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

Town of Westville, in Pictou County. Population 3,540 (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 · Westville’s term: “garden suite”

Garden suites and garage suites (detached auxiliary dwelling units) are permitted by right in the main residential zones and the Rural Residential zone, subject to the use-specific rules in s. 5.1.7.

Where allowed: Permitted by right in the RC, RMU, RMF, RP and RR zones, and in the LLR zone with Residential Core uses (s. 5.1.7 and zone use lists) [1]
Number allowed: Maximum of one garden suite or garage suite per lot (s. 5.1.7(8)) [1]
Separation from house: Minimum 4 m (13 ft) from the main dwelling (s. 5.1.7(5)) [1]
Setbacks: Minimum 2 m (6.5 ft) side and rear yard setback; not located in front of the main building (s. 5.1.7(4), (7)) [1]
Maximum height: 5.5 m (about 18 ft) for accessory buildings; 6.5 m (about 21.5 ft) for a garage suite, which must also be at least 1.8 m (6 ft) from any lot line (s. 4.2.2(1)(e)) [1]
Maximum size: No separate garden suite size limit; an accessory structure may not exceed a 70 m² (735 sq ft) building footprint in the RMU, RC, RP, RMF and LLR zones, and on lots over 700 m² (7,534 sq ft) accessory buildings may not exceed the lesser of 93 m² (1,000 sq ft) total floor area or 10% of lot area (s. 4.2.5) [1]
Parking: 1 parking space for each garage suite or garden suite dwelling unit (Table 4, s. 4.5.12) [1]
Mini homes: A mini home used as a garden suite may not exceed a 3:1 length-to-width ratio (s. 5.1.9(4)) [1]
Approvals: An occupancy permit for the main dwelling must precede the garden suite development permit (s. 5.1.7(6)) [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 · Westville’s term: “tiny house”

The by-law defines a tiny house (Building Code s. 9.39) and sets no minimum dwelling floor area or width for single detached dwellings; tiny houses are also named for pocket communities by site plan approval in the RC and LLR zones.

Mini homes: Manufactured (mini) homes are permitted in the RC, RMU, RR and LLR zones, subject to window, skirting and siting rules in s. 5.1.9; they are not listed in the RP zone [1]
Where allowed: Pocket communities of up to 6 dwellings (RC) or 10 dwellings (LLR) that may include tiny houses, by site plan approval; grouped dwelling footprints may not exceed 80 m² (about 860 sq ft) (ss. 5.3.2, 5.6.2, 5.1.11) [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][8]

Tiny home on wheels or park model

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

Allowed with limits · Westville’s term: “recreational trailer or vehicle”

No recreational trailer or vehicle may be used for human habitation, and wheeled mobile homes are allowed only where existing; CSA-certified mini homes are permitted as dwellings in the RC, RMU, RR and LLR zones.

Where allowed: Existing mobile homes and mobile home parks in the LLR zone; existing mobile homes may be replaced with a mini home but not another mobile home (ss. 5.6.1, 5.1.10) [1]
Mini homes: Manufactured home means a 3:1 or longer CSA Z240 or A277 certified home; permitted in RC, RMU, RR and LLR zones with full skirting required before occupancy (s. 5.1.9) [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. [8][5][3][4]

Bunkie or sleeping cabin

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

Not addressed · Westville’s term: “accessory building”

The by-law does not address sleeping cabins; under the heading 'Accessory Buildings and Structures not for Human Habitation' an accessory structure may not be used as a dwelling unit except as a garage or garden suite, and general accessory building limits apply.

Maximum height: 5.5 m (about 18 ft) for accessory buildings (s. 4.2.2(1)(e)) [1]
Maximum size: 70 m² (735 sq ft) building footprint in the RMU, RC, RP, RMF and LLR zones; on lots over 700 m² (7,534 sq ft), the lesser of 93 m² (1,000 sq ft) total floor area or 10% of lot area (s. 4.2.5) [1]
Setbacks: Not in the required front yard; at least 1.8 m (6 ft) from the main building and 1.2 m (4 ft) from a lot line, or 0.6 m (2 ft) in a residential zone with no openings facing that line (s. 4.2.2) [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][9]

Official links

Last confirmed October 2026.

Notes and caveats

Read by OCR of the 103-page scanned PDF; every figure in the published facts was re-checked against page images (PDF pages 47, 48, 51, 64, 65, 70 and 78). Certification: second reading 2026-04-27, ministerial approval 2026-07-23 with six amendments (none touch the sections used here; the LUB ones add small option homes to the Dwelling definition and the RC use list), Notice of Effective Date 2026-07-31; the LUB applies to all lands in the Town. s. 5.1.7 lists only RC, RMU and RMF for garden suites, but the RP, RR and LLR zone use lists also include garage or garden suites. Accessory buildings in residential zones may not be a trailer or shipping container, wheel-mounted or on a foundation (s. 4.2.3), which rules out container garden suites there.

Sources

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