Brantford zoning for small homes
City of Brantford, a single-tier municipality. Population 104,688 (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 · Brantford’s term: “additional dwelling unit in a detached accessory structure”
An additional dwelling unit is permitted in a detached accessory structure on lots with single detached, semi-detached, street townhouse or block townhouse dwellings, with a maximum of three dwelling units per lot. The unit follows the accessory structure rules and the zone rules for the principal use. [1]
- Maximum height
- Flat roof 3.5 m; pitched roof 4.5 m (accessory structures in Residential and Mixed Use zones); 6.0 m for residential accessory buildings in Agricultural zones [2]
- Maximum size
- No floor area cap in Section 3.2; on lots with municipal water and wastewater, a detached ADU is subject to the zone's lot coverage instead of the 10% accessory structure limit [2]
- Setbacks
- Rear or interior side yard only; 0.6 m from interior or rear lot line where the wall has no doors or windows; a door to the unit may not face an interior side or rear yard with a setback under 1.2 m; 3.0 m from a street line [2]
- Number allowed
- Maximum three dwelling units per lot [2]
- Parking
- 1.0 space per unit (with two spaces for the first unit, then 1.0 per unit after the first two units in a dwelling) [2]
- Where allowed
- 1.2 m wide unobstructed path required from the front or exterior side lot line to the unit's door; not in the Core Natural Zone [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 · Brantford’s term: “single detached dwelling”
The general residential and agricultural zone provisions of By-law 124-2024 set no minimum dwelling floor area. Only some site-specific exceptions set one. [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.
Not allowed · Brantford’s term: “trailer / recreational vehicle / mobile home dwelling”
Using any tent, trailer, recreational vehicle or motor vehicle for human habitation is prohibited in all zones except in an expressly permitted campground, trailer park or mobile home park. No zone in the by-law permits a mobile home park or trailer park, and privately owned trailer camps are prohibited.
- Where allowed
- Mobile home dwelling "shall only be located in a mobile home park"; campgrounds (permitted in the Open Space zone) are for temporary seasonal use only, exclude mobile home dwellings and may not be occupied year-round [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 addressed
The by-law does not address sleeping cabins or bunkies. General accessory structure rules apply, e.g. in Agricultural zones a 6.0 m height limit, 4.5 m setbacks and 10% total lot coverage. [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
Sources
- Brantford’s guide to additional units
- Comprehensive Zoning By-law 124-2024
- Planning Act (Ontario e-Laws)
- 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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