Algonquin Highlands zoning for small homes

Township of Algonquin Highlands, in the County of Haliburton. Population 2,588 (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 · Algonquin Highlands’s term: “accessory dwelling (on a residential lot)”

One accessory dwelling in a separate building accessory to a detached dwelling is permitted in the Rural (RU), Hamlet Residential (HR) and Rural Residential (RR) zones, but not in the Shoreline Residential (SR1, SR2) zones. [1]

Where allowed: RU, HR and RR zones; not SR1 or SR2 (s.4.1.2, Table 2) [1]
Number allowed: One accessory dwelling per property; then at most one accessory unit inside the main house [1]
Maximum size: Lesser of 75% of the main dwelling's GFA or 140 m² (1,507 sq ft) [1]
Servicing: Private sewage system must be approved for the dwelling and accessory dwelling [1]
Parking: Minimum 1 space; driveway shared with the main dwelling [1]

Ontario-wide rule

Ontario law stops municipalities from banning one residential unit in a building ancillary to a detached house, semi-detached house or rowhouse on a parcel of urban residential land, as long as the lot has no more than three units in total. Municipalities still set most other zoning rules, but provincial law limits parking requirements, minimum unit size, lot coverage and separation distances. These units are also exempt from development charges and parkland dedication. [2][3][4]

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 · Algonquin Highlands’s term: “single detached dwelling”

Table 2 sets a minimum single detached dwelling unit area of 55 m² in the Hamlet Residential and Rural Residential zones and 74 m² in the Shoreline Residential zones; the Rural zone has no minimum. [1]

Minimum dwelling size: HR and RR: 55 m²; SR1 and SR2: 74 m²; RU: none (Table 2) [1]
Minimum lot size: RU: 2 ha; HR: 0.3 ha; RR, SR1, SR2: 0.4 ha [1]

Ontario-wide rule

Ontario law sets no minimum total size for a house that is the main dwelling. The Building Code sets minimum room areas, so the smallest compliant dwelling is roughly 17.5 m² by the Province's own estimate. Municipalities may still set minimum floor areas for main dwellings in their zoning by-laws. The provincial ban on minimum sizes covers only additional residential units. [2][5][6][7][8][9][10]

Tiny home on wheels or park model

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

Allowed with limits · Algonquin Highlands’s term: “trailer / recreational mobile home; garden suite”

Trailers and recreational mobile homes may be used for human habitation only in a camping establishment or trailer park, and not in any Residential or Rural zone except as temporary construction uses; mobile homes are excluded from the definition of a dwelling. A garden suite is available only through a temporary use by-law. [1]

Where allowed: Camping establishments or trailer parks where specifically permitted (s.4.41) [1]
Temporary garden suite: Site-specific temporary use by-law under s.39/39.1, 5-year term (expires on transfer); HR, RR and RU zones only; one per lot; maximum 80 m² (861.1 sq ft); not where an accessory dwelling or unit exists [1]

Ontario-wide rule

Ontario has no single rule for living full-time in a tiny home on wheels. A unit on wheels can count as a 'building' that needs a permit and must meet the Building Code once it stays in one place, is hooked up to services or is anchored. Park model trailers are recognized only as seasonal recreational buildings. Municipalities may allow a portable garden suite under a temporary-use by-law for up to 20 years, with extensions of up to 3 years each. [10][5][2][7][6]

Bunkie or sleeping cabin

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

Allowed · Algonquin Highlands’s term: “sleeping cabin”

One sleeping cabin, without cooking or kitchen facilities, may be built as an accessory to a single detached dwelling in the RU, HR, RR, SR1 and SR2 zones. It may not be used for monetary gain. [1]

Where allowed: Rural, Hamlet Residential, Rural Residential, Shoreline Residential One and Two zones (s.4.2.10) [1]
Number allowed: One per lot [1]
Maximum size: 45 m² (484.4 sq ft) total floor area [1]
Maximum height: 5 m (16.4 ft), one storey, no loft [1]
Kitchen: No cooking or kitchen facilities; sanitary facilities only with approval of the appropriate authority (s.3.158) [1]
Setbacks: Must meet the zone's yard and setback requirements (incl. 30 m from high water mark) and not be in front of the main dwelling [1]

Ontario-wide rule

Ontario law has no rule written specifically for bunkies or sleeping cabins. Whether one needs a building permit depends on the Building Code Act's definition of 'building' and the Code's shed exemption. That exemption covers only storage-use sheds, so it does not cover a structure used for sleeping. Municipal zoning rules for accessory buildings still apply. [7][5][2][11]

Official links

Last confirmed October 2026.

Notes and caveats

The township's zoning page links only the May 19, 2022 'for adoption' text of By-law 2022-49; no office consolidation is posted, so later site-specific or general amendments are not reflected. No township-wide ARU amendment was found. Ontario's as-of-right ARU rules (Planning Act s.35.1) apply only to serviced urban residential land, which is largely absent here.

Sources

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