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Tiny Home List

Caledon zoning for small homes

Town of Caledon, in the Region of Peel. Population 76,581 (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 · Caledon’s term: “detached additional residential unit (ARU)”

One detached ARU is permitted on a lot with a detached, linked, semi-detached or townhouse dwelling in the residential, estate/rural residential and agricultural zones, within an overall limit of 3 ARUs (Tables 6.3 and 6.4). Provincial plans (Oak Ridges Moraine, Greenbelt, Niagara Escarpment) and the Bolton Special Policy Area can further limit numbers. [1]

Number allowed
Up to 3 ARUs per lot; max 1 detached ARU (R1, R2, RT, RM, RMD, RE, RR, A1–A3); not permitted in EPA2; a detached ARU may contain 1 unit (R zones) or 2 units (RE/RR) (Tables 6.3, 6.4) [2]
Maximum size
R zones: no greater than the ground floor area of the main dwelling and max 80 m² GFA; RE/RR and A zones: same rule with max 110 m² GFA (Table 6.4) [2]
Maximum height
R zones: 4.5 m; RE/RR and A zones: no taller than the main dwelling or the zone limit, whichever is less (Table 6.4) [2]
Setbacks
R zones: 1.2 m interior side and rear; RE/RR and A zones: 3 m interior side, 4.5 m rear; any yard except the front yard (Table 6.4) [2]
Separation from house
Minimum 3 m; maximum 10 m (RE/RR) or 15 m (A zones) from the main dwelling (Table 6.4) [2]
Parking
1 space per ARU; none where the main dwelling needs none; in R1, R2, RT, RMD no space for the first ARU within 400 m of a transit stop (Table 6.3) [2]
Where allowed
Subject to the Provincial Planning Statement 2024, Oak Ridges Moraine, Greenbelt, Niagara Escarpment plans and Bolton Special Policy Area, which prevail in a conflict (s.6.4.2); must meet MDS (s.6.4.3) [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 · Caledon’s term: “detached dwelling”

No minimum dwelling floor area was found in the residential (Section 6) or agricultural and rural (Section 10) zone standards. [6]

Minimum dwelling size
No minimum dwelling floor area in Section 6 (Residential) or Section 10 (Agricultural and Rural) zone standards [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][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 · Caledon’s term: “mobile home / tourist trailer”

Mobile homes may only be used in a permitted mobile home park, and tourist trailers only in a permitted tourist camp; no zone in the sections reviewed lists a mobile home park. Trailers stored on residential, rural or EPA lots may not be used for sleeping or any residential use. [13]

Where allowed
No mobile home except in a permitted mobile home park (s.4.39.2); no tourist trailer except in a permitted tourist camp (s.4.39.1) [14]
Temporary garden suite
Temporary use zones (Section 13.4) list past site-specific 'Temporary Garden Suite' permissions, all shown as expired [15]
Approvals
A stored utility trailer, tourist trailer, tourist vehicle or school bus shall not be used for sleeping, eating, gathering or any residential use (s.4.38.2) [14]

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][3][9][8]

Bunkie or sleeping cabin

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

Not addressed · Caledon’s term: “accessory building”

The by-law does not define or regulate bunkies or sleeping cabins. General accessory building limits apply (max 4.5 m height, 6 m in RE; all accessory buildings max 5% of lot area). A 'bunkhouse' is a seasonal farm-worker building, and a 'guest house' appears only in site-specific exceptions. [13][6]

Maximum height
Accessory buildings: 4.5 m; 6 m in the RE zone (s.4.2.2(c)) [14]
Maximum size
Total building area of all accessory buildings max 5% of lot area and within the zone's maximum building area (s.4.2.2(b)) [14]

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][3][16]

Official links

Last confirmed October 2026.

Notes and caveats

The by-law is posted as separate section PDFs with different revision dates. Sections 3, 4, 6 and 10 (used here) say 'Revised: November 25, 2025'; other sections range from 2022 to May 14, 2026. ARU rules are now in Section 6.4, though the Town's housing page still points to Section 4. The housing page says four units are permitted as of right town-wide and mentions pre-approved detached ARU plans. Other by-laws (87-229, 87-250, 88-083) and Minister's Zoning Orders cover specific lands and were not reviewed. A new comprehensive zoning by-law is in early stages (first draft Nov 2026–Jun 2027; final expected late 2027 per haveyoursaycaledon.ca/caledonzoning).

Sources

  1. Caledon’s guide to additional units
  2. Town of Caledon PDF (caledon.ca)
  3. Planning Act (Ontario e-Laws)
  4. O. Reg. 299/19: Additional residential units (Ontario e-Laws)
  5. Development Charges Act, 1997 (Ontario e-Laws)
  6. Town of Caledon PDF (caledon.ca)
  7. Government of Ontario PDF
  8. Build or buy a tiny home: Building Code requirements (Government of Ontario)
  9. Building Code Act, 1992 (Ontario e-Laws)
  10. O. Reg. 163/24: Ontario Building Code (Ontario e-Laws)
  11. 2024 Ontario Building Code (Government of Ontario)
  12. Build or buy a tiny home: permits and inspections (Government of Ontario)
  13. Town of Caledon PDF (caledon.ca)
  14. Town of Caledon PDF (caledon.ca)
  15. Town of Caledon PDF (caledon.ca)
  16. Building Code updates (Government of Ontario)

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