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Serving the Township of Southgate (Grey County)
Modular Homes & Garden Suites in Southgate, Ontario
Factory-direct modular homes and backyard suites for the Township of Southgate — fast-growing Dundalk, Holstein, Proton Station and the farm concessions of southern Grey County. Southgate's 2025 update created three clear lanes: serviced Dundalk lots get up to TWO additional units with no floor-area cap; farm (A1) lots get two units in the farm cluster; rural-estate and small rural lots get one unit capped at 75 m² (≈807 sq ft). Here's what By-law 19-2002 allows, what it costs, and the rules that apply.
What you can build in Southgate
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 Southgate'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 Southgate 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? (Southgate lots typically allow up to ~807 sq ft)
Southgate’s cap depends on your lane: on municipally serviced lots (Dundalk) there is no fixed floor-area cap — the unit is one storey and the zone’s coverage governs; on rural-estate (R6) and small rural lots the detached unit is capped at 75 m² (≈807 sq ft); on A1 farm lots each unit just stays smaller than the main house. 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 Southgate address →Can you put a garden suite (ADU) in your Southgate backyard?
Often, yes — Southgate permits a detached Additional Residential Unit on most serviced residential lots. The specifics, from Township of Southgate Comprehensive Zoning By-law 19-2002, §5.24–5.24.2 — Additional Residential Units (2025 update; Office Consolidation February 2026):
| Lane 1 — Dundalk & serviced lots | Up to TWO additional units per lot, one of them a detached backyard building — no floor-area cap, height one storey (or confined above a detached garage), and the detached building earns 10 extra percentage points of lot coverage (§5.24). |
|---|---|
| Lane 2 — farm (A1) lots | Up to two units on well and septic: the detached one within 50 m (≈164 ft) of the farm building cluster, each unit smaller than the main house, with well and septic functionally connected and code-compliant (§5.24.1). Minimum Distance Separation applies near livestock. |
| Lane 3 — rural-estate & small lots | On rural-estate (R6) and rural lots under 2 ha (≈5 acres): ONE additional unit, and a detached garden-suite-style unit is capped at 75 m² (≈807 sq ft), one storey (§5.24.2). At 2 ha and up, two units come back. R6 lots are 0.8 ha (≈2 acres) minimum by zone. |
| Parking & the small print | One space per unit and TANDEM is expressly permitted (O.Reg 299/19). Every unit needs a 1 m (≈3.3 ft) hard-surfaced walkway from its door to the parking and a visible unit-number sign — small rules that trip up final inspections. |
| Servicing | Dundalk is municipally serviced — connection is process. Rural lots run on well and septic, and the by-law requires both functionally connected and compliant for the extra unit — a septic assessment sized for the unit is the practical first step. |
| Conservation | Saugeen Valley Conservation Authority for most of the township (the EP zones it delineates bar building), with the Grand River Conservation Authority in the southeast headwaters. An SVCA/GRCA permit on a regulated lot is a separate desk from the building permit. |
| Already have a garden suite? | A garden suite legally approved under the old temporary regime can now be kept PERMANENTLY as an additional unit, provided it’s relocated to comply with the current rules (§5.24.1 ix / §5.24.2 iii) — worth knowing before you renew a temporary-use agreement. |
Getting your building permit in Southgate
An eligible lot still needs a building permit before anything is delivered. Here's how Southgate's process actually works — verified against the Southgate building department's own pages.
How do you apply for an ADU building permit in Southgate?
Through Cloudpermit (Township of Southgate Building Department) (application portal ↗). Southgate runs its own Building Department, and it handles BOTH permits — building AND septic issue from the same township desk through one Cloudpermit application (Cathy Maltais, Building & By-law Administrative Assistant: cmaltais@southgate.ca, 519-379-6034; township office 185667 Grey County Road 9, Dundalk, 519-923-2110). Southgate's building-permit page ↗
- Confirm which of the three lanes your lot is in — serviced Dundalk lot (two units, no floor cap, one storey), A1 farm lot (two units in the farm cluster, well and septic connected), or rural-estate/sub-2-ha lot (one unit, detached capped at 75 m²). On a newer Dundalk subdivision, confirm the zone with the Township — mapping lags the growth.
