Arnprior zoning for small homes
Town of Arnprior, in the County of Renfrew. Population 9,629 (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 · Arnprior’s term: “secondary residential unit (in a detached accessory building)”
The August 2021 consolidation of Zoning By-law 6875-18 permits one secondary residential unit per lot in the R1 to R4 zones, located either within the main building or wholly within a detached accessory building. A 2024 town-wide amendment to implement Bill 23 was in progress, and its final text was not confirmed. Ontario's Planning Act (s. 35.1) overrides zoning provisions that would prohibit one unit in a building ancillary to a house on serviced urban land. [1][2]
- Where allowed
- Residential One to Four (R1, R2, R3, R4) zones list 'secondary residential unit' as a permitted use (ss. 6.5-6.8) [3]
- Number allowed
- Maximum of one secondary residential unit; not permitted on a lot where a garden suite is also situated (s. 6.3.1, e) [3]
- Maximum size
- Floor area not to exceed 40% of the gross floor area of the main building, excluding the private garage or basement (s. 6.3.1 b) [3]
- Maximum height
- Accessory buildings: 5.0 m unless specified otherwise (s. 4.1 f) [3]
- Setbacks
- Accessory buildings at least 1.2 m from the rear lot line and from an interior side lot line (0.6 m where the main building's minimum side yard is under 1.2 m) (s. 4.1 d, e) [3]
- Parking
- Town guidance: 2 parking spaces for the main detached dwelling plus one space for each accessory dwelling unit; a tandem space may be permitted (s. 6.3.1 c) [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][4][5]
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 · Arnprior’s term: “single-detached dwelling”
The R1 and R3 zones set a minimum dwelling area of 75 m² for a single-detached dwelling.
- Minimum dwelling size
- Single-detached dwelling: 75 m² minimum dwelling area in the R1 (Table 6.5) and R3 (Table 6.7) zones [3]
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][6][7][8][9][10][11]
Tiny home on wheels or park model
Living full-time in a tiny home on wheels or a park model home.
Not allowed · Arnprior’s term: “trailer / tent / motor vehicle”
Section 4.13 a) prohibits using any tent, trailer or motor vehicle for human habitation except in a campground, trailer park or mobile home park expressly permitted by the by-law, and the 2021 consolidation contains no zone that permits such parks. A garden suite is defined but not listed as a permitted use in any zone, so it would require a temporary use by-law.
- Temporary garden suite
- 'Garden suite' is defined as a portable detached unit ancillary to an existing residential structure and is subject to accessory building provisions (s. 6.3.2), but it is not a listed permitted use in any zone; temporary uses are set out by site-specific temporary use by-law under s. 39 of the Planning Act (Part 11.0) [3]
- Approvals
- Use of any tent, trailer or motor vehicle for human habitation is prohibited except in a campground, trailer park or mobile home park expressly permitted by the by-law (s. 4.13 a) [3]
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. [11][6][2][8][7]
Bunkie or sleeping cabin
A small sleeping building with no kitchen, usually beside a cottage or house.
Not allowed · Arnprior’s term: “accessory building”
Sections 4.1 b) and 4.13 b) prohibit using an accessory building or structure for human habitation unless expressly permitted, and the by-law has no sleeping cabin provision. Arnprior has no rural or waterfront residential zones.
- Approvals
- No accessory building or structure can be used for human habitation unless expressly permitted by the by-law (s. 4.1 b, s. 4.13 b) [3]
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. [8][6][2][12]
Official links
Last confirmed October 2026.
Notes and caveats
Sources
- Arnprior’s guide to additional units
- Planning Act (Ontario e-Laws)
- Zoning By-law 6875-18
- O. Reg. 299/19: Additional residential units (Ontario e-Laws)
- Development Charges Act, 1997 (Ontario e-Laws)
- Government of Ontario PDF
- Build or buy a tiny home: Building Code requirements (Government of Ontario)
- Building Code Act, 1992 (Ontario e-Laws)
- O. Reg. 163/24: Ontario Building Code (Ontario e-Laws)
- 2024 Ontario Building Code (Government of Ontario)
- Build or buy a tiny home: permits and inspections (Government of Ontario)
- Building Code updates (Government of Ontario)
Not legal advice
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