Garden Suite Rules Checker Your town’s rules, no email required
Pick your town and see what it actually publishes about backyard units: the word it uses, how many units, size, height, setbacks, parking, fire access, servicing, fees, development charges and grants. 71 Ontario municipalities, every record dated, every number linked to the town’s own source.
What is in it
A builder’s summary of published rules. Not a zoning certificate. Your town’s zoning review has the final word.
Most Ontario towns now allow a house plus at least one detached backyard unit on a serviced lot, but size caps run from 35 m² (Brampton residential zones) to 186 m² (Centre Wellington farm lots), and heights from 4 m to 10 m. Pick your town below to see its numbers, its grants and the drawings you will need.
Garden Suite Rules Checker
Type a town name or choose from the list. Results appear instantly. Nothing is sent anywhere.
Grouped by region. Townships inside a county page (Essa, Tay, Puslinch and so on) are listed by name.
Builder’s summary, not a zoning certificate. Confirm with your town’s zoning review before you buy, design or sign.
Your result
Choose a town to see its rules here. The full list, the drawings you will need and your next step appear underneath.
The Numbers Exist. They Are Just Hidden.
Most town websites tell you additional units are “permitted subject to the zoning by-law” and stop there. The actual numbers sit on page 140 of a scanned PDF, between the rules for gas bars and the rules for kennels. We read those PDFs so you do not have to.
Every record in the checker came from the town’s own page, guide or by-law, checked in October 2026. Where we could not confirm a number, it says not published rather than a guess. A blank you can act on beats a confident wrong number you build to.
We are builders, not planners. We have been building homes since 1979, more than 300 of them, and the expensive surprises on backyard units are almost always the same: the setback nobody measured, the septic bed that was already full, and the grant that closed the month before the permit. The checker is built to flag those early.
Five Lines That Matter and What They Really Mean
Term and units
The word tells you which section of the by-law to read. The unit count tells you whether you can do a backyard unit and a basement unit, or only one of them. Rural townships often allow fewer units than cities, and some still treat a backyard unit as a temporary garden suite.
Maximum size
Watch the wording. “45% of the main house” on a 1,000 sq ft bungalow is about 450 sq ft, while “80 m²” is 861 sq ft no matter what the house is. Many caps are “the lesser of” two numbers, so the smaller one wins.
Height and setbacks
Height decides one storey or two. Setbacks decide whether the building actually fits where you pictured it. Measure from the property line, not the fence. Fences wander; surveys do not.
Servicing
If the record mentions septic or private services, the septic system is usually the first thing that decides yes or no on a rural lot. Get the capacity checked before you pay for drawings.
Grants and fees
Money comes with strings: rent caps, rental periods, no work before approval. Apply first, build second. Starting early is the single most common way people lose a grant.
Want your actual lot checked?
The checker reads the town. The $399 + HST Lot Report reads your lot: zoning, setbacks on your survey, servicing, septic risk and a ballpark budget, in 48 hours. Credited toward permit plans or a build.
Simcoe County and Georgian Bay: we build there. If the checker shows a Simcoe town, the next step button takes you to our build team at ICFhome.ca and our Simcoe garden suite builder page. Every Simcoe municipality also qualifies for the County Secondary Suites Program, up to $50,000 forgivable over 15 years with rent limits. Details on our Simcoe grant page.
Four Mistakes the Checker Cannot Catch for You
Site-specific zoning
Your lot may carry an exception zone (the little suffix after R1 on the zoning map) that overrides the general rules. Check the map, then the exception text.
Conservation authority lines
Floodplains, shorelines and slopes are regulated separately. A permit from the conservation authority can add weeks and setbacks the town page never mentions.
Old surveys and new fences
A 1970s survey and a fence built by the previous owner are not proof of where your lot line is. If the suite is going near a line, pay for a fresh stake-out.
Title and covenants
Some subdivisions carry restrictive covenants against second dwellings. Zoning can say yes while your deed says no. Your lawyer can check in an afternoon.
Rules Look Good? Find Out If Your Lot Agrees.
The checker tells you what the town allows. A Lot Report tells you what fits on your lot, what the servicing will cost and where the traps are. 48 hours, $399, credited toward plans or a build.
Rules Checker Questions
Is the Rules Checker really free?
Yes. No email, no account, no sales call. Pick your town and read the rules. If you want someone to look at your actual lot, that is the $399 + HST Lot Report, delivered in 48 hours and credited toward permit plans or a build.
Can I rely on the checker instead of asking the town?
No. It is a builder’s summary of what each municipality publishes, checked in October 2026. Your lot can have site-specific zoning, an overlay, a conservation authority regulation or an old by-law exception that no summary will show. Before you buy, design or sign, get a zoning review or zoning certificate from your town.
Why does it say not published for some towns?
Because the town does not post that number on its website and we could not confirm it from the by-law text we could read. We would rather show a blank than guess. When you see it, call or email the planning department and ask for the section of the zoning by-law that covers detached additional units.
What is the difference between garden suite, ARU, ADU and coach house?
Mostly the word. Toronto, Mississauga and Brampton say garden suite. Barrie, Burlington and many townships say additional residential unit (ARU). Hamilton, Kitchener and Guelph say additional dwelling unit (ADU). Ottawa says coach house. In many rural townships garden suite still means a temporary unit approved under a temporary use by-law. Our terms glossary sorts it out.
Does the province set a maximum garden suite size?
No. Ontario lets you have up to three units on an urban serviced lot and, since the November 2024 amendments to O. Reg. 299/19, overrides floor space index limits, guarantees at least 45% lot coverage and caps separation rules at 4 m. The actual size cap is still set by each town. See how big can a garden suite be.
What drawings will I need for a permit?
Almost every town wants a survey-based site plan, a full architectural set, and HVAC heat loss and ventilation design. Rural lots on septic add a septic design through SepticReplacement.ca, and many towns want a lot grading plan. Our permit packages bundle the pieces.
My town is not in the list. What now?
We cover 71 municipalities and add more as we check them. If yours is missing, start with the regional page closest to you on our Rules by City hub, then ask your planning department for the additional residential unit section of the zoning by-law. Or send us the address with a Lot Report order and we will dig it out.
How often is the data updated?
Every record shows the month it was last checked. Grants open and close fast (several 2025 programs are already closed), so check the incentive line against the town’s own page before you count on the money.