Cramahe zoning for small homes

Township of Cramahe, in the County of Northumberland. Population 6,509 (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 · Cramahe’s term: “additional residential unit (in an accessory building)”

An additional residential unit is permitted in an accessory building in the A, RU, RR, R1, R2 and SR zones, but not on a lot on a private road or unmaintained road allowance or in a floodplain. Amending By-law 2024-27 caps its size and its distance from the main dwelling. [1]

Where allowed: Agricultural (A), Rural (RU), Rural Residential (RR), Residential 1 (R1), Residential 2 (R2) and Shoreline Residential (SR) zones; not on a lot on a private road or unmaintained municipal road allowance, and not in a floodplain (s. 4.39.1) [2]
Maximum size: Less than the gross floor area of the principal residential unit, to a maximum of 139 m² (1,500 sq ft); no minimum floor area provided the unit meets the Ontario Building Code and Fire Code (s. 4.39.6 as amended by By-law 2024-27) [3]
Maximum height: 5.0 m; up to 7 m where the unit is in the second storey of an accessory building, subject to the minimum yard requirements for a dwelling in the zone (s. 4.39.2) [2]
Separation from house: Minimum 3.0 m (9.84 ft) from the primary dwelling (s. 4.39.2); no further than 50 m from the principal dwelling, or up to 75 m by minor variance (By-law 2024-27) [3]
Number allowed: Urban: three units per lot (the primary unit plus two additional units), with at most one in an accessory building. Non-urban: a maximum of two units per lot, one in the primary residence and one in an accessory building (s. 4.39.10, By-law 2024-27) [3]
Parking: Minimum of 1 parking space per additional residential unit, in addition to parking for the main dwelling (s. 4.39.8); a second driveway entrance for the unit is not permitted (s. 4.39.7) [2]
Setbacks: Accessory building located per s. 4.2.7; in the RU and A zones an additional residential unit in an accessory building may be in the front yard subject to the zone's minimum front yard (s. 4.39.2) [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. [4][5][6]

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 with limits · Cramahe’s term: “single detached dwelling”

The main residential and rural zones set a minimum dwelling floor area for a single detached dwelling, generally 92.9 m² (1,000 sq ft), or 85.0 m² in the Shoreline Residential zone.

Minimum dwelling size: 92.9 m² (1,000.0 ft²) minimum dwelling floor area in the Rural (RU, s. 5.2.7), Agricultural (A, s. 6.2.7), Rural Residential (RR, s. 7.2.7), Residential 1 (R1, s. 8.2.7) and Residential 2 (R2, single detached, s. 9.2.7) zones; 85.0 m² (914.96 ft²) in the Shoreline Residential (SR) zone (s. 12.2.8); 140.0 m² in the Estate Residential (ER) zone (s. 11.2.7) [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. [4][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 · Cramahe’s term: “mobile home / tourist trailer / park model trailer”

The by-law prohibits any mobile home, mobile home site or mobile home park, and the use of tents and trailers for human habitation, except as specifically provided; the zone list has no mobile home park zone. A mobile home or tourist trailer may be lived in for up to six months while a dwelling is built under a building permit, and one site-specific Rural-4 zone allows a mobile home as a farm-related accessory dwelling.

Where allowed: No mobile home park zone is listed. Prohibited in any zone except as specifically provided: any mobile home, rented mobile home site or mobile home park, and the use of tents and trailers for human habitation (s. 4.25(c)-(d)). A 'dwelling' excludes a tent, tourist trailer, park model trailer, camper and mobile home (s. 3.64) [2]
Approvals: Where a building permit has been issued for a dwelling, a mobile home or tourist trailer may be used for temporary habitation for no more than six months from issuance of the permit, or until construction is complete or the permit has expired or been revoked, whichever is less (s. 4.7) [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. [12][7][4][9][8]

Bunkie or sleeping cabin

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

We haven’t researched Cramahe’s by-law for this yet.

What applies everywhere in Ontario

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][13][4]

Permit threshold (Building Code Act): A 'building' includes any structure occupying more than 10 m², and any structure of 10 m² or less that contains plumbing. No one may build a building without a permit. (Building Code Act s. 1(1), definition of 'building'; s. 8(1)) [9]
15 m² shed exemption: A shed is exempt from a permit and from the Code if it is 15 m² or less in gross area, one storey, detached from any other structure, used only for storage ancillary to a principal building on the lot, and has no plumbing. Because of the storage-only condition, the exemption does not cover a bunkie used for sleeping. In effect April 29, 2022 (O. Reg. 451/22) and carried into the 2024 Code. (2024 Building Code, Div. C, Sentence 1.3.1.1.(6)) [7]
Plumbing: A structure of any size that contains plumbing is a 'building' and needs a permit. (Building Code Act s. 1(1), definition of 'building', clause (b)) [9]
Provincial accessory sleeping-structure rule: No provincial statute or regulation specifically regulates bunkies or accessory sleeping cabins. Whether they are allowed is up to the municipal zoning by-law. (Planning Act s. 34(1)) [4]

Official links

Last confirmed October 2026.

Notes and caveats

The online consolidation is dated June 2021 and does not include later amendments. ARU amending By-law BL-2024-27 (passed 30 April 2024, in effect 1 May 2024) was read from the township's by-law page; it is a scanned PDF, so it was read from page images rather than extracted text. It replaces the per-lot count (former s. 4.39.3) with urban/non-urban rules, adds the 139 m² cap and the 50 m distance (75 m by minor variance), and says ARUs are prohibited on lots with a boarding/rooming house, group home, garden suite or bed and breakfast. It also repeals By-law BL-2021-30, which was not reviewed. Other amendments after June 2021 were not checked. Bunkie omitted: the by-law defines 'CABIN, PRIVATE' (s. 3.34: detached accessory sleeping building, no cooking facilities), but no zone or general provision found in the consolidation lists it as permitted, and an 'accessory building' is defined as not used for human habitation (s. 3.2). A 'bunkhouse' (s. 3.30) is for five or more seasonal farm employees and needs a by-law amendment in RU/A zones (s. 4.2.2.17), so it is not a bunkie. The by-law has no garden suite (s. 39.1) provisions, although By-law 2024-27 refers to garden suites. Oak Ridges Moraine lands are mapped on Schedule A3 and have separate definitions (Part 3B).

Sources

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