Aurora zoning for small homes
Town of Aurora, in the Region of York. Population 62,057 (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 · Aurora’s term: “ancillary unit”
Zoning By-law 6000-17 provides only for a second suite within a detached, semi-detached or link dwelling and sets no standards for detached units. The Town's ARU Registration By-law 6660-24 allows one detached 'Ancillary Unit' (rear or interior side yard) per residential parcel, up to three units in total, citing the Planning Act changes from Bill 23. 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]
- Number allowed
- Up to three units including the principal dwelling: either one or two integrated units and no ancillary unit, or at most one integrated unit and at most one ancillary unit (By-law 6660-24, s.2.1) [3]
- Where allowed
- Ancillary unit located in the rear or interior side yard of the principal dwelling (By-law 6660-24, s.1.1(d)) [3]
- Approvals
- ARUs must be registered with the Town (By-law 6660-24, s.3.1); building permit required [3]
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 · Aurora’s term: “detached dwelling”
The R1-R8 residential and RU rural zone standards set no minimum dwelling floor area; minimums appear only in some Oak Ridges Moraine and site-specific zones. Where a building contains a second suite, each unit must be at least 35.0 m².
- Minimum dwelling size
- None in the R1-R8 or RU zone standards; 35.0 m² per unit in a building with a second suite (s.7.5.4.2); 200 m² in the Oak Ridges Moraine Natural Linkage zone (s.17.2.4) [6]
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][7][8][9][10][11][12]
Tiny home on wheels or park model
Living full-time in a tiny home on wheels or a park model home.
Not allowed · Aurora’s term: “tourist trailer / mobile home”
The by-law lists a tourist trailer park and the use of a tourist trailer or mobile home for human habitation as prohibited uses in all zones. No zone permits mobile home or trailer parks, and no temporary garden suite provision was found.
- Approvals
- 'The use of any land or Lot for the purpose of a Tourist Trailer Park or the use of a tourist trailer or mobile home for human habitation' is prohibited (s.4.17.1); stored trailers must not be used for human habitation (s.5.6.3.3) [6]
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. [12][7][2][9][8]
Bunkie or sleeping cabin
A small sleeping building with no kitchen, usually beside a cottage or house.
Not allowed · Aurora’s term: “accessory building”
Accessory buildings permitted under the by-law 'shall not be used for human habitation', and an accessory use is defined as a use other than human habitation.
- Approvals
- Accessory buildings or structures shall not be used for human habitation (s.4.1) [6]
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. [9][7][2][13]
Official links
Last confirmed October 2026.
Notes and caveats
Sources
- Aurora’s guide to additional units
- Planning Act (Ontario e-Laws)
- media-002-ca.cdn.govstack.com PDF
- O. Reg. 299/19: Additional residential units (Ontario e-Laws)
- Development Charges Act, 1997 (Ontario e-Laws)
- Comprehensive Zoning By-law 6000-17
- 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
Suggest a correction or source
Know of a by-law change, an exception or an official page we missed? Tell us. An editor checks every suggestion before the page changes.
Find help nearby
We don’t have a directory page for Aurora’s area yet. These cover all of Ontario.