Home/Modular Homes by City/Township of Chatsworth
Serving the Township of Chatsworth & Grey County
Modular Homes & Garden Suites in Township of Chatsworth, Ontario
Factory-direct modular homes and backyard suites for the Township of Chatsworth — Chatsworth village, Holland Centre, Williamsford, Desboro, Berkeley, Massie and Walters Falls. Chatsworth is one of the most generous municipalities in Ontario for a second home: in the Rural zones the by-law does not create a small capped suite, it simply lets you put a second detached DWELLING on the lot, with no maximum floor area at all. Two gates decide whether you qualify, and one area of the Township is excluded outright — both are worth reading before you order anything.
What you can build in Township of Chatsworth
Full modular homes — from $175,696. 29 models from 560 to 1,405 sq ft, 1–3 bedrooms — factory-built to the Ontario Building Code and set on a permanent foundation (a real, permanent house, not a “trailer”).
Backyard suites (ADUs) — from $96,244. 7 compact models built for garden-suite and in-law-suite use, sized to fit what Township of Chatsworth's by-law allows.
All homes are CSA-certified (A277 modular / Z240MH manufactured), finished in the factory, and delivered ready for foundation and hook-up. What's the difference between modular, manufactured, and mobile? →
Find your backyard suite — 3 quick questions
We'll narrow the models that fit a typical Township of Chatsworth backyard allowance to the ones that fit your life. No email needed.
1 · Who's it for?
2 · What layout?
3 · What size feels right? (Township of Chatsworth lots typically allow up to no fixed cap)
Because Chatsworth permits a second detached dwelling rather than a capped accessory suite, full-size homes are in play here, not just compact backyard suites. The by-law sets no maximum floor area — size is governed by the 15% lot coverage — so the practical limit is usually your lot, your septic and your budget. Your lot must be at least 0.4 ha (0.99 acres) and the second home has to sit within 75 m of the existing house. Check your address for the specifics. Your exact lot may allow more or less — get the real number for your address in seconds.
Check your exact Township of Chatsworth address →Can you put a garden suite (ADU) in your Township of Chatsworth backyard?
Often, yes — Township of Chatsworth permits a detached Additional Residential Unit on most serviced residential lots. The specifics, from Township of Chatsworth Comprehensive Zoning By-law 2025-12 §8.1(b) and §8.3 (Rural Zone dwelling units), §8.2 and §8.12 (yards and lot coverage), adopted February 5, 2025:
| Max size | No maximum floor area in the by-law — the limit is 15% lot coverage for all buildings combined. The only floor-area rule is a MINIMUM of 23.2 m² (250 sq ft) |
|---|---|
| What you can build | A second detached dwelling — a full house, not a capped accessory suite. Up to 3 units on a lot of 0.8 ha (1.98 acres) or more, where the third is inside one of the two houses |
| Lot size needed | At least 0.4 ha (0.99 acres) in the Rural zones. In Urban Residential (R2) a detached second dwelling needs 2 ha (4.94 acres); below that only a unit inside the house |
| Distance limit | The second dwelling must sit within 75 m (≈246 ft) of the existing house — a real constraint on a large rural parcel |
| Max height | 10 m (≈33 ft) — the dwelling standard, not the tighter 7 m accessory-building limit |
| Setbacks | 15 m (≈49 ft) front, side and rear on a lot of 2 ha or more. On a lot under 2 ha this relaxes to 3 m (≈10 ft) interior side, 7.5 m (≈25 ft) exterior side and 9 m (≈30 ft) rear, with the 15 m front unchanged |
| Where allowed | Rural (A1) and Restricted Rural (A2) as-of-right. Lake Residential (R3) permits a second unit only INSIDE the house. Multiple Residential (R4) has no second-unit provision. Not available anywhere inside the Niagara Escarpment Development Control Area |
| Parking | 1 space per dwelling unit — and every unit on the lot must share ONE driveway entrance |
| Servicing | There is no municipal sewer anywhere in the Township, so every property is on private septic. Chatsworth issues its own septic permits and must see the capacity before the building permit |
| Conservation | Grey Sauble or Saugeen Valley Conservation Authority depending on your watershed — the boundary is irregular, so it is resolved property by property |
Getting your building permit in Township of Chatsworth
An eligible lot still needs a building permit before anything is delivered. Here's how Township of Chatsworth's process actually works — verified against the Township of Chatsworth building department's own pages.
