Lakeshore zoning for small homes
Town of Lakeshore, in the County of Essex. Population 40,410 (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 · Lakeshore’s term: “detached additional residential unit (ARU)”
By-law 80-2024 (Sept 10, 2024) permits additional residential units, including in an accessory building, in the R1, R2, RW1, RW2, HR, CA, MU, UR and A zones. The municipality's ARU page sets out the detached-unit limits summarized here. [1][2]
- Where allowed
- Detached ARUs: R1, R2, RW1, RW2, HR, CA, MU, UR and A zones [2]
- Maximum size
- Residential zones: not more than 50% of the primary dwelling, up to 120 m² GFA; Agriculture zone: up to 140 m² GFA [2]
- Maximum height
- Residential zones: 6.5 m and not above the primary dwelling; Agriculture zone: 7.5 m [2]
- Setbacks
- 1.5 m side and rear (3 m where a two-storey ARU has a window facing the lot line) [2]
- Separation from house
- Within 50 m of and no closer than 3 m to the primary dwelling (residential zones) [2]
- Parking
- 2 spaces for the primary dwelling plus 1 per additional unit [2]
- Servicing
- One service and one water meter per property; septic review, new or expanded septic system required on private systems [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 · Lakeshore’s term: “single detached dwelling”
The R1 and Agriculture zone regulations in the posted consolidation set lot, setback, coverage and height limits but no minimum dwelling floor area; minimums (42–70 m²) appear only in site-specific exceptions. [6]
- Minimum dwelling size
- None in the R1/R2/R3 or A zone regulation tables (s.8.1, 8.9); some site-specific exceptions set 42–70 m² per unit [6]
- Minimum lot size
- R1: 500 m²; A zone residential lots: 3,000 m² [6]
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][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.
Allowed with limits · Lakeshore’s term: “mobile home; recreational vehicle / holiday trailer”
No recreational vehicle, trailer or similar may be used for human habitation except temporarily in a campground where permitted, and mobile homes are prohibited except where a zone specifically lists them, chiefly the Residential Mobile Home Park (RM) zone. [6]
- Where allowed
- Mobile homes only where specifically listed as a permitted use (s.6.62 d)); Residential Mobile Home Park (RM) zone, mobile home site minimum 370 m² [6]
- Approvals
- 'No truck, bus, coach or streetcar body, recreational vehicle, trailer or tent, or shipping container, shall be used for human habitation ... whether or not the same is mounted on wheels, except on a temporary basis' in a campground (s.6.59 a)) [6]
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][3][9][8]
Bunkie or sleeping cabin
A small sleeping building with no kitchen, usually beside a cottage or house.
Not allowed · Lakeshore’s term: “accessory building”
In the posted consolidation, detached accessory buildings 'shall not be used for human habitation, except where a dwelling unit is a permitted accessory use', and no sleeping cabin use is provided for, including in the waterfront zones. [6]
- Maximum size
- Accessory buildings in R1, R2, R3, RW1, RW2, RM, HR zones: 55 m² GFA each; 5 m height outside the Agriculture zone [6]
- Approvals
- Accessory buildings shall not be used for human habitation except where a dwelling unit is a permitted accessory use (s.6.5 a) iv)) [6]
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][3][13]
Official links
Last confirmed October 2026.
Notes and caveats
Sources
- Town of Lakeshore web page (lakeshore.ca)
- Lakeshore’s guide to additional units
- Planning Act (Ontario e-Laws)
- O. Reg. 299/19: Additional residential units (Ontario e-Laws)
- Development Charges Act, 1997 (Ontario e-Laws)
- Zoning By-law 2-2012
- Government of Ontario PDF
- Build or buy a tiny home: Building Code requirements (Government of Ontario)
- Building Code Act, 1992 (Ontario e-Laws)
- O. Reg. 163/24: Ontario Building Code (Ontario e-Laws)
- 2024 Ontario Building Code (Government of Ontario)
- Build or buy a tiny home: permits and inspections (Government of Ontario)
- Building Code updates (Government of Ontario)
Not legal advice
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