Dutton/Dunwich zoning for small homes

Municipality of Dutton/Dunwich, in the County of Elgin. Population 4,152 (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 with limits · Dutton/Dunwich’s term: “additional residential unit (ARU) in an accessory building”

Section 4.53 permits one additional residential unit in an accessory building (plus one in the main dwelling) with a single detached, semi-detached or rowhouse dwelling, in the zones that list ARUs as a permitted use. The unit is capped at a share of the main dwelling's floor area and must be connected to appropriate sewage and water services. An interim control by-law (By-law 2025-18, reported extended in 2026) temporarily restricts development on Dutton's sewer-serviced lands; check with the Municipality before planning a unit there.

Maximum size: 50% of the gross floor area of the primary dwelling on urban residential and Hamlet lands; 60% on non-urban residential land (s. 4.53) [1]
Number allowed: Maximum 3 dwelling units per parcel: two ARUs in the main building, or one in the main dwelling and one in an accessory building (s. 4.53) [1]
Maximum height: Accessory buildings (s. 4.2 applies to ARUs in accessory structures): 6.0 m and no more than two storeys, except in the agricultural zone (s. 4.2(g)) [1]
Setbacks: Accessory buildings outside the agricultural zone: not in front or exterior side yard; at least 1.0 m from side and rear lot lines (s. 4.2) [1]
Separation from house: Accessory buildings shall not be built within 2.0 m of the main building (s. 4.2(h)) [1]
Servicing: Shall be connected to appropriate sewage and water services (s. 4.53) [1]
Parking: 1 space for the first ARU and none for the second or third, per Section 4.28 parking table [1]
Where allowed: Listed as a permitted use in the A1, A3, RR, RS, HR, VR1 and VR2 zones; not permitted in floodplain/hazard lands, on lots with a garden suite, boarding or lodging house, or on lots with legal non-conforming uses without a zoning amendment (s. 4.53); in non-urban areas must be in close proximity to the main building and meet MDS [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 with limits · Dutton/Dunwich’s term: “single detached dwelling”

The zone tables set a minimum floor area for a single detached dwelling of 90 m² in the agricultural, rural residential and hamlet zones and 80 m² in the village residential zones.

Minimum dwelling size: 90 m² for a single detached dwelling in the A1, A2, A3, RR, RS, LSR and HR zones; 80 m² in the VR1 and VR2 zones (RR-2 exception: 70 m²) [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 · Dutton/Dunwich’s term: “mobile home / park model trailer / travel trailer”

Section 4.9.1(b) prohibits using a mobile home for residential purposes on a temporary or permanent basis unless otherwise provided, and travel trailers and motor homes may be lived in for no more than 60 days in any 10 months outside a licensed campground. Mobile home parks are a permitted use in the Lakeshore Recreation (LR) zone, and a mobile home or park model home for a family member can be allowed through a site-specific Temporary (T4) zone.

Where allowed: Mobile home parks permitted in the Lakeshore Recreation (LR) zone (s. 25.1.1) [1]
Temporary garden suite: T4 Temporary zone: one mobile home or park model home for a family member, including a Planning Act 'Garden Suite', by site-specific zoning by-law amendment (s. 28.1.1) [1]
Approvals: Travel trailer, truck camper or motor home: living use limited to 60 days in any 10 consecutive months unless in a campground licensed by the Municipality (s. 4.16.2); mobile home may be a temporary dwelling during construction for up to 90 days after occupancy with an agreement (s. 4.8) [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.

Not allowed

Section 4.2(a) says no accessory building shall be used for human habitation except where a dwelling unit is a permitted accessory use, and the by-law has no separate sleeping cabin provision. A detached sleeping space would need to meet the additional residential unit rules, which define an ARU as a self-contained unit with a kitchen.

Approvals: Accessory buildings shall not be used for human habitation except where a dwelling unit is a permitted accessory use (s. 4.2(a)) [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 September 26, 2024 office consolidation of By-law 2022-50; amendments after that date were not checked. Interim Control By-law 2025-18 (March 12, 2025) covers wastewater-serviced lands within the Dutton boundary. Per a search-engine summary of municipal pages, it was extended by By-law 2026-11 (passed Feb 25, 2026, 12 months). New development applications to be serviced by the Dutton WWTP are not accepted while it is in force, which may affect ARUs and new dwellings in the Dutton urban area. The extension's own text was not read: the notice PDF URLs returned 404. The Feb 6, 2026 public meeting notice confirms the proposed extension: https://www.duttondunwich.on.ca/your-government/news/post/notice-of-public-meeting-concerning-a-proposed-extension-of-an-interim-control-by-law-by-the-corporation-of-the-municipality-of-dutton-dunwich . The by-law's 'garden suite' definition and the T zone apply to temporary portable units; s. 4.53 prohibits an ARU on a lot containing a garden suite.

Sources

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