- On a rural lot, start with the septic — the Township issues its own sewage permits (Class 2 $300, Class 4–5 $600 where applicable, septic review $200), and the by-law requires the well and septic functionally connected and code-compliant for the extra unit. Near a watercourse, a separate Saugeen Valley Conservation Authority permission may stack on top.
- Sort the entrance and 911 sign — on a township road the entrance permit is $650 ($400 of it a refundable deposit) and a new civic address is $148; on a Grey County road the County's own entrance permit applies instead (roads@grey.ca) and can take several weeks.
- Retain a qualified BCIN designer and assemble the package — application form, Schedule 2/2A septic forms, Energy Efficiency Design Summary, owner's authorization, and drawings sufficient to show Building Code compliance.
- Apply through Cloudpermit and pay — the $250 application fee is credited to the permit fee if issued; new residential construction prices at $0.70/sq ft (all floors except basement).
- Review, issuance, inspections — the sequence includes the septic base-cut and final inspections from the same township inspectors, and the small print matters at final: every unit needs its 1 m hard-surfaced walkway to the parking and a visible unit-number sign.
What does a Southgate ADU permit application need?
- Application for a Permit to Construct or Demolish (via Cloudpermit)
- Schedule 2 (Sewage System Installer) and Schedule 2A (Sewage System Information) on a septic lot — the septic permit rides the same application
- Energy Efficiency Design Summary
- Owner's Authorization where the applicant isn't the registered owner
- Site plan and construction drawings sufficient to demonstrate Ontario Building Code compliance (site plan showing well, septic and entrance on a rural lot)
How much does an ADU building permit cost in Southgate?
Fees follow Southgate's Fees and Charges By-law 2025-014 (passed February 5, 2025): new residential construction is $0.70/sq ft on all floors except the basement — roughly $420 on a 600 sq ft detached unit — plus the $250 application fee (credited to the permit fee if issued), plumbing at $75 per floor, and on a rural lot the septic permit ($300 Class 2 / $600 Class 4–5). Deposits add $1,250, refundable. All figures are estimates — confirm with the Building Department (519-923-2110), and note the fee by-law renews annually.
| Building permit — new detached unit | $0.70/sq ft, all floors except basement, minimum $150 (By-law 2025-014, Schedule C — priced as Residential-New); the accessory-building rate is $0.40/sq ft — confirm which classification the Township applies to a detached dwelling unit |
|---|---|
| Application fee | $250, applied to the permit fee if the permit issues (By-law 2025-014, Schedule C) |
| Plumbing permit | $75 per floor (By-law 2025-014, Schedule C) |
| Septic (sewage-system) permits — issued by the Township itself | Class 2 system $300; Class 4–5 $600 where applicable; septic review $200; septic compliance letter $150 (By-law 2025-014, Schedule C — Sewage) |
| Refundable deposits | $1,000 pre-occupancy deposit plus $250 final-inspection deposit (refundable in one year, prorated after) (By-law 2025-014, Schedule C) |
| Entrance permit + 911 sign — township roads | $650 total ($250 non-refundable fee + $400 deposit refundable on final approval inspection); new civic address (911 sign) $148 (By-law 2025-014, Schedule G). On a Grey County road, the County's own entrance permit applies instead |
| Development charges | Southgate's DC By-law 2022-154 charges a new single-detached home $10,227 on a rural lot and $21,254 on an urban serviced lot (January 1, 2025 indexed rates, per the Township's own pamphlet) — the provincial ADU exemption should apply to a qualifying additional unit, but the Township by-law's own exemption wording is unconfirmed: verify with the Building Department. Grey County's charge ($2,617 single-detached, 2022 base, indexed) carries older 'in or attached to' wording — confirm the County's treatment of a detached unit |
The Development Charges Act exempts qualifying additional residential units — against Southgate's $10,227 rural / $21,254 urban single-detached charge (2025 indexed rates, DC By-law 2022-154) that exemption is worth real money, but the Township by-law's own ADU wording is unconfirmed and Grey County's exemption ($2,617 charge, 2022 base) predates Bill 23 ('in or attached to'). Confirm both treatments with the Building Department when the permit is issued.
