Gananoque zoning for small homes

Town of Gananoque, a single-tier municipality. Population 5,383 (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 · Gananoque’s term: “additional residential unit (ARU) in a detached accessory building”

Since By-law 2025-025 (passed April 1, 2025), one additional residential unit is permitted in a detached accessory building, for up to three units on a lot. It needs a Class I development permit issued by the Manager of Planning and Development, and must be serviced independently of the main dwelling. [1][2]

Number allowed: Maximum of two ARUs (three units total): one within the primary dwelling building and one in a detached accessory building (s. 3.40 as replaced by By-law 2025-025) [3]
Maximum size: May not exceed the maximum accessory building floor area or accessory lot coverage for the zone (s. 3.40); in a residential designation, accessory buildings may not exceed 100 m2 (1,076 sq ft) of gross floor area and accessory uses 10% lot coverage (s. 3.1, 2010 text) [4]
Maximum height: 7.5 m (24.6 ft) and not higher than the primary dwelling, unless the lot abuts a commercial or employment designation (s. 3.40) [3]
Setbacks: Not in the front yard, in front of the primary dwelling, or in the required exterior side yard; 1.2 m (3.9 ft) from other setbacks or structures; 4.5 m exterior side yard to an alley (6.0 m where a garage door faces the alley) (s. 3.40) [3]
Servicing: Requires connection to municipal water and sanitary sewer (private servicing may be accepted if shown satisfactory); a unit in an accessory structure must be serviced independently of the primary dwelling (s. 3.40) [3]
Parking: One parking space per ARU, not tandem, in addition to the principal dwelling's parking (s. 3.40, s. 3.32) [3]
Where allowed: Not permitted in the Environmental Constraint Area, flooding and erosion hazard limits, or on lots used for short-term accommodation, bed and breakfast or heritage tourist inn (s. 3.40) [3]
Approvals: Class I development permit approved by the Manager of Planning & Development; property posted for at least five calendar days (s. 2.19 as amended) [3]

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. [5][6][7]

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 · Gananoque’s term: “single detached dwelling”

The Residential and Rural designation provisions of the 2010 Development Permit By-law set lot, yard and height standards but no minimum dwelling floor area; a floor area per dwelling (150 m2) appears only in a site-specific exception (ER-X3).

Minimum dwelling size: None in the general Residential (Section 5) or Rural (Section 10.2) provisions; only site-specific exception ER-X3 sets 150 m2 per dwelling [8]
Minimum lot size: Rural designation: 1 hectare (2.4 acres) and 60 m frontage (s. 10.2) [9]

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. [5][10][11][12][13][14][15]

Tiny home on wheels or park model

Living full-time in a tiny home on wheels or a park model home.

Not allowed · Gananoque’s term: “mobile home / park model trailer / recreational vehicle”

Human habitation is not permitted in any truck, bus, recreational vehicle, coach or streetcar body, whether or not on wheels. Mobile homes and park model trailers are defined but not listed as a permitted use in the Residential or Rural designations, and the by-law has no mobile home park designation or garden suite provision. [8][9]

Where allowed: Mobile home and park model trailer are defined (Section 15) but not listed as permitted uses in the Residential (Section 5) or Rural (Section 10) designations [16]
Approvals: Human habitation not permitted in any truck, bus, recreational vehicle, coach or streetcar body whether or not mounted on wheels, or in a houseboat (s. 3.30 as replaced by By-law 2025-025) [3]

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. [15][10][5][12][11]

Bunkie or sleeping cabin

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

Not allowed · Gananoque’s term: “accessory building”

An accessory building may not be used for human habitation unless it is a specifically listed permitted use or a permitted additional residential unit. The by-law has no sleeping cabin provision; separately, a boathouse may be used for habitation if it meets the Waterfront Overlay (Section 13) and underlying designation requirements. [4]

Maximum height: Accessory buildings: 4.5 m (14.8 ft) in residential designations (s. 3.1 as amended) [3]
Approvals: Use of any accessory building for human habitation is not permitted except where specifically listed as a permitted use or where it is a permitted ARU under s. 3.40 (s. 3.1 as amended by By-law 2025-025) [3]

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. [12][10][5][17]

Official links

Last confirmed October 2026.

Notes and caveats

No office consolidation exists online. This combines the October 2010 Development Permit By-law 2010-065 (section PDFs built Feb 2012, linked from the Town's Development Permit By-law page; full PDF also at https://s3.ca-central-1.amazonaws.com/gananoque.ca/s3fs-public/Development-Permit-By-Law.pdf) with the full text of amending By-law 2025-025. That text is Attachment 1 to Council Report PD-2025-05, embedded in the April 1, 2025 Council agenda PDF. By-law 2025-025 replaced s. 3.40 (Secondary Suites, now Additional Residential Units), parts of s. 3.1 (accessory buildings), s. 3.11, s. 3.30 (occupancy restrictions), parking rules and definitions. The Notice of Decision says it was passed April 1, 2025, with an appeal deadline of April 29, 2025. No appeal notice was found online, and it is in effect on third reading per s. 2.1. A full list of other amendments to 2010-065 between 2010 and 2025 was not found online, so other site-specific or general amendments may exist. A Class I development permit is the Town's administrative permit under its community planning permit system. Old Zoning By-law 1991-37 is still linked on the site, and whether any lands remain under it was not confirmed.

Sources

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