How do you apply for an ADU building permit in Township of Chatsworth?
Through Cloudpermit (application portal ↗). Applications are submitted online through Cloudpermit, but payment is not — the Township takes payment in person at the office by cash or cheque, and does not accept credit cards. Township of Chatsworth's building-permit page ↗
- Confirm your zone and lot size first — the second detached dwelling needs a lot of at least 0.4 ha (0.99 acres) in the Rural zones and must sit within 75 m of the existing house
- Check whether your property is inside the Niagara Escarpment Development Control Area — if it is, a detached unit is not permitted and you deal with the Niagara Escarpment Commission, not the Township
- Have your septic assessed: either a review of the existing system or a permit for a new one, both issued by the Township itself
- If any part of the lot is in a regulated area, get written permission from Grey Sauble or Saugeen Valley Conservation Authority
- Register for Cloudpermit and create the application, attaching at minimum a site plan and drawings
- Attach Schedule 1 (Designer Information) for whoever takes responsibility for the design, and Schedule 2 where a sewage system is involved
- Sign off and submit, then pay at the Township office by cash or cheque
- Book inspections as construction proceeds, and arrange the civic address sign for the new dwelling
What does a Township of Chatsworth ADU permit application need?
- Site plan showing both dwellings, the 75 m separation and all setbacks
- Construction drawings
- Schedule 1 — Designer Information (individual and firm BCIN), unless the designer is a licensed architect or engineer
- Schedule 2 — Sewage System Installer Information, where a septic system is being installed or altered
- Energy Efficiency and Design Summary (EEDS)
- Residential Mechanical Ventilation Design Summary
- Owner Authorization form where the applicant is not the owner
- Conservation authority permission where the lot is in a regulated area
- Niagara Escarpment Commission Development Permit where the property is under Development Control — this must be obtained BEFORE the Township can issue a building permit
How much does an ADU building permit cost in Township of Chatsworth?
Estimates only, read from the Township's 2026 Building Fees and Charges schedule (Schedule "D" to Fees and Charges By-law 2026-22, in force February 19, 2026). Confirm current figures with the Building Department before budgeting.
| Building permit — new residential | $0.78 per sq ft of floor area, all floors including basements, with a $325 minimum. An 800 sq ft second dwelling works out to about $624. The rate is the same $0.78 whether the unit is classed as a new residential dwelling or a residential accessory building, so there is no fee-class ambiguity here |
|---|---|
| Application fee | $260 non-refundable. The by-law does not say whether this is additive to the permit fee or credited against it — worth confirming |
| Septic — new system | $700 for a Class 4 or 5 system. The Township of Chatsworth issues its own septic permits, so this is one desk, not two |
| Septic — existing system | $200 for a septic review, or $125 for a septic compliance letter — this is the usual route when an existing system has to be shown to handle the extra bedrooms |
| Civic address sign | $250 for a new 911 sign, installed by the Township. A second dwelling needs its own civic address |
| Lot grading deposit | $2,000 deposit taken at building application, less a $500 review fee. The by-law does not state which applications trigger it |
Chatsworth has no development charge by-law of its own, but Grey County charges $10,537 per unit in 2026 (By-laws 5127-22 and 5128-22), collected by the Township when the permit is issued. Do not assume a detached second dwelling is exempt. The County's exemption for additional units applies only to units "in or attached to" an existing dwelling, and the by-law was passed in December 2021, before the provincial additional-residential-unit exemption came into force — so a separate detached house may fall outside both. This is the single largest cost in the project and the least certain: confirm it in writing with Grey County and the Township before committing.
How long does an ADU building permit take in Township of Chatsworth?
Ontario's Building Code requires a decision on a complete house-class application within 10 business days. The Township does not publish a review timeline. The Ontario Building Code's 10-business-day period for a house-class permit applies as the statutory default, and the clock only starts once the application is complete.
