Toronto zoning for small homes

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 · Toronto’s term: “garden suite / laneway suite”

One garden suite or one laneway suite is permitted in an ancillary building on a lot in the R, RD, RS, RT and RM zones, subject to Chapter 150.7 (garden suites) or 150.8 (laneway suites) of Zoning By-law 569-2013. A lot cannot have both, and a laneway suite needs a lot line on a public lane. [1][2]

Where allowed: R, RD, RS, RT and RM zones. Lots abutting a public lane fall under the laneway suite rules (Chapter 150.8), which require at least 3.5 m of rear or side lot line on the lane (150.8.30.20(1)) [3]
Number allowed: A maximum of one ancillary building containing either a garden suite or a laneway suite per lot; a lot may not contain both (150.7.20.1(2)) [4]
Maximum size: Garden suite: 120 m² gross floor area, or 60 m² if one storey, and less than the gross floor area of the main house (150.7.60.50(2) and (4), By-law 849-2025). Lot coverage: 45% for all buildings, or the suite is excluded and all ancillary buildings together are capped at 20% of the lot (150.7.60.70(1)). Laneway suite: gross floor area less than the main house's, maximum 10.0 m long and 8.0 m wide (150.8.60.50(2), 150.8.60.30(5)-(6)) [4]
Maximum height: Garden and laneway suites: 4.0 m if less than 7.5 m from the house; 6.3 m if 7.5 m or more from the house; maximum two storeys (150.7.60.40(1)-(2), 150.8.60.40(1)-(2)) [4]
Separation from house: Garden suite: at least 4.0 m from the house's main wall if the suite is 4.0 m high or less, 7.5 m if taller (5.0 m in a defined area of east Toronto) (150.7.60.30(1)). Laneway suite: 4.0 m or 7.5 m on the same basis (150.8.60.30(1)) [4]
Setbacks: Garden suite rear yard: 1.5 m, or the greater of 1.5 m and half the suite's height on lots deeper than 45.0 m, plus 1.5 m where rear windows sit above 4.0 m and the lot abuts a residential lot. Side yard: 0.6 m (no openings) or 1.5 m (with openings), or 10% of lot frontage if greater, to a maximum of 3.0 m (150.7.60.20(2), (5)) [4]
Parking: No parking space is required for a garden suite or laneway suite, or for the dwelling units on the same lot; two bicycle parking spaces are required for a garden suite (150.7.80.1, 150.8.80.1) [4]
Servicing: Water supply and sanitary connections come from the primary dwelling [3]
Approvals: Building permit required; a minor variance from the Committee of Adjustment is needed first if the design does not meet zoning. Emergency (firefighter) access is set through Building Code review and cannot be varied [3]

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. [5][6][7]

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 · Toronto’s term: “detached house”

Zoning By-law 569-2013 sets no minimum dwelling unit floor area for detached houses in the Residential (R) and Residential Detached (RD) zones. Minimum lot area and frontage, setbacks and other zone standards still apply, and the Ontario Building Code governs the dwelling itself. [8][9]

Minimum dwelling size: None found in the R zone (Chapter 10.10), RD zone (Chapter 10.20) or Residential Zone category (Chapter 10.5) regulations; these chapters regulate minimum lot area and frontage, not dwelling floor area [10]

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. [5][11][12][13][14][15][16]

Tiny home on wheels or park model

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

Not allowed · Toronto’s term: “vehicle”

Zoning By-law 569-2013 states that a vehicle may not be used for living accommodation, and defines a vehicle to include a device capable of being pulled by a self-propelled device. The by-law has no mobile home or trailer park zone; recreational vehicles and camper trailers are addressed only as parking and storage on residential lots. [17]

Where allowed: Nowhere: "A vehicle may not be used for living accommodation" (5.10.1.30(2)). A vehicle "means a wheeled or tracked device, either self-propelled or capable of being pulled by a self-propelled device", and "A vehicle is not a building" or a structure (800.50(880), (95), (835)) [18]
Parking: Up to two parking spaces on a residential lot may store recreational vehicles, with no more than one camper trailer or one boat trailer, inside a building or in the rear yard (10.5.80.10(8)) [9]

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. [16][11][5][13][12]

Bunkie or sleeping cabin

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

Not allowed · Toronto’s term: “ancillary building”

In the Residential Zone category, an ancillary building may not be used for living accommodation, except a garden suite or laneway suite under Chapters 150.7 and 150.8. Toronto has no rural or waterfront residential zones; separately, ancillary buildings on a residential lot are capped at 60 m² combined floor area on lots 12.0 m wide or more, and 40 m² otherwise.

Where allowed: "An ancillary building in the Residential Zone category may not be used for living accommodation" (10.5.60.1(2)); garden and laneway suites are the exceptions (150.7.20.1(1), 150.8.20.1(1)) [9]
Kitchen: An ordinary ancillary building may have food preparation or sanitary facilities, but not both, unless it is required indoor amenity space (10.5.60.1(3)) [9]
Maximum size: Total floor area of all ancillary buildings: 60.0 m² on lots with 12.0 m or more frontage, 40.0 m² otherwise (10.5.60.50(2)) [9]

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. [13][11][5][19]

Official links

Last confirmed October 2026.

Notes and caveats

All by-law figures come from the City's online office consolidation of Zoning By-law 569-2013, which says it includes City-wide amendments up to April 30, 2026. The garden and laneway suite changes from item PH23.1 are in the consolidation as By-laws 849-2025 (garden suites) and 847-2025 (laneway suites), with transition dates of July 24, 2025. The garden suites page says the amendments are in force except for one property-specific appeal. That page gives the Council adoption date as June 24, while Bill 835 says July 23-25, 2025. By-law 569-2013 is itself under appeal in part, and some lands are still governed by former municipal zoning by-laws or site-specific exceptions (Chapter 900), which this summary does not cover. The earlier lead about an Affordable Laneway/Garden Suites loan was not re-checked.

Sources

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Toronto zoning for small homes

Backyard suite

Ontario-wide rule

Tiny home on a foundation

Ontario-wide rule

Tiny home on wheels or park model

Ontario-wide rule

Bunkie or sleeping cabin

Ontario-wide rule

Official links

Sources

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