Laurentian Valley zoning for small homes

Township of Laurentian Valley, in the County of Renfrew. Population 9,450 (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 with limits · Laurentian Valley’s term: “secondary dwelling unit / coach house”

A secondary dwelling unit, including one in an accessory building, is permitted in zones that permit single detached, semi-detached or townhouse dwellings. A detached unit needs a minimum 0.8 ha lot where the lot is on well and septic or on municipal water and septic, cannot be within 30 m of a waterbody's high water mark, and the lot must front an improved street. 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]

Where allowed: All zones that permit a single detached, semi-detached or townhouse dwelling unless prohibited elsewhere; not in a floodway, NHF or EP zone or within 30 m of the high water mark; not on undersized lots or lots with a garden suite or boarding house; lot must have frontage on an improved street (s. 3.36, 3.36 i), l), m), n)) [2]
Minimum lot size: 0.8 ha for a coach house or unit in an accessory building on lots serviced by well and septic or municipal water and septic; 0.8 ha for any secondary unit on private services (s. 3.36 b), d) i)) [2]
Maximum size: Gross floor area less than the primary dwelling; a coach house footprint no greater than the primary unit's footprint (s. 3.36 c)) [2]
Minimum dwelling size: The Township's secondary unit page states the unit must be a minimum 65 m² to comply with Zoning By-law 08-04-391 [3]
Maximum height: Coach house: one storey (s. 3.36 f)); accessory buildings in residential zones: 5.0 m (s. 3.3 d)) [2]
Setbacks: Side and rear yards of the primary dwelling apply; not in a minimum front yard in RU or A zones or any front yard in other zones (s. 3.36 d) ii), iii)) [2]
Number allowed: One secondary dwelling unit per primary dwelling unit (s. 3.36 h)) [2]
Parking: Minimum 1 space, may be tandem (s. 3.36 g)) [2]
Approvals: Building permit; the unit must also be registered with the Township [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. [1][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 with limits · Laurentian Valley’s term: “single detached dwelling”

The by-law sets a minimum 'Dwelling Unit Area' of 65 m² in the R1, R2, Limited Service Residential, Rural and Agriculture zones and 75 m² in the Rural Residential zone.

Minimum dwelling size: R1: 65 m² (s. 5.2 f)); RR: 75 m² (s. 8.2); LSR: 65 m²; RU: 65 m² (s. 23.2 f)); A: 65 m² (s. 24.2) [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. [1][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.

Not allowed · Laurentian Valley’s term: “mobile home / recreational vehicle”

Mobile homes on individual lots are prohibited throughout the Township, and no truck, vehicle, recreational vehicle or trailer may be used as a primary residence for permanent human habitation. No zone lists a mobile home park as a permitted use; a mobile home occupied as a garden suite may be permitted on a lot zoned to permit it, and garden suites appear as site-specific temporary uses under Section 39 of the Planning Act.

Where allowed: 'Mobile homes on individual lots shall be prohibited within the Municipality' (s. 3.17); no vehicle, recreational vehicle or trailer as a primary residence for permanent human habitation (s. 3.21) [2]
Temporary garden suite: A mobile home occupied as a garden suite may be permitted on a lot zoned to permit the use (s. 3.17); garden suites are permitted through site-specific exception zones as temporary uses under s. 39 of the Planning Act [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][1][8][7]

Bunkie or sleeping cabin

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

Not allowed · Laurentian Valley’s term: “accessory building”

No accessory building or structure may be used for human habitation except where a dwelling is a permitted accessory use, and the by-law has no bunkie or sleeping cabin provision. Boat houses are expressly barred from human habitation.

Where allowed: 'No accessory building or structure shall be used for human habitation except where a dwelling is a permitted accessory use' (s. 3.3 a)) [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][1][12]

Official links

Last confirmed October 2026.

Notes and caveats

Document reads 'Consolidated: August 19, 2026' (file name says Sept 2, 2026). Secondary unit rules (s. 3.36) date from By-law 2017-06-028 and have not been updated for later Planning Act ARU changes (e.g. one unit only, 0.8 ha minimum lot for detached units on partial/private services); Planning Act s. 35.1 permissions on serviced urban residential land may override some of these limits, not assessed. Clause 3.36 d) iv) says a coach house is only permitted where the primary unit is a freehold townhouse or semi-detached unit; read literally, a single detached lot may have a secondary unit in an accessory building (e.g. garage) but not a coach house, which is ambiguous and should be confirmed with the Township. The 65 m² minimum unit size on the guide page reflects the dwelling unit area minimum; the by-law does not state a separate SDU minimum in s. 3.36. Zone schedules A-1 to A-19 were not reviewed.

Sources

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