South Frontenac zoning for small homes

Township of South Frontenac, in the County of Frontenac. Population 20,188 (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 with limits · South Frontenac’s term: “additional dwelling unit (detached, in an accessory building)”

A detached additional dwelling unit in an accessory building is permitted as an accessory use to a single detached, semi-detached or townhouse dwelling. It is prohibited in floodplains, within 90 m of a lake or river, and within 300 m of an at-capacity lake trout lake. A holding overlay requires proof of adequate potable water before a building permit. [1]

Number allowed: Maximum three dwelling units per lot; at most one detached dwelling unit in an accessory building (s. 5.49.6.1-5.49.6.2) [2]
Where allowed: Prohibited in a floodplain, within 90 m of the highwater mark of a lake or river, and within 300 m of a highly sensitive (at-capacity) lake trout lake (s. 5.49.3) [2]
Maximum size: Gross floor area less than or equal to that of the principal dwelling (s. 5.49.6.5) [2]
Separation from house: Detached unit must be within 40 m of the principal dwelling (s. 5.49.6.6) [2]
Servicing: Must connect to municipal or private water and sewage services; connect to Sydenham municipal water where available (s. 5.49.5, 5.49.6.4) [2]
Parking: One space for each additional dwelling unit (s. 5.30.1.1 a)); must share the principal dwelling's driveway entrance (s. 5.49.6.7) [2]
Approvals: Holding Overlay (Schedule I): lot must be removed from the overlay, after showing an adequate potable water supply, before a building permit is issued (s. 5.49.4); the Township issues a Zoning Compliance Certificate [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 · South Frontenac’s term: “single detached dwelling”

Zone regulations set a minimum gross floor area for single detached dwellings: 59 m² in the rural, agricultural and waterfront zones and 89 m² in the R, UR1 and UR2 residential zones.

Minimum dwelling size: 59 sq. m (635.1 sq. ft.) gross floor area minimum in A (s. 6.3.1), RU (s. 7.3.2), RW (s. 8.3.1), RLS, RLSW (s. 10.3.1) and RLSI zones [2]
Minimum dwelling size: 89 sq. m (958.0 sq. ft.) gross floor area minimum in the R Residential, UR1 and UR2 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 · South Frontenac’s term: “mobile home / travel trailer”

Detached mobile homes are a permitted use in the MHR Mobile Home Residential Zone, a mobile home park zone. A mobile home or travel trailer may be used only as temporary accommodation while a permanent dwelling is built under permit. Garden suites are allowed by temporary use by-law but are defined to exclude mobile homes and trailers.

Where allowed: MHR zone permits a detached mobile home on a mobile home site within a mobile home park; park area 4 to 6.5 ha; mobile home minimum gross floor area 60 sq. m (s. 13.2-13.3) [2]
Temporary garden suite: Garden suite permitted by Council under s. 39 of the Planning Act by temporary use by-law; 49 to 62 sq. m (527.4 to 667.4 sq. ft.); max height 4.5 m; must be a manufactured modular/panelized unit and cannot be a mobile home, travel trailer or tent trailer (s. 3 definition, s. 5.33) [2]
Approvals: A mobile home or travel trailer may be permitted as temporary living accommodation once a building permit for the permanent dwelling and a sewage permit are obtained and a Township permit is issued (s. 5.16) [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.

Allowed with limits · South Frontenac’s term: “sleeping cabin”

A sleeping cabin is permitted as an accessory structure on all lands abutting a navigable waterway, regardless of zone. Elsewhere, accessory buildings may not be used for human habitation.

Where allowed: Permitted on all lands abutting a navigable waterway regardless of zone (s. 5.24.7); RW and RLSW zones list "accessory buildings or uses including one sleeping cabin" [2]
Maximum size: Single storey, no basement, maximum footprint 27.9 sq. m (300 sq. ft.) (definition of Sleeping Cabin) [2]
Kitchen: No kitchen facilities; plumbing allowed only if connected to the principal dwelling's approved sewage system (definition of Sleeping Cabin) [2]
Number allowed: One sleeping cabin in the RW and RLSW zones (s. 8.2, 10.2) [2]
Maximum height: Accessory buildings in the RW zone: 8 m (s. 8.3.2); sleeping cabin limited to a single storey [2]
Setbacks: 30 m minimum from the highwater mark in the RW zone (s. 8.3.3) [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

Consolidated January 28, 2026 (amendments current to January 9, 2026). Some site-specific exception zones set different sleeping cabin limits (for example 41.8 sq. m in one exception), and some site-specific exceptions set a 93 sq. m dwelling minimum. Removing the ADU holding overlay is processed through a Township zoning application (fee $228 per the ADU page).

Sources

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