Annapolis land-use by-law for backyard suites, tiny homes and bunkies

Municipality of the County of Annapolis. Population 18,834 (2021 census).

Backyard suite

A separate home in the yard of a house: garden suite, laneway suite or coach house, including prefab, modular or container units used this way.

Allowed · Annapolis’s term: “secondary suite”

One secondary suite, inside, attached or in a separate structure, is permitted as an accessory use to a single or two-unit dwelling in the MX, R1, R2, AG, LCR2, LCR4, GW4 and GW5 zones. It must meet the main-use setbacks of the zone. [1]

Maximum size: 80 m² (860 sq ft) gross floor area [2]
Number allowed: One secondary suite per lot [2]
Setbacks: Main use setback requirements for the zone [2]
Where allowed: MX, R1, R2, AG, LCR2, LCR4, GW4 and GW5 zones [2]

Nova Scotia-wide rule

Outside Halifax, no Nova Scotia regulation requires municipalities to allow backyard suites or a set number of units per lot. Each municipality decides this in its land-use by-law. Province-wide, the Building Code applies to the suite, and a new on-site sewage system needs provincial notification or approval. [3][4][5][6][7][8]

Tiny home on a foundation

A small house as the main home on its own lot. The key rule is any minimum dwelling size.

Allowed · Annapolis’s term: “single-unit dwelling”

A single-unit dwelling includes mobile and tiny homes unless the by-law says otherwise, and it is permitted in the MX, R1, R2, AG and C1 zones. The by-law sets no minimum dwelling floor area or width. [1]

Minimum dwelling size: None stated [2]
Mini homes: Single-unit dwelling 'includes mobile and tiny homes' [2]
Where allowed: MX, R1, R2, AG and C1 zones [2]

Nova Scotia-wide rule

Nova Scotia sets no provincial minimum house size. Since April 1, 2025, the Building Code Regulations define a "tiny house" as a dwelling unit of 37 m² or less in building area and give it its own rules on ceiling heights and lofts. Certified factory-built homes are deemed to meet the Code. Municipal planning documents must provide for manufactured housing. [3][6][4][9]

Tiny home on wheels or park model

Living full-time in a tiny home on wheels or a park model home.

Allowed with limits · Annapolis’s term: “recreational vehicle”

Trucks, trailers, buses and similar structures shall not be used for human habitation unless otherwise permitted, and a dwelling does not include a travel trailer or recreation vehicle. Recreational vehicle parking sites are permitted in the MX, AG, M2, I1 and PR zones (one per lot, two in MX), campgrounds and RV parks in the MX zone, and new land lease communities in the MX zone only by development agreement or site plan approval.

Where allowed: RV parking sites: MX, AG, M2, I1, PR zones; campgrounds and RV parks: MX zone [2]
Number allowed: RV parking sites: no more than 2 per lot in MX, 1 per lot in other zones; one RV per site [2]

Nova Scotia-wide rule

The province's Building Code guidance says tiny homes on a permanent trailer chassis with wheels are outside the scope of the Nova Scotia Building Code Regulations. Whether you may live in one full-time is decided by the municipal land-use by-law. CSA Z240 manufactured (mini) homes are covered by the Building Code, and municipal plans must provide for manufactured housing. [9][6][4][5]

Bunkie or sleeping cabin

A small sleeping building with no kitchen, usually beside a cottage or house.

Not allowed · Annapolis’s term: “accessory building”

Accessory buildings shall not be used for human habitation unless permitted as a secondary suite. A 'cottage' is listed as a permitted main use in the MX, R1, R2 and AG zones, and up to 2 main buildings may be permitted on a lot.

Maximum height: Two storeys or the zone maximum [2]
Setbacks: At least 1.2 m (4 ft) from a lot line; 1.8 m (6 ft) from the main building [2]

Nova Scotia-wide rule

Unless a municipal by-law says otherwise, Nova Scotia does not require a building permit for an accessory building of 20 m² or less, but the Building Code still applies to it. Adding a washroom brings in the on-site sewage rules, unless the building connects to a municipal sewer. [6][7][10]

Official links

Last confirmed October 2026.

Notes and caveats

Hold resolved: curl downloads from annapoliscounty.ca worked, and the County-Wide Plan page (https://annapoliscounty.ca/county-wide-plan) links the LUB 'amended on December 11, 2025'; the page says these are convenience copies, not the official municipal copies. Separate secondary-plan LUBs still apply in Bridgetown, Cornwallis Park, East End, Upper Clements and the Lake Cady and Bridgetown water supply areas and were not researched. Whether people may live full-time in an RV on an RV parking site is not stated.

Sources

Not legal advice

Confirm with your municipality before you buy, build or move in.

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