Home/Modular Homes by City/Georgina
Serving the Town of Georgina (York Region)
Modular Homes & Garden Suites in Georgina, Ontario
Factory-direct modular homes and backyard suites for the Town of Georgina — Keswick, Sutton, Jackson's Point, Pefferlaw, Udora, Baldwin, Belhaven and the countryside along the south shore of Lake Simcoe. Georgina permits up to two additional residential units per home, including one in a detached backyard building, as-of-right. Here's what the by-law allows, what it costs, and the rules that apply.
What you can build in Georgina
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 Georgina'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 Georgina 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? (Georgina lots typically allow up to ~600 sq ft on a typical in-town lot)
Georgina has two zoning by-laws. On an in-town lot under By-law 500 (Keswick, Sutton, Jackson's Point) there's no separate size cap — all accessory buildings together may cover 10% of the lot, about 60 m² (≈645 sq ft) of footprint on a 600 m² lot, shared with any shed or garage. On a Rural lot, and anywhere in the countryside under By-law 600, the suite is capped at the lesser of 150 m² (≈1,615 sq ft) or 40% of your house's floor area. Enter 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 Georgina address →Can you put a garden suite (ADU) in your Georgina backyard?
Often, yes — Georgina permits a detached Additional Residential Unit on most serviced residential lots. The specifics, from Town of Georgina Zoning By-law 500, §5.50 — Additional Residential Units (amended by By-law 500-2025-0009), and Countryside Zoning By-law 600, §6.2 — Additional Dwelling Units:
| Max size | In-town residential lots (By-law 500): no separate cap — the suite shares the 10% accessory-building coverage limit, about 60 m² (≈645 sq ft) of footprint on a 600 m² (≈6,460 sq ft) lot. Rural lots and all countryside lots (By-law 600): the lesser of 150 m² (≈1,615 sq ft) or 40% of your house's residential floor area. |
|---|---|
| Max height | In-town lots of 600 m² or more: 4.5 m (≈15 ft), or 6 m (≈20 ft) to the peak of a pitched roof; smaller lots: 3 m (≈10 ft), or 4.5 m (≈15 ft) to a peak. Countryside (By-law 600): 7.5 m (≈25 ft). |
| Setbacks | Rear yard only. By-law 500: 1.2 m (≈4 ft) from the rear and interior side lot lines and 3–50 m (≈10–164 ft) from the house. By-law 600: 2–50 m (≈7–164 ft) from the house, with the accessory-building setbacks (3 m / ≈10 ft interior side on rural lots). A 1.2 m walkway to the suite is required. |
| Units per lot | Up to 3 dwellings per lot — the house plus up to two additional units, at most one of them in a detached building |
| Parking | By-law 500: 3 spaces in total with one additional unit (4 with two). By-law 600: 4 spaces in total with a detached suite. Rural suites share the house’s driveway. |
| Servicing | Municipal water & sewer in the serviced settlement areas; private well + septic elsewhere. A septic system within 100 m (≈330 ft) of Lake Simcoe or any permanent stream can serve a suite only if the existing system can absorb it — no new system for the suite. |
| Conservation | Lake Simcoe Region Conservation Authority (LSRCA) — the whole Town is in the Lake Simcoe watershed. No additional unit on flood, erosion or hazard lands without an LSRCA permit. |
Check your specific Georgina address →
Garden suite, laneway suite, in-law suite, ARU, ADU — different names for the same thing: a small, self-contained home in the backyard. New to the idea? Start with prefab garden suites for Ontario — what one costs in Georgina, and the models that fit →
Georgina's by-law is verified in our checker, so you can check if a garden suite is allowed at your Georgina address in about a minute.
Getting your building permit in Georgina
An eligible lot still needs a building permit before anything is delivered. Here's how Georgina's process actually works — verified against the Georgina building department's own pages.
How do you apply for an ADU building permit in Georgina?
Through Town of Georgina Building Permit Application Portal (online, SurveyMonkey Apply) (application portal ↗). Apply online through the Town's Building Permit Application Portal. Every document must be an unsecured PDF flattened to a single layer, with forms signed and kept separate from the drawings. Permit fees up to $5,000 can be paid by credit card when no deposit is required. Georgina's building-permit page ↗
- Confirm which zoning by-law covers your lot (By-law 500 for the settlement areas, Countryside By-law 600 elsewhere) and that your zone permits a detached additional residential unit — the Building Division's zoning examiners answer this at building@georgina.ca
- On a well/septic lot, check the 100 m rule first: if your septic system is within 100 m of Lake Simcoe or any permanent stream, the suite must run on the existing system — request your septic plan from the Building Division and have a qualified designer confirm the system's capacity
- Check the Lake Simcoe Region Conservation Authority's regulation mapping — an LSRCA permit comes before the building permit in a regulated area
- Book a pre-application meeting with the Town (planning@georgina.ca) — and apply for the ARU Creation incentive BEFORE you incur costs, since only costs after approval count
- Prepare the site plan and construction drawings; a Site Alteration and Entrance Permit may be needed for grading and drainage before the building permit is issued
- Submit the building-permit (and any sewage-system) application through the online portal and pay the fee; book inspections as construction proceeds
- Register the additional residential unit with the Town
What does a Georgina ADU permit application need?
