Perth East 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 · Perth East’s term: “additional residential unit in an accessory building”

One additional residential unit is permitted in a building accessory to a single-detached, semi-detached, row or townhouse dwelling (s.5.25.4, revised by By-law 201-2025), within size and distance limits. [1]

Number allowed: Maximum 2 ARUs per lot, of which at most 1 in an accessory building (s.5.25.4(a)) [2]
Maximum size: Lesser of 75% of the primary unit's gross floor area or 125 m² (1,345 ft²) (s.5.25.4(c), s.5.25.4.1(b)); accessory buildings may not exceed 7.5% of lot area (s.5.1.3) [2]
Maximum height: 5 m for accessory buildings; 6 m in Agricultural and some other zones (s.5.1.3(4)) [2]
Separation from house: Within 45 m but no closer than 4 m to the primary dwelling (s.5.25.4.1(c); s.5.1.3(7)) [2]
Setbacks: 1.2 m from interior side and rear lot lines in a Residential zone; not in a front or exterior side yard (s.5.1.3) [2]
Where allowed: Not on hazardous lands, not on lots below the minimum lot area, and not where a dwelling is only an accessory use; MDS 1 applies in agricultural zones (s.5.25.4(d), s.5.25.4.1(d)) [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 · Perth East’s term: “single-detached dwelling”

The Agricultural (A), Hamlet/Village Residential (HVR) and Milverton Residential (R1) zones set a minimum ground floor area of 80 m² for a 1 or 1½ storey single-detached dwelling.

Minimum dwelling size: Ground floor area minimum 80 m² (1 or 1½ storey) or 65 m² (2 or 2½ storey) for single-detached dwellings in the A (s.6.3.7), HVR (s.9.2.10) and R1 (s.12.2.10) zones [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.

Allowed with limits · Perth East’s term: “mobile home / travel trailer / motor home”

Mobile and modular homes are permitted in the Mobile/Modular Home Park (MH) zone; travel trailers, motor homes and similar may not be used as living accommodation except one for temporary sleeping up to three months a year on a lot with a dwelling (s.5.32). A single-detached dwelling does not include a mobile home.

Where allowed: Mobile/Modular Home Park (MH) zone (Section 11), minimum park lot area 4 ha [2]
Temporary garden suite: Garden suites (temporary, movable dwellings) appear only in site-specific temporary-use zones (e.g. A-11-T); a mobile home is also allowed temporarily in an Agricultural zone while a dwelling destroyed by fire or other act of God is replaced, up to one year (s.5.28) [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.

Not allowed · Perth East’s term: “accessory building used for human habitation”

Accessory uses do not include any building or structure used for human habitation except where specifically permitted (s.5.1.1), and the by-law has no bunkie or sleeping-cabin provision. One travel trailer or similar may be used for temporary sleeping up to three months a year on a lot with a dwelling (s.5.32(b)). [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 zoning page now posts a full office consolidation dated October 1, 2026 alongside the section PDFs; that consolidation was read. By-law 201-2025 repealed the general 'Mobile Homes Prohibited' clause (s.5.10) and the farm supplementary dwelling permission (s.6.2(a)(ii)). Perth County is conducting a comprehensive zoning by-law review covering Perth East: https://www.perthcounty.ca/doing-business/planning/comprehensive-zoning-by-law-review/. No municipal ARU guide page was found.

Sources

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Perth East 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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