East Hants land-use by-law for garden suites, tiny homes and bunkies

Municipality of the District of East Hants. Population 22,892 (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 with limits · East Hants’s term: “garden suite (accessory dwelling unit)”

Detached garden suites and garage suites are permitted as accessory dwelling units to a single unit dwelling in the CR, LR, R1, R2, RU, RU-2 and AR zones, but a garden suite needs a lot of at least 920 m² or the zone minimum, whichever is greater. Garden suites may be built from shipping containers or mini-homes.

Maximum size: 80% of the gross floor area of the main dwelling, up to 80 m² [1]
Maximum height: 4.5 m for a garden suite (mini-homes used as garden suites are exempt) [1]
Minimum lot size: 920 m² for a garden suite (600 m² for a garage suite), or the zone minimum if greater [1]
Separation from house: 3 m from habitable structures and 2 m from non-habitable structures; in rural zones at least twice the side yard setback [1]
Parking: At least 1 off-street space in addition to the main dwelling's parking (rural zones, s. 5.2.8) [1]
Number allowed: 1 accessory dwelling unit per property [1]
Where allowed: CR, LR, R1, R2, RU, RU-2 and AR zones; not in the MH zone [1]

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. [2][3][4][5][6][7]

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 with limits · East Hants’s term: “single unit dwelling”

The by-law sets no minimum floor area for a single unit dwelling, but mini-homes (factory-built dwellings with any main wall narrower than 6.2 m) are not a permitted main dwelling in the CR, LR, R1 and R2 residential zones, and there a dwelling's length may not exceed 3 times its width. Mini-homes are permitted as main dwellings in the RU and RU-2 zones and in the MH (Mini-home) zone, and since March 2025 they may be used as garden suites. [8]

Mini homes: Dwelling, Mini-home is a permitted use in RU, RU-2 and MH zones but not in CR, LR, R1 or R2 (tables 5.1 and 6.1); a mini-home includes mobile homes and modular dwellings having any main walls with a width of less than 6.2 m [1]
Minimum width: Length may not exceed 3 times the prevalent width in the CR, LR, R1 and R2 zones (s. 6.2.5); dwellings built mostly from shipping containers are exempt [1]
Minimum dwelling size: None stated [1]

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. [2][5][3][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 · East Hants’s term: “tiny home on wheels”

A tiny home on wheels (on a chassis, at most 3 m wide, CSA approved for four-season use or engineer certified) is a permitted use in the RU, RU-2 and AR rural zones, with conditions written for its use as an accessory dwelling unit. Elsewhere the definition of dwelling excludes travel trailers and recreational vehicles, and vehicle bodies may not be used for human habitation.

Where allowed: RU, RU-2 and AR zones (s. 5.1, 5.2.9) [1]
Number allowed: 1 tiny home on wheels per property [1]
Servicing: Must use existing on-site services or have Nova Scotia Environment approval for an alternative grey water or sewage system [1]
Setbacks: Side or rear yard, with the same side and rear setbacks as the main dwelling [1]

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][5][3][4]

Bunkie or sleeping cabin

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

Not allowed · East Hants’s term: “accessory building”

Accessory buildings may not be used for human habitation unless they meet all the requirements for an accessory dwelling unit, and boathouses may not contain sleeping facilities.

Maximum height: Accessory buildings in residential zones: 5 m on lots under 1,400 m², 7.6 m on lots of 1,400 to 10,250 m², 11 m on unserviced lots over 10,250 m² [1]

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. [5][6][10]

Official links

Last confirmed October 2026.

Notes and caveats

Consolidation date taken from the file name (Combined-Mar2026); latest amendment listed is November 26, 2025, and zoning maps were amended to July 29, 2026. The combined file lags two council amendments. On March 26, 2025 Council removed the sentence 'Mini-home dwellings as per the definition are not permitted' from s. 6.2.5 so mini-homes can be used as garden suites (staff report: https://www.easthants.ca/wp-content/uploads/easthants-occ/agendas/44925/attachments/26348/PAC-%20Mini-Homes%20as%20ADUs-%20March%202025.pdf), but the consolidated s. 6.2.5 still prints it; mini-homes remain excluded as main dwellings in the CR, LR, R1 and R2 zones by the permitted-use table. On September 24, 2025 Council removed the accessory dwelling unit design requirements (matching materials, colour and roof, and entrance orientation) from s. 3.14, but the combined file still shows them (final report: https://www.easthants.ca/wp-content/uploads/easthants-occ/agendas/45952/attachments/27124/PAC-%20C25%2828%29%20C24%28414%29%20and%20C25%28159%29%20Accessory%20Dwelling%20Units-%20Final%20Report-%20Sept%202025.pdf); height and size limits were not changed. The RU-2 zone conditionally permits up to 1 recreational vehicle on a lot of 6,070 m² or less and 3 on larger lots (s. 5.5.4), without saying they may be lived in. The ADU brochure on the site (https://www.easthants.ca/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/Accessory-Dwelling-Units-Brochure.pdf) is dated April 2018 and predates this by-law, so it is not used as the guide. A 2026-27 plan review is under way.

Sources

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