Dorion zoning for small homes

Township of Dorion, a single-tier municipality. Population 375 (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 · Dorion’s term: “secondary suite (detached)”

One detached secondary suite is permitted on a lot with a single detached, semi-detached or duplex dwelling in the Hamlet Residential (HR) and Rural (RU) zones. It is capped at 40% of the main dwelling's floor area and must use the existing private septic and water systems. [1]

Where allowed: Residential Zone (R1), Settlement/Hamlet Residential Zone (HR) and Rural Zone (RU) (s.4.40); listed as an accessory use in the HR and RU zones (ss.6.1, 7.1); not listed in the Seasonal Residential (SR) zone [2]
Number allowed: One secondary suite (detached) per lot, only on lots with no secondary suite (attached) (s.4.40(a)-(b)) [2]
Maximum size: Gross floor area not more than 40% of the gross floor area of the dwelling on the same lot (s.4.40(e)) [2]
Setbacks: Not in the front yard or exterior side yard (s.4.40(f)); must meet all zone requirements (s.4.40(g)) [2]
Servicing: Must demonstrate that the existing private sewage system and potable water supply can support the suite, and must use them (s.4.40(h)) [2]
Parking: 1 additional space per suite (s.4.29 parking table) [2]
Temporary garden suite: Garden suite is listed as an accessory use in the RU zone and defined as a temporary free-standing unit no larger than the existing living area of the primary residence, 'to be addressed as a temporary zoning amendment' (ss.2.86, 7.1(p)) [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 · Dorion’s term: “single detached dwelling / tiny dwelling”

No minimum dwelling floor area was found for single detached dwellings in the SR, HR or RU zones. 'Tiny dwelling' is a listed permitted use in those zones, subject to a foundation, Building Code compliance and approved private services.

Minimum dwelling size: None stated for single detached dwellings in the SR, HR or RU zone regulations (ss.5, 6, 7) [2]
Where allowed: Tiny dwelling permitted in Seasonal Residential (SR), Hamlet Residential (HR) and Rural (RU) zones (ss.4.48, 5.1(c), 6.1(d), 7.1(n)) [2]
Minimum lot size: SR and HR: 1.0 ha; RU: 4.0 ha, or 1.0 ha on water (ss.5.2, 6.2, 7.2) [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 · Dorion’s term: “tiny dwelling”

A 'tiny dwelling' (a year-round unit built on a towable trailer chassis) is permitted in the SR, HR and RU zones if placed on a foundation with skirting, compliant with the Building Code and on approved private services. Recreational vehicles may not be used as a year-round or principal residence. New mobile homes are not permitted as dwellings in residential zones, and new mobile home parks are not allowed.

Where allowed: Tiny dwelling: SR, HR and RU zones; must be placed on a foundation with solid skirting finished like the house exterior, conform to the Ontario Building Code, and be on an approved private sewage system and water supply (s.4.48) [2]
Temporary garden suite: Garden suite defined as a temporary free-standing unit addressed by temporary zoning amendment; listed as an accessory use in RU (ss.2.86, 7.1(p)) [2]
Approvals: RVs not used for permanent occupancy as a year-round residence and occupied only March 31 – October 31 (s.4.34); RV as a principal residence prohibited in all zones (s.4.52(l)), except up to one year during construction of a dwelling, with a temporary use by-law needed beyond one year (s.4.47) [2]
Approvals: No new mobile homes permitted as a dwelling in any residential zone; new mobile home parks not allowed (s.4.22) [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.

We haven’t researched Dorion’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. [8][6][12][3]

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)) [8]
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)) [6]
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)) [8]
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)) [3]

Official links

Last confirmed October 2026.

Notes and caveats

Read the by-law as passed, April 2022 (no consolidation; post-2022 amendments not checked). Sections 4.39, 4.40 and 4.48 refer to a 'Residential Zone (R1)', but the by-law has no R1 zone section; its residential zones are SR, HR and RU. Bunkie was omitted. The by-law defines a 'guest house' (sleeping only, no cooking or washroom, accessory to a dwelling, s.2.91), but no zone lists it as a permitted use. Section 4.1(a) says accessory buildings shall not be used for human habitation except where a residential use is a permitted accessory use. However, the accessory-use lists say 'including but not limited to', so whether a guest house is permitted is unclear without the Township's interpretation. Section 4.23 allows rail and sea storage containers to be converted to habitable dwellings.

Sources

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