Greater Napanee zoning for small homes

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 · Greater Napanee’s term: “secondary unit / secondary suite”

The Town's zoning by-law permits one secondary unit only inside a dwelling and does not allow habitable rooms in accessory buildings unless specifically permitted, so it has no provision for a detached backyard unit. On fully serviced urban residential lots, Planning Act s.35.1 prevents zoning from prohibiting one residential unit in a building ancillary to a house. 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][2][3]

Where allowed: Secondary unit must be located within a single detached, semi-detached or row dwelling house (R1-R6 zones) or within a single detached dwelling (PA, RA, RU, ER, RR, SR, HR zones) (s.4.32) [4]
Maximum size: Secondary unit gross floor area not exceeding 45% of the principal dwelling unit or 100 square metres, whichever is lesser (s.4.32) [4]
Number allowed: Maximum one secondary unit per principal dwelling unit (s.4.32) [4]
Parking: Minimum 1 parking space for a secondary unit; tandem parking with the primary unit permitted (s.4.32) [4]
Approvals: Accessory uses do not include any building or portion thereof used for a habitable room unless specifically permitted (s.4.1.1) [4]

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][5][6]

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 · Greater Napanee’s term: “single detached dwelling house”

The zoning by-law sets a minimum dwelling unit area of 90 square metres in the R1, R2, RU, RR, SR, HR, PA and RA zones and 130 square metres in the Estate Residential (ER) zone. [7][8][9]

Minimum dwelling size: Dwelling Unit Area (minimum) 90 square metres - R1 zone (s.5.12) [10]
Minimum dwelling size: Dwelling Unit Area (minimum) 90 square metres - R2 zone [11]
Minimum dwelling size: Dwelling Unit Area (minimum) 90 square metres - Rural (RU) zone [12]
Minimum dwelling size: Dwelling Unit Area (minimum) 90 square metres - Rural Residential (RR) zone [13]
Minimum dwelling size: Dwelling Unit Area (minimum) 90 sq. metres - Shoreline Residential (SR) zone [14]
Minimum dwelling size: Dwelling Unit Area (minimum) 130 square metres - Estate Residential (ER) zone [15]

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][16][17][18][19][20][21]

Tiny home on wheels or park model

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

Allowed with limits · Greater Napanee’s term: “mobile home / trailer / recreational vehicle”

A dwelling unit does not include a tent, trailer or mobile home, and no truck, bus, coach or similar body may be used for human habitation. Mobile homes are permitted within a mobile home park in the Mobile Home Residential (MH) zone; trailers and motor homes may only be parked or stored on residential lots. [4]

Where allowed: MH zone permits a mobile home park and a mobile home within a mobile home park (s.5.11) [22]
Minimum dwelling size: Mobile home Dwelling Unit Area (minimum) 65 square metres in the MH zone (s.5.11.3) [22]
Number allowed: Storage on a developed residential lot limited to one motor home and one travel trailer, each not exceeding 10 metres (s.4.38) [4]
Approvals: "Dwelling unit" does not include a tent, trailer, mobile home ... (definition) [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. [21][16][3][18][17]

Bunkie or sleeping cabin

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

Not allowed · Greater Napanee’s term: “accessory building (habitable room)”

Accessory buildings may not include any building or portion thereof used for a habitable room unless specifically permitted, and the by-law contains no sleeping cabin or bunkie provision for residential, rural or shoreline zones. The defined 'cabin' applies only to tourist establishments. [1][14]

Maximum height: Accessory buildings for residential uses: 6.5 metres (sloped roof), 5.0 metres (flat roof) (s.4.1.4) [4]
Approvals: Accessory use shall not include any building or portion thereof used for a habitable room unless specifically permitted (s.4.1.1 b) [4]

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. [18][16][3][23]

Official links

Last confirmed October 2026.

Notes and caveats

The office consolidation of Zoning By-law 02-22 is posted as separate section/zone PDFs; the definitions and general provisions files are labelled 2022 and include amendments up to By-law 2022-033, while the zone PDFs date from November 2020 (latest amendment cited 2020-0016); no consolidation month is stated, so bylawConsolidation is null. An older complete PDF (https://www.greaternapanee.com/media/ylynjwaf/zoning-by-law-no-02-22-complete.pdf) is an office consolidation dated March 2020. No town amendment adding detached additional residential units was found (2 searches). The backyard_suite answer reflects Planning Act s.35.1(1)(c) (2022, c.21, Sched. 9), whose text was read as quoted in an official West Grey staff report because the e-laws page did not render; the town's by-law itself does not permit detached units. No temporary garden suite provision was found in the by-law. The page states the original by-laws prevail over the consolidation.

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Greater Napanee zoning for small homes

Backyard suite

Ontario-wide rule

Tiny home on a foundation

Ontario-wide rule

Tiny home on wheels or park model

Ontario-wide rule

Bunkie or sleeping cabin

Ontario-wide rule

Official links

Sources

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