- Application for a Permit to Construct or Demolish (2026 provincial form)
- Schedule 1: Designer Information — and Schedule 2: Sewage System Installer Information where septic work is involved
- Site plan showing lot dimensions, north arrow, the road, any watercourses, all buildings and their sizes, and setbacks to the property lines
- Construction drawings for the suite prepared by a qualified designer
- Letter of Authorization if an agent applies on the owner's behalf
- LSRCA permit where the lot is in a regulated area; Site Alteration and Entrance Permit where required
How much does an ADU building permit cost in Georgina?
Estimates from the Town's fee schedule in By-law 2026-0057 (AD-5), effective July 1, 2026 — a new house is charged $1.95 per sq ft, so a ~600 sq ft detached suite would run roughly $1,200 in building-permit fees, plus septic work on a well/septic lot. Which rate the Town applies to a factory-built suite, and whether the foundation is charged separately, should be confirmed with the Building Division (905-476-4301 ext. 3007, building@georgina.ca) before budgeting.
| Building permit — house, new and addition | $1.95 per sq ft (July 1, 2026 rate); Part 9 residential minimum $184 |
|---|---|
| Building permit — moved/relocated or prefabricated house | $1.81 per sq ft of building area (new for 2026); a new foundation, basement, slab or crawl space is $1.07 per sq ft |
| Septic (sewage system) permit | $1,587 for a new or replacement Class 4 system; $663 for a tank or leaching bed only; $163 for a test-hole/percolation inspection |
| ARU Creation incentive | The Town currently reimburses 50% of project costs up to $30,000 for a new unit, subject to funding — apply before you start |
Georgina's ARU Guide says to check development charges (georgina.ca/DevelopmentCharges) and that education development charges may apply. The provincial exemption for a unit in a detached building covers a serviced urban residential lot only — on a rural well/septic lot, confirm the Town and York Region charges before assuming the suite is exempt.
How long does an ADU building permit take in Georgina?
Ontario's Building Code requires a decision on a complete house-class application within 10 business days. The 10-business-day Building Code clock applies to a complete house-class application. An LSRCA permit, a Site Alteration and Entrance Permit, or septic design work on a well/septic lot each runs first and adds its own time.
Registration: Every additional residential unit must be registered with the Town (both zoning by-laws require it) — confirm the registration process and any fee with the Building Division.
Worth knowing before you apply
- The 100 m septic rule: within 100 m of the Lake Simcoe shoreline or any permanent stream, a suite on private septic is allowed only if the existing system can absorb it — you can't add a new system for the suite there
- Apply for the ARU Creation incentive before you spend anything — only costs incurred after the grant is approved are reimbursed, and the home must be at least 5 years old
- Drawings must be flattened single-layer PDFs with matching scale and page size — mis-formatted submissions are sent back
- A home occupation or home daycare can't operate in the additional unit — only in the main dwelling
Fees and timelines are estimates from Georgina's published schedules, verified September 21, 2026. Rates and processes change — always confirm current requirements with the building department before you apply.
Grants & financing in Georgina
Georgina ARU Creation incentive — The Town currently offers 50% of project costs up to $30,000 to create a new attached or detached unit — modular and prefabricated units qualify. The home must be at least 5 years old, only costs incurred after approval count, and funding is limited. Apply to the Town before you start (planning@georgina.ca).
ARU registration — Every additional residential unit must be registered with the Town of Georgina.
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 →
Georgina modular homes — FAQ
Can you build a garden suite / ADU in Georgina, Keswick or Sutton?
Yes. Georgina permits up to two additional residential units per home as-of-right — one of them in a detached backyard building — on lots with a permitted house. The settlement areas (Keswick, Sutton, Jackson's Point, Pefferlaw, Udora and the other hamlets) follow Zoning By-law 500 §5.50; the countryside between them follows Countryside Zoning By-law 600 §6.2. The suite goes in the rear yard, within 50 m of the house.
How big can a garden suite be in Georgina?
It depends on which by-law covers your lot. On an in-town residential lot under By-law 500 there is no separate size cap — all accessory buildings together may cover 10% of the lot (about 60 m² / 645 sq ft of footprint on a 600 m² lot), plus the height limit. On a Rural lot, and on every countryside lot under By-law 600, the suite is capped at the lesser of 150 m² (≈1,615 sq ft) or 40% of your house's floor area — a 1,500 sq ft house allows about 600 sq ft.
Can you build an ADU on well and septic in Georgina?
Yes, with one important catch. Your well and septic must be able to support the extra unit — and if your septic system is within 100 m (≈330 ft) of the Lake Simcoe shoreline or any permanent stream, the suite is allowed only if it can run on the house's existing septic system. You can't add a new septic system for the suite in that zone. Many lots near the lake and its creeks fall inside it, so check this first.
Can you put a modular home in Georgina, Ontario?
Yes. On land you own, a CSA A277 modular home on a permanent foundation is legal residential housing under the Ontario Building Code throughout Georgina — as the main house, or as the detached additional unit in your backyard. Georgina’s ARU Creation incentive explicitly lists prefabricated and modular units as eligible projects.
How much does a modular home or backyard suite cost in Georgina?
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 Georgina?
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 Town of Georgina Zoning By-law 500, §5.50 — Additional Residential Units (amended by By-law 500-2025-0009), and Countryside Zoning By-law 600, §6.2 — Additional Dwelling Units; verified by Modular Homes 400 and reviewed by James Clarke, REALTOR®. Always confirm current requirements with the municipality before you build.