East Gwillimbury zoning for small homes

Town of East Gwillimbury, in the Region of York. Population 34,637 (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 · East Gwillimbury’s term: “coach house; garden suite (temporary)”

A detached unit is permitted as of right only as a coach house, which must be on the second storey above a detached garage on a townhouse lot with rear lane access and is listed only in the R4, R5, R6, MU1 and MU7 zones. Elsewhere, a garden suite requires a Temporary Use By-law, and accessory apartments are permitted only within the main dwelling. Ontario's Planning Act (s. 35.1) overrides zoning provisions that would prohibit one unit in a building ancillary to a house on serviced urban land. [1]

Where allowed: Coach house permitted in R4, R5, R6 (Table 7A) and MU1, MU7 (Table 6A); living area entirely on the second storey above a detached private garage on a townhouse dwelling lot with rear lane access (s. 4.2.3 a) [2]
Maximum height: Coach house 7 m (s. 4.2.3 c); garden suite the lesser of 4.6 m or one storey (s. 4.29.4 i) [2]
Setbacks: Coach house at least 1.0 m from rear and interior side lot lines (s. 4.2.3 b) [2]
Servicing: Coach house lot must be serviced by municipal water and wastewater (s. 4.2.3 d) [2]
Number allowed: An accessory apartment is not permitted on a lot with a garden suite or coach house (s. 4.1 b); otherwise no more than one dwelling unit per lot unless specifically permitted (s. 4.19) [2]
Temporary garden suite: s. 4.29.4: permitted by Temporary Use By-law; max floor area 65% of the main building's gross floor area; at least 2.5 m from rear lot line, 1.2 m from other buildings; same driveway as main building; on unserviced lots minimum lot size 0.8 ha [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. [1][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 · East Gwillimbury’s term: “single-detached dwelling”

The residential (RPS, R1, ER, HR) and Rural (RU) zone standards set lot, yard, coverage and height limits but no minimum dwelling floor area.

Minimum dwelling size: None set in Tables 7B/7C (residential) or the RU zone provisions [2]
Minimum lot size: R1: 450 m²; RPS: 695 m² with municipal water, 1,300 m² with no municipal water or sewer; ER: 0.6 ha [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. [1][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.

Not allowed · East Gwillimbury’s term: “trailer / recreational vehicle / mobile home”

Use of any tent, trailer, recreational vehicle or motor vehicle for human habitation is prohibited except in a campground, trailer park or mobile home park expressly permitted by the by-law; the only such use listed is a campground in the OS2 zone, which is defined as temporary or seasonal. A garden suite may be permitted by Temporary Use By-law.

Where allowed: s. 4.31 a): prohibited except in a campground, trailer park or mobile home park expressly permitted; campground permitted in OS2 (Table 12A) and defined as parking of RVs or tents "on a temporary or seasonal basis" [2]
Temporary garden suite: s. 4.29.4: a garden suite may be permitted by way of a Temporary Use By-law [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. [10][5][1][7][6]

Bunkie or sleeping cabin

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

Not allowed · East Gwillimbury’s term: “accessory building”

No accessory building or structure may be used for human habitation unless expressly permitted by the by-law, and the by-law contains no provision for sleeping cabins or bunkies.

Maximum height: Accessory buildings 4.5 m (11.0 m in RU and Oak Ridges Moraine zones) (s. 4.2.2 f, g) [2]
Number allowed: No more than three detached accessory buildings or structures on a lot in any Residential Zone (s. 4.2.2 j) [2]

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][1][11]

Official links

Last confirmed October 2026.

Notes and caveats

Cover of the PDF is dated 2025 04 29 but page footers read 'Office Consolidation – July 2024'. The consolidation contains no general provision for detached additional residential units in single-detached residential or rural zones (accessory apartments are defined as contained within the dwelling); no ARU-specific zoning amendment was found on the Town site or by search, so whether one exists after April 2025 is unconfirmed. A zoning by-law conformity update is in progress (https://www.eastgwillimbury.ca/en/government/zoning-by-law-conformity-update.aspx). Maps are a separate PDF (Oct 2020).

Sources

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