Sault Ste. Marie zoning for small homes

City of Sault Ste. Marie, a single-tier municipality. Population 72,051 (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 · Sault Ste. Marie’s term: “residential structure (garden suite / coach house)”

The R2 to R5 zones permit one or more residential structures per lot, and the R1 zone permits one or more with a maximum of two dwelling units per lot. A detached unit is therefore treated as an additional residential structure meeting the zone's main-building standards. Dwelling units are not permitted inside accessory buildings. [1]

Where allowed: Residential Structure(s) – one or more per lot in R2 (Gentle Density) and other residential zones; R1 (Estate) maximum 2 dwelling units per lot; rural zones maximum 2 dwelling units per lot [2]
Setbacks: R2 (lots not abutting water): interior side yard 1.2 m for 1 storey (1.8 m for 2 storeys), rear yard 10 m (or 1.2 m for one storey), minimum 1 m distance from any other building [2]
Maximum height: 2 storeys (R1 and R2) [2]
Servicing: No dwelling may be erected without municipal sewer and water, except in the R1 zone with Algoma Health Unit approval for a well and private sewage system [2]
Kitchen: Dwelling units are not permitted in any accessory building or structure (Sections 4.1.1.1 and 9.1.3) [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 · Sault Ste. Marie’s term: “residential structure”

The residential zone building regulations set lot, yard, height and coverage standards but no minimum dwelling floor area. [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 · Sault Ste. Marie’s term: “mobile home / recreational vehicle”

Using recreational vehicles, tents, accessory use trailers, trucks and buses as living accommodation is prohibited in all zones. Mobile homes are provided for in mobile home parks in the Mobile Home Residential (R6) zone.

Where allowed: Mobile Home Residential (R6) zone permits a mobile home park; park minimum 2 ha lot area, 30 m frontage, 7.5 m yards; individual lots must meet Mobile Homes By-law 70-342 [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 addressed

The by-law does not address sleeping cabins. Accessory buildings may not contain dwelling units, and general accessory rules apply, e.g. a 3.6 m height limit on residential lots, or 6 m in R1 and on R2 lots abutting Lake Superior or the St. Mary's River. [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

Read the May 8, 2026 office consolidation. Site-specific exceptions are in separate By-law 2005-151 (not reviewed). The City's ADU initiative page says there is no hard cap on the number of units on a residential property and links Residential Structure definition 1.74 (By-law 2024-48). Whether a single mobile home may be placed as a residential structure outside the R6 zone is not stated explicitly. The by-law defines a mobile home as a dwelling unit and says the R6 zone regulates mobile home parks.

Sources

Not legal advice

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