Belleville zoning for small homes

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 · Belleville’s term: “detached accessory dwelling unit”

Accessory dwelling units, including one detached accessory building containing ADUs, are permitted with a one-unit dwelling; up to 3 ADUs on full municipal services in a residential zone, or 1 ADU on private or partial services or in a non-residential zone. Each ADU is capped at 100 m² and cannot exceed the main dwelling's floor area. [1]

Number allowed: One-unit dwelling on full municipal services in a residential zone: max. 3 ADUs; on private/partial services or in a non-residential zone: max. 1; only one detached accessory building may contain ADUs (s.16.13, Table 15-1) [2]
Maximum size: 100 m² each, and total combined GFA not to exceed the GFA of the main dwelling unit; max. 2 bedrooms per ADU (Table 15-1) [2]
Maximum height: Accessory buildings: 4.5 m in most zones; 6.0 m in Rural Residential; 10.0 m in Rural and Agriculture (s.16.1(3)) [2]
Setbacks: Accessory building interior side/rear yard: 1.0 m in most zones, 3.0 m in Rural and Rural Residential, 7.5 m in Agriculture (s.16.1(2)); 1.0 m from main building (s.16.1(4)) [2]
Separation from house: Detached ADU no more than 45.0 m from the main dwelling (s.16.13(12)) [2]
Approvals: Lot must front on an open maintained public street; 1.2 m wide access to the street; detached ADU max. 40% coverage of the yard it is in; not in natural hazard areas; no future severance (s.16.13) [2]

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. [3][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 · Belleville’s term: “one-unit detached dwelling”

No minimum dwelling unit floor area was found for one-unit detached dwellings; the by-law's minimum dwelling unit areas apply only to multi-unit dwellings in specific exception zones.

Minimum dwelling size: None found for one-unit detached dwellings; a 55 m² minimum applies to multi-unit dwellings in a specific exception [2]

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. [3][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.

Allowed with limits · Belleville’s term: “mobile home dwelling”

Recreational vehicles and trailers may not be used for human habitation at any time. CSA-certified mobile home dwellings are permitted only in the Residential Mobile Home (RMH) zone.

Where allowed: RMH zone: 'Mobile home dwelling certified by the Canadian Standards Association' (s.3.5) [2]
Minimum lot size: RMH: 0.4 ha or 372.0 m² per mobile home dwelling, whichever is greater; max. height 5.4 m (Table 3-7) [2]
Approvals: 'Recreational vehicles, trailers, or boats shall not be used for human habitation purposes at any time' (parking provisions, subsection (6)) [2]

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][3][8][7]

Bunkie or sleeping cabin

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

Not allowed · Belleville’s term: “accessory building”

Except as specifically stated elsewhere in the by-law, the use of any accessory building for human habitation is not permitted; no separate provision for sleeping cabins was found.

Kitchen: Not applicable: accessory buildings may not be used for human habitation except as specifically permitted (s.16.1(4)(h)) [2]

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][3][12]

Official links

Last confirmed October 2026.

Notes and caveats

Consolidated version's amendment ledger runs to By-law 2026-089 (clerk certificate August 19, 2026). The document states By-law 2024-100 came into effect March 11, 2024 (the inventory said 2024-04-03). No dedicated ARU guide found.

Sources

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Belleville zoning for small homes

Backyard suite

Ontario-wide rule

Tiny home on a foundation

Ontario-wide rule

Tiny home on wheels or park model

Ontario-wide rule

Bunkie or sleeping cabin

Ontario-wide rule

Official links

Sources

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