Calvin zoning for small homes

Municipality of Calvin, a single-tier municipality. Population 557 (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 · Calvin’s term: “additional residential unit”

An additional residential unit, including one in a detached building ancillary to a house, is permitted as an accessory use to a single detached, semi-detached or row dwelling in any zone where it can be adequately serviced with an individual on-site sewage system. Up to three dwelling units are allowed in total.

Where allowed: Any zone where the additional residential unit can be adequately serviced with an individual on-site sewage system (s.4.1.2.4); listed as a permitted accessory use in the Rural (R) and Limited Service Rural (LSR) zones [1]
Number allowed: Includes a dwelling unit in a detached building ancillary to a detached, semi-detached or row house, up to three dwelling units in total (definition, 'Dwelling - Additional Residential Unit') [1]
Servicing: Must be adequately serviced with an individual on-site sewage system [1]
Maximum height: Accessory building 8 m (26.2 ft) in the Rural and LSR zones [1]
Approvals: Human habitation in an accessory building is permitted where it is converted to an additional residential unit in compliance with s.4.1.2.4 and the Ontario Building Code (s.4.23.1) [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][3][4]

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 · Calvin’s term: “tiny house or small house”

A 'tiny house or small house' (27.8 m² to 41.8 m²) is a permitted dwelling type in the Rural and Limited Service Rural zones, with a minimum gross floor area of 27.8 m². No minimum floor area is set for other single detached dwellings.

Minimum dwelling size: Minimum gross floor area of a tiny house 27.8 m² (300 sq ft) in the Rural (R) and Limited Service Rural (LSR) zones; tiny house defined as 27.8 m² to 41.8 m² (300 to 450 sq ft) [1]
Minimum lot size: 0.8 ha (1.97 ac) per dwelling, 30 m frontage (Rural and LSR residential) [1]

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][5][6][7][8][9][10]

Tiny home on wheels or park model

Living full-time in a tiny home on wheels or a park model home.

Allowed with limits · Calvin’s term: “mobile home / park model trailer / recreational vehicle”

Mobile homes are permitted dwellings in the Rural and Limited Service Rural zones, and park model trailers (defined as seasonal) in the Rural zone. A recreational vehicle may not be used as a dwelling unit or for permanent occupancy; short-term use is capped at 60 days a year on a lot with a dwelling and 90 days on a vacant lot.

Where allowed: Mobile home listed as a permitted use in the Rural (R) and Limited Service Rural (LSR) zones; park model trailer (a seasonal recreational building) in the Rural zone; one per lot [1]
Number allowed: Up to two RVs on a lot of at least 0.8 ha with a dwelling, for short-term accommodation up to 60 days a year in total; up to two RVs on a vacant lot of at least 0.8 ha for up to 90 days a year with an approved sewage system (s.4.29) [1]
Temporary garden suite: Garden suite by site-specific temporary use by-law under s.39 of the Planning Act (s.4.1.8), maximum one storey and 50% of the main dwelling's gross floor area; the garden suite definition excludes a mobile home or recreational vehicle [1]
Approvals: A recreational vehicle shall not be used as a dwelling unit or for permanent occupancy; RVs are permitted in RV parks and campgrounds (s.4.29) [1]

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. [10][5][2][7][6]

Bunkie or sleeping cabin

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

Allowed · Calvin’s term: “guest cabin”

One guest cabin (sleeping accommodation, no cooking facilities) or one loft above a detached private garage is permitted per lot as an accessory use to a dwelling.

Maximum size: 37 m² (398.3 sq ft) gross floor area (s.4.1.2.1) [1]
Number allowed: One guest cabin or one loft-above-a-garage per lot; not on a lot with a garden suite [1]
Setbacks: At least 3 m (9.84 ft) from any interior or rear lot line and from the main building [1]
Where allowed: Listed as a permitted accessory use in the Rural (R) and Limited Service Rural (LSR) zones [1]
Kitchen: No cooking facilities; may contain sanitary facilities (definition) [1]

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. [7][5][2][11]

Official links

Last confirmed October 2026.

Notes and caveats

Read the by-law consolidated with By-law 2022-056 (October 12, 2022). Later amendments are posted separately and not consolidated: 2024-67 (notice of decision, https://www.calvintownship.ca/uploads/Notice%20of%20Decision%20of%20the%20Approval%20Authority%20for%20Zoning%20Amendment%202024-67.pdf) and the November 2024 meeting notice (https://www.calvintownship.ca/uploads/Zoning.pdf). Both are scanned and were read by OCR. By-law 2024-67 (passed November 26, 2024) only removes s.4.11.2.1, the rule that building permits require frontage on a municipally maintained road or a road under a road maintenance agreement, and the related example on page 93. It does not affect the provisions used here.

Sources

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