Muskoka Lakes zoning for small homes

Township of Muskoka Lakes, in the District Municipality of Muskoka. Population 7,652 (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 · Muskoka Lakes’s term: “secondary dwelling unit”

A secondary dwelling unit is permitted in an accessory structure or as an accessory apartment in an existing single detached dwelling in the Community Residential R1, R2, R3 and RM1 zones and in the Rural zones. It is not listed for the Waterfront Residential zones, which allow one dwelling unit per lot, and it is not permitted in an R3 zone where the lot abuts the high water mark. [1]

Where allowed: Community Residential R1, R2, R3, RM1 (Table 5.1.2); Rural Ru1, Ru2, Ru3, Ru4, RuR, RuRH, RuSp (Table 6.1.2). Not in an R3 zone abutting the high water mark (s.5.1.10 v). Waterfront Residential zones limited to one dwelling unit per lot (s.4.1.5) [2]
Number allowed: Maximum of one (1) secondary dwelling unit per lot (s.5.1.10 i; Rural s.6.1.4 f i) [2]
Maximum size: 111 m² (1195 ft²) gross floor area in Rural zones; Community zones text reads "11m² (1195 ft.²)"; must have less gross floor area than the main dwelling unit [2]
Minimum dwelling size: Secondary dwelling unit minimum gross floor area 17 m² (180 ft²) (amended by By-law 2017-17) [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 · Muskoka Lakes’s term: “single detached dwelling”

The by-law sets no minimum floor area for a single detached dwelling in the Waterfront Residential, Community Residential or Rural zones; minimum floor areas apply only to multiple, apartment and converted dwellings. Zone lot area, frontage and setback rules still apply.

Minimum dwelling size: None for single detached dwellings; s.5.1.5 minimum floor areas apply only to multiple, apartment or converted dwellings (Bachelor 26.9 m² / 290 ft²; 1 Bedroom 33 m² / 355 ft²; 2 Bedroom 39 m² / 420 ft²; 3 Bedroom 45.1 m² / 485 ft²) [2]
Minimum lot size: Waterfront Residential WR1: 0.4 ha (1 ac), 61 m (200 ft) frontage; other WR zones 0.6 to 2.0 ha (Table 4.1.3) [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. [3][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 · Muskoka Lakes’s term: “recreational vehicle / mobile home / mobile unit (park model trailer)”

No person may place a mobile home or mobile unit (which includes park model trailers) on land, and recreational vehicles may only be placed in areas specifically zoned for them, such as tent and trailer parks, which accommodate people temporarily and exclude mobile homes. A recreational vehicle and a mobile home are deemed not to be dwelling units; the only residential exception is temporary RV accommodation during construction under a building permit.

Where allowed: s.3.27.1: "No person shall use land for the purpose of erecting or placing thereon a mobile home or mobile unit." Mobile Units include Park Model Trailers (s.11.105) [2]
Approvals: s.3.26.2: an RV may be placed on residential land for accommodation during development only after a building permit is issued, and must be removed within 60 days of completion or discontinuance of construction [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][3][8][7]

Bunkie or sleeping cabin

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

Allowed with limits · Muskoka Lakes’s term: “sleeping cabin”

A sleeping cabin (a detached building for accommodating people, with no kitchen) is a permitted accessory use in the Waterfront Residential zones and on waterfront lots in the R3/R4 Community Residential zones. It is not listed as a permitted accessory use in the Rural zones. One is allowed per lot, it is capped at 60.4 m², and it is not permitted where two or more dwelling units exist on the lot.

Where allowed: Waterfront Residential zones (Table 4.1.2); R3 and R4 zones where the lot meets lot of record criteria abutting the high water mark (s.5.1.9 c); may be in a two-storey boathouse where permitted [2]
Maximum size: 60.4 m² (650 ft²) floor area (s.4.1.6 ii; s.5.1.9 d) [2]
Number allowed: Only one (1) sleeping cabin per residential lot; not permitted where two or more dwelling units exist on the lot; one dwelling and one sleeping cabin are the only habitable buildings allowed (s.3.45) [2]
Maximum height: Accessory building 7.7 m (25 ft) in Waterfront Residential zones (Table 4.1.3) [2]
Kitchen: Not permitted (definition s.11.163: "not containing a kitchen"); a screened or glassed gazebo over 18.6 m² (200 ft²) is deemed a sleeping cabin [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][3][12]

Official links

Last confirmed October 2026.

Notes and caveats

The posted by-law is a February 2023 office consolidation; any later amendments (including any post-Bill 23 additional residential unit changes) were not found. Typo in s.5.1.10 iii (Community zones): the by-law text reads "11m² (1195 ft.²)", while the Rural zones version reads "111 m² (1195 ft.²)". A comprehensive zoning by-law review is underway; a July 26, 2025 public meeting on waterfront zoning issues discussed accessory buildings, boathouse height and recreational floor area (https://www.muskokalakes.ca/media/vdihsfdy/tml-zbl_public_meeting_worksheet_07262025.pdf). No adopted new by-law was found. The by-law does not mention temporary garden suites.

Sources

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