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Tiny Home List

Tillsonburg zoning for small homes

Town of Tillsonburg, in the County of Oxford. Population 18,615 (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 · Tillsonburg’s term: “additional residential unit (ARU) in a detached accessory structure”

One ARU is permitted in a detached accessory structure on lots with a single-detached, semi-detached or street-fronting townhouse dwelling. The lot must have frontage on an improved street and be connected to municipal services. The Town lists R1, R2, R3 and EC zones. [1][2]

Number allowed
Maximum 2 ARUs per lot; where there are 2, one must be in the principal dwelling (Table 5.1.4) [3]
Maximum size
All ARUs combined: no more than 50% of the gross floor area of the principal dwelling (Table 5.1.4) [3]
Maximum height
Accessory buildings: 6 m (19.6 ft) (Table 5.1.1.4) [3]
Separation from house
Minimum 4 m from another building containing a dwelling unit (Table 5.1.4) [3]
Parking
Minimum 1 additional space per ARU on the same lot, may be tandem (Table 5.1.4) [3]
Servicing
Not permitted on a lot not connected to municipal services (Table 5.1.4); only one roadside service per lot, so a separate service to the ARU is not permitted (Town guide) [3]
Where allowed
Not on lots without frontage on an improved street, in Conservation Authority regulated areas without approval, or on lots with a boarding house, group home, garden suite, converted dwelling, duplex, mobile home or B&B (Table 5.1.4) [3]
Approvals
Typically a building permit only; minor variance if the by-law cannot be met [1]

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 · Tillsonburg’s term: “single detached dwelling”

The R1 and R1A zone provisions (Table 6.2) set lot, yard, coverage and height standards but no minimum dwelling floor area. Tillsonburg has no rural residential zone, and the Future Development (FD) zone permits only existing single detached dwellings. [7]

Minimum dwelling size
No minimum floor area in Table 6.2 (R1/R1A zone provisions) [8]
Number allowed
One dwelling per lot (Table 6.2) [8]

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][9][10][11][12][13][14]

Tiny home on wheels or park model

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

Allowed with limits · Tillsonburg’s term: “mobile home / travel trailer”

'Dwelling' excludes travel trailers, mobile homes, motor homes and recreational vehicles, and an ARU may not be a trailer, mobile home, motor home or RV. Mobile homes are permitted only in a mobile home park in the Mobile Home Park (RMH) zone. The garden suite section (5.9) was deleted by By-law 2025-046. [2]

Where allowed
RMH zone: a mobile home park (Table 11.1); a mobile home park must be at least 2.0 ha (definition 4.113) [15]
Temporary garden suite
Section 5.9 'Garden Suites' deleted by By-law 2025-046 [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. [14][9][4][11][10]

Bunkie or sleeping cabin

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

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

Accessory buildings may not be used for human habitation except as specifically permitted, and the by-law does not provide for sleeping cabins. Tillsonburg has no rural or waterfront residential zones.

Maximum size
Residential zones: all accessory buildings combined max 10% of lot area to 50 m² (538.2 ft²) ground floor area; 100 m² on existing lots over 1,500 m² (Table 5.1.1.4, s.5.1.1.4.1 v) [3]
Approvals
Accessory building 'is not to be used for human habitation except as specifically permitted in this By-Law' (s.5.1.1.3) [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. [11][9][4][16]

Official links

Last confirmed October 2026.

Notes and caveats

The by-law is hosted by Oxford County as section PDFs; the County page says it reflects amendments to June 30, 2025. The cdn.umb-sites.dev links on that page failed TLS (expired certificate), so the same files were read at www.oxfordcounty.ca/media/... paths. Council-approved amendments awaiting consolidation (list dated Aug 31, 2025) include By-law 2025-055, which replaces Table 5.1.1.4 town-wide. Its OCR'd text appears to set accessory rear/interior side setbacks of 1.2 m for buildings up to 3.69 m high and 3 m for taller ones, while keeping the 6 m height and the 10%/50 m² coverage limits; the setback figures are not confirmed because the scan is poor. Whether the 50 m² accessory coverage cap applies to a detached ARU building is not stated explicitly. Only Sections 1, 4, 5, 6, 11 and 18 were read.

Sources

  1. Tillsonburg’s guide to additional units
  2. oxfordcounty.ca PDF
  3. oxfordcounty.ca PDF
  4. Planning Act (Ontario e-Laws)
  5. O. Reg. 299/19: Additional residential units (Ontario e-Laws)
  6. Development Charges Act, 1997 (Ontario e-Laws)
  7. oxfordcounty.ca PDF
  8. oxfordcounty.ca PDF
  9. Government of Ontario PDF
  10. Build or buy a tiny home: Building Code requirements (Government of Ontario)
  11. Building Code Act, 1992 (Ontario e-Laws)
  12. O. Reg. 163/24: Ontario Building Code (Ontario e-Laws)
  13. 2024 Ontario Building Code (Government of Ontario)
  14. Build or buy a tiny home: permits and inspections (Government of Ontario)
  15. oxfordcounty.ca PDF
  16. Building Code updates (Government of Ontario)

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