Worth knowing before you apply
- Payment cannot be made online. The application goes through Cloudpermit, but the Township requires payment in person at the office by cash or cheque, and does not accept credit cards.
- Inside the Niagara Escarpment Development Control Area — Massie, Walters Falls and rural lands on several schedules — the Township's zoning has no legal force and a detached unit is prohibited outright. A Niagara Escarpment Commission Development Permit must be issued before the Township can issue any building permit.
- There is no municipal sewer anywhere in the Township, so a septic step applies to every application, including on lots in Chatsworth village and Walters Falls that have municipal drinking water.
- Every dwelling unit on the lot has to share one driveway entrance, so a new entrance permit is usually not needed — but the new dwelling does need its own civic address sign, and the Township requires a legal entrance to exist before it will assign a civic number.
- A permit fee is not refundable once the permit has been issued.
- Starting work without a permit costs 50% of the permit value for the offending structure, or $600, whichever is greater.
Fees and timelines are estimates from Township of Chatsworth's published schedules, verified July 30, 2026. Rates and processes change — always confirm current requirements with the building department before you apply.
Grants & financing in Township of Chatsworth
See every program → Ontario ADU Grants Directory
A modular or prefab home on a permanent foundation is financed like any house. CMHC Prefab Plus allows an insured mortgage with as little as 5% down on the first $500,000, with construction funds released in stages. How modular home financing works →
Thinking of the suite as a rental? Run the numbers →
Township of Chatsworth modular homes — FAQ
Can you build a detached second home in Chatsworth?
In the Rural zones, yes — and it is more generous than most of Ontario. By-law 2025-12 §8.1(b) permits an additional detached dwelling as-of-right on a lot of at least 0.4 hectares (0.99 acres), provided it sits within 75 metres of the existing house. This is a second house, not a capped granny suite: the by-law sets no maximum floor area, only a 250 sq ft minimum. On a lot of 0.8 hectares or more you can go to three units, where the third is inside one of the two houses.
How big can a second dwelling be in Chatsworth?
There is no maximum floor area anywhere in the by-law. The governing limit is that all buildings together cover at most 15% of the lot, and the second dwelling can be up to 10 m tall. On a one-acre lot, 15% works out to roughly 600 m² of building footprint, so in practice the by-law is rarely what limits you — your septic capacity, your lot shape and the 75 m distance rule usually decide the answer first.
Are there parts of Chatsworth where a detached suite is not allowed?
Yes, and it catches more of the Township than people expect. Massie and Walters Falls sit entirely inside the Niagara Escarpment Development Control Area, and so do rural lands on several other schedules — roughly 6% of the Township. Inside that area the Township zoning has no legal force at all, and the Niagara Escarpment Plan requires a second unit to be contained within or attached to the existing house, expressly prohibiting one in a detached structure. An internal unit may still work, but it needs a Development Permit from the Niagara Escarpment Commission first. Lake Residential (R3) lots are also limited to a unit inside the house.
Can you put a modular home in Chatsworth?
Yes, and the by-law is unusually explicit about it. Section 5 defines a "Modular Dwelling" as a prefabricated unit built to CSA A277 and placed on a permanent foundation, and it defines "Detached Dwelling" to expressly exclude a mobile home, which it defines as a CSA Z240 or Z241 unit. So a CSA A277 modular home on a permanent foundation qualifies as the second detached dwelling; a park model or trailer does not, and is confined to the Mobile Home Park zone or a temporary agreement.
How much does a modular home or backyard suite cost in Chatsworth?
Modular home models start at $175,696 and run to about $338,000 for the largest layouts; backyard ADU models start at $96,244. Site work, foundation, delivery, and permits are additional.
Can I get a mortgage on a modular home in Chatsworth?
Yes — on a permanent foundation it is financed as real property, including via CMHC Prefab Plus (5% down on the first $500,000).
Local rules summarized from Township of Chatsworth Comprehensive Zoning By-law 2025-12 §8.1(b) and §8.3 (Rural Zone dwelling units), §8.2 and §8.12 (yards and lot coverage), adopted February 5, 2025; verified by Modular Homes 400 and reviewed by James Clarke, REALTOR®. Always confirm current requirements with the City of Township of Chatsworth before you build.