Elizabethtown-Kitley zoning for small homes

Township of Elizabethtown-Kitley, in the United Counties of Leeds and Grenville. Population 9,545 (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 · Elizabethtown-Kitley’s term: “second dwelling”

Where a single, semi-detached or townhouse dwelling is permitted, one second dwelling (a detached accessory building with its own kitchen and bathroom) or one second dwelling unit, but not both, is permitted on a lot that abuts an improved (public, year-round maintained) street. It must share the main dwelling's water, sewage system and driveway and meet size, height and separation limits. [1]

Maximum size: 65% of the floor area of the principal dwelling, to a maximum of 80 m² (861 sq ft) in R1, R2 and RE zones and 95 m² (1,022 sq ft) in RU and AG zones [2]
Maximum height: 7.5 m for a new second dwelling [2]
Separation from house: No more than 5 m from the principal dwelling in R1, R2 and RE zones; no more than 9 m in RU and AG zones [2]
Servicing: Connected to the same water supply and sewage disposal system as the principal dwelling; septic system approval needed before a building permit [2]
Parking: At least one parking space in addition to the principal dwelling's requirement; must share the driveway entrance [2]
Number allowed: One second dwelling or one second dwelling unit, but not both [2]
Setbacks: A new building used as a second dwelling must meet all provisions for the principal dwelling in the zone [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 · Elizabethtown-Kitley’s term: “tiny house”

Section 3.31 permits a tiny house as a single dwelling in all zones where a residential use is a permitted principal use, except the Estate Residential (RE) zone, if it has sewage system approval and meets the zone standards and the Building Code. The R1 and Rural (RU) zones set no minimum dwelling floor area; the RE zone sets 140 m².

Minimum dwelling size: None in R1, R2, RLS or RU zones; 140 m² minimum dwelling unit floor area in the Estate Residential (RE) zone [2]
Where allowed: Tiny house permitted as a single dwelling in all zones where residential is a permitted principal use, except RE [2]
Minimum lot size: 0.4 ha and 45 m frontage in R1 and RU zones (non-livestock uses) [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 · Elizabethtown-Kitley’s term: “mobile home / travel trailer / recreational vehicle”

Recreational vehicles, travel trailers and tent trailers may not be used as dwellings except in a campground or temporarily while a dwelling is being built on the lot. CSA Z240 mobile homes are listed as a permitted use in the Mobile Home Park Residential (RMH) zone; a garden suite is defined as a portable detached dwelling allowed only through a temporary use by-law.

Where allowed: Mobile homes in the Mobile Home Park Residential (RMH) zone; RVs and travel trailers only in a campground [2]
Temporary garden suite: Garden suite defined as a portable detached dwelling on the same lot as the principal dwelling for which a temporary use by-law has been adopted under the Planning Act [2]
Approvals: A travel trailer, tent trailer or RV may be occupied during construction of a dwelling if a building permit is in force and it has a temporary sewage connection, for no more than one year from permit issuance [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.

Not allowed · Elizabethtown-Kitley’s term: “sleeping cabin”

Accessory buildings may not be used for human habitation except as specifically permitted elsewhere in the by-law, and no provision permits a sleeping cabin; the by-law mentions sleeping cabins only as habitable floor area counted in the floor space index for waterfront lots.

Maximum height: 5.0 m for accessory buildings in Residential zones [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. [8][6][3][12]

Official links

Last confirmed October 2026.

Notes and caveats

The Township's site has moved to ektwp.ca (the old elizabethtown-kitley.on.ca domain has a mismatched TLS certificate). Read the October 2022 office consolidation of By-law 13-21 linked from https://www.ektwp.ca/business-and-development/planning/zoning-information/. The consolidation predates the 2022-2024 provincial additional residential unit changes (Planning Act s.35.1 may allow more units than s.3.21 on serviced lots); no later Township ARU amendment was found on the site. A Minister's Zoning Order (Zoning Order 004-2026, February 2026) applies to 3826 County Road 6 only. The bunkie answer rests on s.3.1.1 (no habitation of accessory buildings) and should be confirmed with the Planning Department if relied on.

Sources

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