 5,000 people and in urban containment boundaries: at least 3 units on lots of 280 m² or less, at least 4 on lots over 280 m², and 6 near frequent bus service. Elsewhere, at least a secondary suite and/or one accessory dwelling unit in single-family zones.
Alberta
ChallengingAlberta has no provincial law requiring municipalities to allow backyard suites or a minimum number of units per lot. Each municipality decides through its own land use bylaw. Construction is governed province-wide by the National Building Code – 2023 Alberta Edition, in force since May 1, 2024.
- Backyard suites
- No provincial by-right permission
- Units per lot
- No provincial minimum; set by municipal land use bylaws
Cities
Sort or filter to compare. Open a city for sizes, approvals, fees and sources. Ontario municipalities are on the Ontario zoning page.
Showing 2 of 2 cities
How the ratings work
Each rating follows the same fixed rules, applied to what the official sources say — never editorial judgement. Ratings describe how straightforward the rules are for a detached backyard suite, not how quick or cheap a project will be.
Cities
Based on whether the city’s own rules allow a backyard suite.
| Rule | Base rating |
|---|---|
| Allowed by right | Friendly |
| Allowed by right in some zones or lot types | Moderate |
| Allowed only through a discretionary approval | Moderate |
| Not allowed | Challenging |
Then: A city's rating drops one level (Friendly → Moderate, Moderate → Challenging) when a typical backyard suite needs a discretionary approval — such as a development permit, minor variance or rezoning — on top of a building permit. Challenging can't drop further.
Provinces
Based on whether provincial law allows backyard suites by right.
| Rule | Rating |
|---|---|
| Provincial law allows backyard suites by right | Friendly |
| Provincial law allows them by right in some areas or cases | Moderate |
| No provincial by-right permission | Challenging |
Where a provincial value couldn't be confirmed from an official source, the province is shown as “Not yet rated”.
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Data licensed CC BY 4.0 — cite as:
Tiny Home List (2026). Canadian Small Home Rules Scorecard. https://tinyhomelist.ca/rules
Not legal advice