How long does an ADU building permit take in Southgate?
Ontario's Building Code requires a decision on a complete house-class application within 10 business days. Southgate publishes no turnaround figure of its own. The pre-steps set the real schedule: on a rural lot the septic assessment comes first, a Grey County road entrance can take several weeks on its own clock, and near a watercourse the SVCA permission stacks on top.
Worth knowing before you apply
- One desk, both permits: the same township inspectors run the building AND septic inspection sequence — base-cut and final/as-built septic inspections are built into the standard schedule.
- The final-inspection small print: every unit needs a 1 m hard-surfaced walkway from its door to the parking space and a visible unit-number sign — cheap to plan, annoying to retrofit.
- Check which road you front before promising a schedule — a Grey County road means the County's own entrance permit on the County's own clock, on top of the Township process.
- Dundalk's growth outruns the mapping — on a newer subdivision lot, confirm the zone with the Township before designing; the Township's word beats any published map.
- The fee by-law renews annually (2022-103 → 2024-101 → 2025-014) — confirm no 2026 successor has changed the rates.
Fees and timelines are estimates from Southgate's published schedules, verified August 28, 2026. Rates and processes change — always confirm current requirements with the building department before you apply.
Grants & financing in Southgate
Development charges — exempt for a qualifying ADU — Ontario's Development Charges Act (s.2(3)) exempts qualifying additional residential units — up to two units added to an existing home, or one unit in an ancillary building. Grey County's charge ($2,617 single-detached, 2022 schedule, indexed) carries exemption wording written before Bill 23 that speaks to units 'in or attached to' the house — confirm the County's and the Township's treatment of a detached unit when the permit is issued.
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 →
Southgate modular homes — FAQ
Can you build a garden suite / ADU in Southgate?
Yes — the 2025 update permits additional residential units as-of-right in three lanes: up to two units (one detached, no floor cap) on municipally serviced Dundalk lots (§5.24); two units in the farm cluster on A1 lots (§5.24.1); and one unit — the detached version capped at 75 m² — on rural-estate and sub-2-ha rural lots (§5.24.2). One practical caution: Dundalk is growing fast, and on a lot in a newer subdivision the published zone mapping lags — the Township’s word beats any map.
How big can a backyard suite be in Southgate?
It depends on the lane. On a serviced Dundalk lot there is no fixed cap — the unit is one storey and your zone’s coverage (plus the 10-point bonus) governs. On a rural-estate (R6) or sub-2-ha rural lot the detached unit is capped at 75 m² (≈807 sq ft), one storey. On an A1 farm lot it just stays smaller than the main house. Enter your address for the exact number.
Can you build an ADU on well and septic in Southgate?
Yes — that’s the norm outside Dundalk. The by-law requires the well and septic to be functionally connected to the unit and code-compliant (§5.24.1), so a septic assessment sized for the extra unit is the practical first step. On A1 farm lots the detached unit also has to sit within 50 m of the farm building cluster.
I already have a temporary garden suite — what happens now?
Good news: a garden suite legally approved under the old temporary regime can be kept permanently as an additional residential unit, provided it’s relocated to comply with the current rules (§5.24.1 ix / §5.24.2 iii). Before renewing a temporary-use agreement, ask the Township about converting instead.
Can you put a modular home in Southgate, 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 Southgate — as the principal dwelling, or as the detached additional unit in your backyard. The compact one-storey backyard models fit all three lanes naturally.
How much does a modular home or backyard suite cost in Southgate?
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 Southgate?
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 Southgate Comprehensive Zoning By-law 19-2002, §5.24–5.24.2 — Additional Residential Units (2025 update; Office Consolidation February 2026); verified by Modular Homes 400 and reviewed by James Clarke, REALTOR®. Always confirm current requirements with the municipality before you build.