Owen Sound zoning for small homes

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 · Owen Sound’s term: “additional residential unit (in an accessory building)”

Section 5.27 permits up to two additional residential units on a lot in any zone where a single detached, semi-detached or townhouse dwelling is permitted as of right. One may be in an accessory building if it has direct access from the street or a dedicated parking space, and the building must meet the accessory building rules in s.5.9. [1][2]

Number allowed: Max. 2 additional residential units per lot, max. 1 in an accessory building (s.5.27(a),(d)) [1]
Maximum height: 5.0 m for accessory buildings to residential uses (Table 5.9) [1]
Setbacks: Min. rear and interior side yard 0.9 m; min. exterior side yard 3.0 m; no accessory building in a front yard (Table 5.9) [1]
Maximum size: Accessory buildings max. 12% lot coverage (Table 5.9) [1]
Parking: 1 additional on-site parking space per additional residential unit (s.5.27(b)) [1]
Servicing: Lots partly or not connected to municipal services need well water records or sewage system approval before a building permit (s.5.27(f)) [1]
Where allowed: Agricultural zone: only in the existing single detached dwelling or a non-agricultural accessory structure in the existing farm cluster; flood fringe overlay needs conservation authority approval (s.5.27(g),(h)) [1]
Approvals: Building permit required (s.5.27(e)) [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. [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 · Owen Sound’s term: “single detached dwelling”

The residential zone regulations (R1 to R5) set no minimum floor area for a single detached dwelling. The Rural (RUR) zone requires a minimum gross floor area of 80 m² for single detached dwellings. [6][7]

Minimum dwelling size: Rural (RUR) zone: 80 m² minimum gross floor area for single detached dwellings (s.13.2(i)); none in the R1 to R5 zone regulations (Section 6) [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][8][9][10][11][12][13]

Tiny home on wheels or park model

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

Not allowed · Owen Sound’s term: “travel trailer / mobile home”

Using a travel trailer, caravan, pick-up camper, converted bus or motor home for human occupancy while it is parked on any lot in any zone is prohibited. A mobile home counts as a single detached dwelling only if it is at least 6.5 m in length and width, has at least 100 m² of gross floor area and sits on a foundation with a basement or cellar. No zone in the by-law permits a mobile home park, and the by-law has no garden suite provisions. [1][2][14]

Minimum dwelling size: Mobile home is treated as a single detached dwelling only if min. 6.5 m length and width, min. 100.0 m² GFA, on a foundation with a basement or cellar min. 2.0 m high and 60.0 m² (s.5.16.2) [1]
Where allowed: 'Mobile Home Park' is defined (Section 4), but no zone in the list of zones (s.3.1) is a mobile home park zone [14]
Approvals: Prohibited in all zones: use of any travel trailer, caravan, boat, pick-up camper, tent, converted bus, truck or motor home for human occupancy while stored or parked on any lot or street (s.5.2(c)(vi)) [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. [13][8][3][10][9]

Bunkie or sleeping cabin

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

Not addressed

The by-law has no sleeping cabin or bunkie provision. Detached accessory buildings for residential uses follow the general limits (5.0 m height, 12% lot coverage, 0.9 m side and rear setbacks), and a unit with its own bathroom and cooking facilities falls under the additional residential unit rules. [1]

Maximum height: 5.0 m for accessory buildings to residential uses (Table 5.9) [1]
Maximum size: 12% lot coverage for accessory buildings (Table 5.9) [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. [10][8][3][15]

Official links

Last confirmed October 2026.

Notes and caveats

The by-law is posted as separate section PDFs. The cover page still reads 'Updated December 2019 – ZBA 28', but Sections 4 (definitions), 5 (general provisions) and 6 (residential) are footed 'Updated: December 2023' and include ZBA 41 (By-law 2023-019, additional residential units). Sections 12 (agricultural) and 13 (rural) are footed April 2012. bylawConsolidation reflects the December 2023 sections. No later ARU amendment was found (one site-restricted search). The ARU news post (Feb 2023) is not a guide, so guideUrl is null. The bunkie answer is 'silent' because no provision bans habitation of accessory buildings; only vehicles/trailers are addressed.

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Owen Sound zoning for small homes

Backyard suite

Ontario-wide rule

Tiny home on a foundation

Ontario-wide rule

Tiny home on wheels or park model

Ontario-wide rule

Bunkie or sleeping cabin

Ontario-wide rule

Official links

Sources

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