Pickering 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 · Pickering’s term: “additional dwelling unit within an accessory building”

One additional dwelling unit is permitted in an accessory building on a lot with a detached, semi-detached or townhouse dwelling, alongside one unit in the house (or two in the house if none is detached). Detached units are not permitted on hazard lands or in key natural heritage or hydrologic features; in the Greenbelt Protected Countryside only existing pre-July 2017 accessory buildings qualify, and on the Oak Ridges Moraine only one unit within a detached dwelling is allowed. [1][2]

Number allowed: 1 additional dwelling unit in the main dwelling plus 1 in an accessory building, or 2 in the main dwelling if none is in an accessory building (s.4.3.1 a-b) [3]
Maximum size: Most restrictive of: lot coverage for all buildings (45% where the zone sets none); 50% of the gross floor area of the main dwelling; 150 m² (s.4.3.1 f) [3]
Maximum height: 4.5 m on lots of 2,000 m² or less; 6.5 m on lots over 2,000 m² (Table 4.1) [3]
Setbacks: Front and exterior side yard per zone; interior side and rear yard 1.2 m (2.4 m where over 4.5 m high on lots over 2,000 m²) (Table 4.1) [3]
Separation from house: 0 m minimum setback from other buildings on the lot (Table 4.1) [3]
Where allowed: Greenbelt Protected Countryside: only within an existing accessory building built legally on or before July 1, 2017; Oak Ridges Moraine: only 1 unit, within a detached dwelling (s.4.3.1 e) [3]

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. [4][5][6]

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 · Pickering’s term: “detached dwelling”

Urban residential zones set no minimum dwelling floor area, but the rural Agriculture (A) zone and the Oak Ridges Moraine Agricultural and Environmental Protection zones require a detached dwelling of at least 139.0 m² gross floor area. [2]

Minimum dwelling size: Detached dwelling minimum gross floor area 139.0 m² in the Agriculture (A) zone (Table 12.3) and in the ORMA and ORMEP zones (Table 12.6); no minimum in the R1 residential zones (Tables 6.4-6.5) [3]
Minimum lot size: Unserviced lots in residential zones (no municipal sewer or piped water): 1,390 m² (s.4.19) [3]

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. [4][7][8][9][10][11][12]

Tiny home on wheels or park model

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

Not allowed · Pickering’s term: “mobile home / trailer”

The by-law states that, except where explicitly permitted, no mobile home, trailer or other vehicle may be used for human habitation, whether on wheels or a foundation, and trailer parks and mobile home parks are prohibited except where specifically permitted. The only explicit permission found is a mobile home or recreational vehicle used as a seasonal farm help dwelling.

Where allowed: Trailer parks, mobile home parks and camping establishments prohibited save where specifically permitted (s.4.42); a mobile home or recreational vehicle may be used for a seasonal farm help dwelling (s.4.34.7) [3]
Approvals: No truck, bus, coach, streetcar body, railway car, mobile home, trailer or other vehicle to be used for human habitation except where explicitly permitted (s.4.17; Seaton s.14.2.2 has no exception wording) [3]

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. [12][7][4][9][8]

Bunkie or sleeping cabin

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

Not allowed · Pickering’s term: “accessory building”

Accessory buildings or structures may not be used for human habitation, except accessory structures that meet the definition of an additional dwelling unit (which must include cooking facilities).

Approvals: Accessory buildings or structures shall not be used for human habitation, except those meeting the definition of an additional dwelling unit (s.4.2.1.2) [3]

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. [9][7][4][13]

Official links

Last confirmed October 2026.

Notes and caveats

Laserfiche document 258309 (237 pages, dated December 16, 2024) downloaded via the WebLink electronic-file link with cookies enabled. Exceptions (ids 258306, 258307) and schedules (258308) were not read. The zoning index page lists amending by-laws through 8269/26 that are not yet consolidated; most are site-specific exception zones, and 8218/25 and 8221/25 were not checked. Pickering has no waterfront residential zone; the bunkie answer reflects the general accessory-building rule.

Sources

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Pickering 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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