Ingersoll 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 · Ingersoll’s term: “additional residential unit (ARU) in an accessory building”

Up to two additional residential units are permitted with a single detached, semi-detached or street townhouse dwelling, one of which may be in a detached accessory building, but only on lots with confirmed municipal water and sewage capacity and not on privately serviced lots or lots with natural hazards without conservation authority clearance. Garden suites were deleted from the by-law. [1]

Number allowed: 2 ARUs per lot, with 1 permitted within an accessory building (Table 5.35.2.3) [2]
Maximum size: Cumulative ARU dwelling unit area: 50% of the principal dwelling's dwelling unit area or 100 m² (1,076 ft²), whichever is less [2]
Parking: 1 space minimum, may be tandem [2]
Servicing: Not permitted unless municipal water and/or sewage capacity is confirmed by the County; not permitted on lots with individual on-site or private communal water or sewage systems (s. 5.35.2.2) [2]
Maximum height: ARUs in detached accessory buildings follow accessory building rules (s. 5.1): 5.0 m (16.4 ft) in residential zones [2]
Setbacks: Accessory buildings in residential zones: not in required front or exterior side yard; 1.2 m (3.9 ft) side and rear setbacks; 1.2 m from main building [2]
Where allowed: Listed as a permitted use in residential zones such as R1 (s. 6.1) [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. [4][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 · Ingersoll’s term: “single detached dwelling”

The R1 zone provisions set lot, yard, coverage and height standards for a single detached dwelling but no minimum dwelling floor area.

Minimum dwelling size: None stated in the R1 zone provisions (Table 6.2) [3]

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. [4][7][8][9][10][11][12]

Tiny home on wheels or park model

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

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

No recreational vehicle may be used for permanent home occupancy while stored on a lot, ARUs exclude trailers, mobile homes and recreational vehicles, and no zone in the posted text lists mobile homes or mobile home parks as a permitted use. Garden suite provisions were deleted from the by-law. [1]

Temporary garden suite: Section 5.6 Garden Suites deleted by By-law 17-4962 [2]
Approvals: s. 5.30.3: no recreational vehicle shall be used for permanent home occupancy while stored on any lot [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. [12][7][4][9][8]

Bunkie or sleeping cabin

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

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

Accessory buildings may not be used for human habitation except as permitted in the by-law; the only permitted living space in an accessory building is an additional residential unit. Ingersoll is an urban town with no rural or waterfront residential zones.

Approvals: s. 5.1.1.3: an accessory building is not to be used for human habitation except as permitted in this By-law [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. [9][7][4][13]

Official links

Last confirmed October 2026.

Notes and caveats

Oxford County posts By-law 04-4160 as section-by-section PDFs with amendments built in (each marked 'Added/Amended by By-law ...', latest seen 26-5438); the PDFs were produced March-June 2026 but carry no stated consolidation date, so bylawConsolidation is null. ARU rules come from By-law 24-5318.

Sources

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Ingersoll 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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