Minden Hills zoning for small homes

Township of Minden Hills, in the County of Haliburton. Population 6,971 (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 · Minden Hills’s term: “additional dwelling unit in an accessory building”

An additional dwelling unit in an accessory building is permitted in the R1, R2, HR and RR zones but not in the Shoreline Residential zone or within 300 m of a shoreline or lake. Lots without full municipal services may have only one additional unit and need at least 1 hectare.

Where allowed: R1, R2, HR and RR zones; not in the Shoreline Residential (SR) zone, within 300 m of a shoreline or lake, or within 30 m of the high-water mark of a waterbody or watercourse (s.4.2 a-b; Table 1) [1]
Number allowed: Full municipal services: up to 2 additional units, only 1 in an accessory building; without full services: 1 additional unit (s.4.2 d-e) [1]
Minimum lot size: 1 hectare (2.5 acres) where the lot lacks full municipal water and sewage services (s.4.2 e) [1]
Maximum size: Gross floor area not greater than 75% of the primary dwelling's gross floor area (s.4.2 i) [1]
Maximum height: Equal to or less than the primary dwelling (s.4.2) [1]
Separation from house: No further than 30 m (98.5 ft) from the primary dwelling; rear or interior side yard only (s.4.2) [1]
Parking: 1 off-street parking space per additional dwelling unit (s.4.2 j) [1]
Servicing: Without full municipal services, a well and septic report must accompany the building permit (s.4.2 f); frontage on a year-round publicly maintained road and shared driveway required (s.4.2 k) [1]

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. [2][3][4]

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 · Minden Hills’s term: “single detached dwelling”

All residential zones (R1, R2, HR, RR and SR) require a minimum dwelling unit area of 55 m².

Minimum dwelling size: 55 m² minimum dwelling unit area in the R1, R2, HR, RR and SR zones (s.5.2, Table 2) [1]

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. [2][5][6][7][8][9][10]

Tiny home on wheels or park model

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

Needs approval · Minden Hills’s term: “mobile home / trailer / garden suite”

Using a trailer or recreational vehicle for human habitation is prohibited except in a camping establishment or trailer park, and mobile home parks are allowed only where specifically permitted (site-specific exceptions such as RU-5). A garden suite, defined as a temporary, portable detached unit accessory to a single detached dwelling, may be permitted by a temporary use by-law.

Temporary garden suite: May be permitted by way of a Temporary Use By-law and may be subject to an agreement with the Town (s.4.11) [1]
Where allowed: Mobile home dwellings permitted only by site-specific exception, e.g. Rural Exception Five (RU-5) mobile home park and RU-2 (one mobile home, minimum 65 m²) (s.5.4.3) [1]
Approvals: Use of any trailer or recreational vehicle for human habitation prohibited except in a camping establishment or trailer park; trailer or mobile home parks only where specifically permitted (s.4.30.1, s.4.40) [1]
Approvals: A travel trailer or recreational vehicle may be used temporarily while a dwelling is under construction with an active building permit on a lot with no existing dwelling (s.4.5) [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. [10][5][2][7][6]

Bunkie or sleeping cabin

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

Allowed · Minden Hills’s term: “sleeping cabin”

One sleeping cabin (no cooking or kitchen facilities, sanitary facilities allowed) is permitted per lot in the Shoreline Residential and Rural zones, either detached or within an accessory building.

Where allowed: Shoreline Residential (SR) and Rural (RU) zones (s.4.1.13) [1]
Number allowed: Maximum 1 sleeping cabin per lot (s.4.1.13 a ii) [1]
Maximum size: 35 m² (376.8 sq ft) floor area, excluding decks, porches and balconies; attached or nearby decks, porches and balconies max 15 m² (161.5 sq ft) (s.4.1.13) [1]
Maximum height: 4.5 m (14.8 ft) for a one-storey sleeping cabin (s.4.1.13 b) [1]
Setbacks: Must meet the zone's yard and setback requirements and may not be in front of the principal dwelling (s.4.1.13 a iv) [1]
Kitchen: No cooking or kitchen facilities; may contain sanitary facilities; not for monetary gain (s.3.165) [1]

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. [7][5][2][11]

Official links

Last confirmed October 2026.

Notes and caveats

Office consolidation to December 2025 (Planscape), text only; zoning schedules are not online, so zone locations were not checked. No official ARU guide page was found. The s.4.30.1 trailer exception refers to 'Section 4.4' (boathouses), which appears to be a cross-reference error; s.4.5 holds the construction-period trailer permission. The Rural (RU) zone lot regulations (Table 4) show no dwelling unit area row; the 55 m² minimum is in the residential zones table.

Sources

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