Saugeen Shores zoning for small homes
Town of Saugeen Shores, in the County of Bruce. Population 15,908 (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 · Saugeen Shores’s term: “additional residential unit (accessory residential building)”
Additional residential units are permitted in an accessory residential building on lots with one principal single-detached, semi-detached, duplex, triplex or street townhouse building. Up to two detached units are allowed on serviced lots over 450 m², with lower limits on lots without full municipal services. [1]
- Number allowed
- Serviced lots: up to 3 ARUs (4 units total); in an accessory residential building, 2 if the lot exceeds 450 m² and the principal building is single-detached, semi-detached or duplex, otherwise 1 (Section 3.37.1) [2]
- Setbacks
- Front, exterior side and interior side yards as for the principal building; rear yard minimum 3.0 m (Section 3.37.2) [2]
- Maximum height
- 6.0 m for accessory buildings outside Industrial and Agricultural zones (Section 3.1) [2]
- Separation from house
- Within the Settlement Area, maximum 30 m from the principal building (Section 3.37.4) [2]
- Servicing
- Lots not fully connected to municipal services: 1 ARU if over 0.4 ha, 2 if over 0.6 ha, or as supported by a nitrate study; Agricultural zone: 1 ARU (Sections 3.37.4, 5.4.4) [2]
- Parking
- One dedicated parking space per ARU [1]
- Approvals
- Lot must front on a Class 1 Municipal Street; building permit required [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 · Saugeen Shores’s term: “single detached building”
No minimum dwelling floor area was found in the R1 or Agricultural zone regulations. The ARU guide notes a 17.5 m² minimum indoor space for an ARU in an accessory building, which comes from Building Code room sizes, not zoning.
- Minimum dwelling size
- None stated in the R1 (Section 7.3) or Agricultural (Section 5.3) zone regulations [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 · Saugeen Shores’s term: “mobile home / recreational trailer”
An occupied vehicle for human habitation is prohibited other than a mobile home where specifically permitted. Mobile homes are permitted in the Mobile Home Park (MHP) zone, and in the Agricultural zone only if existing; the town says mobile homes and recreational trailers are not permitted as ARUs. [1]
- Where allowed
- Mobile Home Park (MHP) zone: mobile homes and mobile home park; Agricultural zone: existing mobile home [2]
- Temporary garden suite
- Garden suites are 'temporary residential buildings' established through temporary use zoning (Section 4.10); 'Mobile homes and recreational trailers are not permitted as ARUs, but are encouraged to locate within Mobile Home Parks (MHP) zones' [1]
- Approvals
- Prohibited in all zones: 'an occupied vehicle for human habitation other than a mobile home where specifically permitted'; mobile homes and travel trailers may not be used as accessory buildings (Section 3.1) [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
Accessory uses may not include any building or structure used for human habitation except as specifically permitted, and the by-law has no general bunkie or sleeping cabin permission. A detached living space would need to meet the ARU rules, which require kitchen and bathroom facilities.
- Number allowed
- Maximum two accessory buildings per lot outside Agricultural zones [2]
- Maximum height
- 6.0 m [2]
- Approvals
- An accessory use shall not include 'any building or structure used for human habitation except as specifically permitted in this By-law' (Section 3.1) [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
Sources
- Saugeen Shores’s guide to additional units
- Zoning By-law 75-2006
- Planning Act (Ontario e-Laws)
- O. Reg. 299/19: Additional residential units (Ontario e-Laws)
- Development Charges Act, 1997 (Ontario e-Laws)
- Government of Ontario PDF
- Build or buy a tiny home: Building Code requirements (Government of Ontario)
- Building Code Act, 1992 (Ontario e-Laws)
- O. Reg. 163/24: Ontario Building Code (Ontario e-Laws)
- 2024 Ontario Building Code (Government of Ontario)
- Build or buy a tiny home: permits and inspections (Government of Ontario)
- Building Code updates (Government of Ontario)
Not legal advice
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