Timmins zoning for small homes
City of Timmins, a single-tier municipality. Population 41,145 (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 · Timmins’s term: “garden suite”
In the consolidated by-law text, a detached unit beside a house is permitted only as a garden suite under a site-specific temporary use by-law (Planning Act s.39) and an agreement with the City. Garden suites are listed for the NA-R1, NA-R2, NA-R3, RD-RE1 and RD-RE2 zones. The text does not include any additional residential unit provisions. Ontario's Planning Act (s. 35.1) overrides zoning provisions that would prohibit one unit in a building ancillary to a house on serviced urban land. [1]
- Minimum lot size
- 460 m² (4,952 ft²) (Section 4.13) [2]
- Maximum size
- 60 m² (645.8 ft²) floor area (Section 4.13) [2]
- Maximum height
- One storey (Section 4.13) [2]
- Setbacks
- Rear or interior side yard; at least 3 m (9.8 ft) from any rear or side lot line (Section 4.13) [2]
- Number allowed
- One garden suite per lot (Section 4.13) [2]
- Parking
- 1 space per garden suite (parking table) [2]
- Approvals
- Site-specific temporary use by-law under Section 39 of the Planning Act, plus an agreement registering the occupants and governing removal, with financial assurance for removal costs (Section 4.13) [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. [1][3][4]
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 · Timmins’s term: “single detached dwelling”
Table C, the residential zone requirements, sets lot area, frontage, yards, height and coverage for single detached dwellings but no minimum floor area. Separate floor-area minimums apply only to dwelling units in non-residential buildings, to seasonal dwellings (cottages that are not a principal residence) and to mobile homes.
- Minimum dwelling size
- No minimum floor area in Table C for single detached dwellings; 'Dwelling, Seasonal' is defined as having a minimum floor area of 46.45 m² (500 ft²) [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. [1][5][6][7][8][9][10]
Tiny home on wheels or park model
Living full-time in a tiny home on wheels or a park model home.
Allowed with limits · Timmins’s term: “mobile home / park model trailer”
Park model trailers are listed only in the Mobile Home Park (RD-MHP) zone. Single-wide mobile homes are listed only in the RD-WN and Mobile Home Park zones. Section 4.29 bars human habitation in a recreational vehicle except seasonal or temporary use where the zone permits it. Double-wide mobile homes are listed in several residential and rural zones, and a garden suite needs a temporary use by-law.
- Where allowed
- Table A: Park Model Trailer – RD-MHP only; Mobile Home Single Wide – RD-WN and RD-MHP; Mobile Home Double Wide – NA-R1, NA-R2, NA-R3, RD-RE1, RD-RE2, RD-WN, RD-MHP, RD-RU [2]
- Minimum dwelling size
- A mobile home is defined as at least 3.5 m (11.5 ft) wide and not less than 55 m² (592 ft²) [2]
- Temporary garden suite
- Permitted only where a temporary use by-law has been enacted (Section 4.13 and Section 5 additional residential provisions) [2]
- Approvals
- Section 4.29: human habitation is not permitted in any recreational vehicle, whether or not mounted on wheels, except seasonal or temporary accommodation where that use is permitted in the zone [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. [10][5][1][7][6]
Bunkie or sleeping cabin
A small sleeping building with no kitchen, usually beside a cottage or house.
Not allowed · Timmins’s term: “sleep cabin (guest cabin)”
Section 4.1 says 'A sleep cabin shall not be permitted as an accessory use in any residential zone', and accessory buildings may not be used for human habitation unless specifically listed as a permitted use. The by-law defines a sleep cabin as an accessory building for sleeping only, with no cooking or sanitary facilities.
- Where allowed
- Section 4.1.15: sleep cabins are not permitted as an accessory use in any residential zone; Section 4.1.1: accessory buildings may not be used for human habitation except where specifically listed as a permitted use [2]
- Kitchen
- Definition: cooking and sanitary facilities are not permitted in a sleep cabin [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. [7][5][1][11]
Official links
Last confirmed October 2026.
Notes and caveats
Sources
- Planning Act (Ontario e-Laws)
- Zoning By-law 2011-7100
- 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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