Otonabee-South Monaghan zoning for small homes

Township of Otonabee-South Monaghan, in the County of Peterborough. Population 7,087 (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 · Otonabee-South Monaghan’s term: “secondary dwelling unit (in an accessory structure)”

A secondary dwelling unit may be placed in a building ancillary to a single detached, semi-detached or row dwelling in the RU, A, RR, HR, SR and ER zones. Conditions include adequate water and sewage services, frontage on an improved public road, an existing driveway entrance and a location outside the regulated floodplain. [1]

Where allowed: Rural (RU), Agricultural (A), Rural Residential (RR), Hamlet Residential (HR), Shoreline Residential (SR) and Estate Residential (ER) zones (s. 4.3.1) [2]
Number allowed: Up to two secondary units per property: no more than one in the main building and one in an accessory structure; not in an accessory structure where two or more single detached dwellings exist on the lot (s. 4.3.1 c, 4.3.2 i) [2]
Maximum size: No larger than 70% of the ground floor area of the principal dwelling (s. 4.3.2 f) [2]
Maximum height: 9.0 m (s. 4.3.2 g) [2]
Setbacks: The accessory structure must meet the zone's regulations for a principal or main building (s. 4.3.2 e); in RR and HR, accessory buildings may cover up to 10% of the lot (s. 4.3.2 h) [2]
Separation from house: No more than 50 m from the main building (s. 4.3.2 j) [2]
Parking: At least one space for the exclusive use of the secondary unit (s. 4.3.2 k) [2]
Servicing: Township must be satisfied that adequate water and sewage services are available; frontage on an improved public street or road; access by the existing residential entrance; not in the regulated floodplain; MDS I applies (s. 4.3.2 a-d, l) [2]
Approvals: Building permit; new secondary units must be registered with the Township Building and Planning Department (s. 4.3.2 m, n) [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 with limits · Otonabee-South Monaghan’s term: “single detached dwelling”

The main rural and residential zones set a minimum dwelling unit floor area of 93.0 m² (1,001.08 ft²) in the RU, A, RR, HR and SR zones, 140.0 m² in the Estate Residential zone and 85.0 m² in the Limited Service Residential zone.

Minimum dwelling size: 93.0 m² (1,001.08 ft²) in the Rural (RU) zone (s. 5.2.7) [6]
Minimum dwelling size: 93.0 m² (1,001.08 ft²) in the Agricultural (A) zone (s. 6.2.7) [7]
Minimum dwelling size: 93.0 m² (1,001.08 ft²) in the Rural Residential (RR) zone (s. 7.2.7) [8]
Minimum dwelling size: 93.0 m² (1,001.08 ft²) in the Hamlet Residential (HR) zone (s. 8.2.7) [9]
Minimum dwelling size: 93.0 m² (1,001.08 ft²) in the Shoreline Residential (SR) zone (s. 9.2.9) [10]
Minimum dwelling size: 140.0 m² (1,507 ft²) in the Estate Residential (ER) zone (s. 10.2.7) [11]
Minimum dwelling size: 85.0 m² (914.96 ft²) in the Limited Service Residential (LSR) zone (s. 11.2.9) [12]

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][13][14][15][16][17][18]

Tiny home on wheels or park model

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

Allowed with limits · Otonabee-South Monaghan’s term: “mobile home / park model trailer”

No vehicle body or structure other than a dwelling unit may be used for human habitation, and a dwelling excludes mobile homes, park model trailers and tourist trailers. Mobile home parks with permanent year-round occupancy are permitted only in the site-specific Tourist Commercial TC-2 and TC-3 zones. [1]

Where allowed: TC-2 zone (maximum 83 mobile homes) and TC-3 zone: mobile home park, CSA Z240/Z241/A277 mobile and park model homes (not double-wide), permanent year-round occupancy (s. 14.8) [19]
Minimum dwelling size: Minimum mobile home floor area: 70 m² in TC-2 and 45 m² in TC-3 (s. 14.8) [19]
Temporary garden suite: A garden suite (portable) is defined in s. 3 but the by-law sets no garden suite provisions; a mobile home or tourist trailer may be lived in for up to 8 months during construction of a dwelling, where approved by Council (s. 4.8) [2]
Approvals: Prohibited habitation: no truck, bus, coach, streetcar body, shipping container or structure other than a dwelling unit or dwelling house may be used for human habitation, whether or not on wheels (s. 4.27) [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. [18][13][3][15][14]

Bunkie or sleeping cabin

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

Not allowed · Otonabee-South Monaghan’s term: “sleeping cabin (bunkie)”

The by-law defines a sleeping cabin (bunkie) as a detached accessory building for sleeping only, with no sanitary or cooking facilities, but no zone or general provision permits one. Accessory uses exclude buildings used for human habitation unless specifically permitted, and only dwelling units may be used for habitation. One existing bunkie is recognized through the site-specific LSR-25 zone.

Kitchen: A sleeping cabin, as defined, may have no sanitary or cooking facilities (s. 3) [1]
Where allowed: Only by site-specific zoning, e.g. LSR-25 permits one existing bunkie (s. 11) [12]
Approvals: Accessory uses exclude any building used for human habitation except as specifically permitted (s. 4.2.1 b); only a dwelling unit or dwelling house may be used for human habitation (s. 4.27) [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. [15][13][3][20]

Official links

Last confirmed October 2026.

Notes and caveats

The township page calls the posted text an 'Office Consolidation' in 22 section PDFs labelled 2024, but no consolidation date is stated. The files were updated separately (the A zone PDF in Oct 2026, RU in Jul 2026, General Provisions in Dec 2025) and cite amending by-laws up to 2026-16. The adoption page (s. 22) is an unsigned 2024 template. The by-law number 2010-65 comes from references in the text and a township-hosted file named '2010-65-township-zoning-by-law.pdf' (found by search). Uncertain point: s. 4.3.2 e requires an accessory structure with a secondary unit to meet principal-building regulations, so it is unclear whether the 93 m² minimum dwelling unit floor area also applies to a detached secondary unit. Accessory buildings are otherwise capped at 5% lot coverage and 5.0 m height (7.5 m in RU and A). No ARU guide was found.

Sources

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