Adding a Basement Suite in Kawartha Lakes: Register It, Permit It, and What the City Charges

The short answer

A Kawartha Lakes secondary suite is called an additional residential unit, or ARU. The City says every ARU must be registered under By-law 2020-162, and it calls an unregistered one illegal. In most cases a building permit is also needed, and a home on a septic system gets a review of that system. How many ARUs a lot can hold is unclear: the City's guide allows three on fully serviced urban lots in its four urban areas, while its zoning by-laws and web page say two. Ask the Building and Septic Division which count applies to your address before you pay for drawings. Rules differ by property and change, so confirm with the City before you start.

This page explains the City of Kawartha Lakes's own rules, and anyone planning a suite there can use it. Naming the City's office says who to ask, not where Gilbert Brothers works; the FAQ has the service area. Every rule below comes from the City's pages, by-laws and fee tables as they stood on October 27, 2026, with the document's date given where it has one. The City of Peterborough has different rules, in the Peterborough suite rules.

Which of the City's rules apply to your lot

Kawartha Lakes has no single zoning by-law. Its zoning page lists a Rural Zoning By-law (2024-113), an Oak Ridges Moraine by-law, separate urban by-laws for Bobcaygeon, Fenelon Falls, Lindsay and Omemee, and older by-laws for the former townships. It says the one that applies depends on where your property is.

The City's ARU page says an ARU is allowed only where the main unit is a single detached, semi-detached or townhouse dwelling. Its ARU guide, dated May 2025, adds that an ARU is not allowed in a seasonal dwelling such as a cottage or cabin.

How many units a lot can hold: the sources disagree

In the Oak Ridges Moraine, the page and the guide agree: one ARU, inside a single detached house, and no detached ARU.

The figure of three comes only from the guide and Ontario's summary. The four urban by-laws, in consolidations that predate the guide, all say two. The guide says some permissions come from the Planning Act and override the City's zoning. For an urban property with ARUs, it says provincial legislation allows up to 45 per cent total lot coverage and the same minimum lot area as a lot without ARUs. The pages don't settle which count governs a particular urban lot. To ask about zoning, the City's permits page says to email buildingpermits@kawarthalakes.ca with the property address, the assessment roll number and the owner's details. The Building and Septic Division's number is 705-324-9411, extension 1288.

Other conditions the City lists

The City's page, guide and Rural by-law list these for an ARU:

• The lot has adequate sewage and water supply. On private services, the lot is at least 0.4 hectares (1 acre).
• The lot fronts on an improved public street that is maintained year-round. The guide says there is no minimum frontage.
• The ARU's floor area is no larger than the main unit's.
• The ARU has its own entrance, kitchen, washroom and living space.
• It is not in a sensitive area the page names: the EP, HL and OS zones, three Oak Ridges Moraine zones, floodplain, the water setback or other hazardous land.
• It meets the Minimum Distance Separation formulae from neighbouring livestock barns, manure storage and anaerobic digesters.
• The lot is not used for a bed and breakfast establishment. The Rural by-law makes an exception for an ARU in a detached building.

Step 1: Register the unit

By-law 2020-162, passed December 15, 2020, says no one may establish, operate or permit the occupancy of an ARU unless it is registered (by-law text). Units registered earlier under the former Town of Lindsay by-law 97-169 or the City's by-law 2014-305 count as registered. The by-law names a maximum fine of $100,000 for an offence.

The City's registration steps, from its page and guide:

• Apply online through the ARU registration portal. Each ARU on a lot is registered on its own application.
• Upload a site plan, floor plans of the ARU and floor plans of the main unit. The guide lists what each must show, including ceiling heights and window sizes.
• Pay the registration fee. The by-law calls it non-refundable and puts it in Schedule E-3 of the Consolidated Fees By-law. The City invoices it after the online application. The consolidation of that fees by-law, dated February 24, 2026, lists "Additional Residential Units" at $157.00 each for 2026, under Schedule E, Building Fees, with a reference to By-law 2014-305, which 2020-162 replaced. That consolidation labels E-3 as Economic Development Fees, so ask the City to confirm the amount.
• Allow an inspection. A Building Inspector, sometimes with a Fire Prevention Officer, will need access to every area of every unit.
• Receive a registration letter and a municipal address. In urban areas you supply the unit's number sign. In rural areas you may request a green sign blade from the City for a fee.

The guide and the by-law give different orders, and the pages don't say how they fit together. The guide says to submit the registration application before the building permit application. The by-law, section 2.03, says that before registration the owner shall obtain the building permit the Chief Building Official considers necessary, with satisfactory final inspections completed. Ask the Building and Septic Division how your file runs.

The City's ARU page cites Consolidated Fees By-law 2018-234 and the guide cites 2020-137, but the City's consolidation of 2018-234, dated February 24, 2026, lists 2020-137 as an amendment.

Step 2: The building permit

The City says that in most cases a building permit is required to create or register an ARU, and that most ARUs need Building Code changes to meet registration. Its permits page lists "creation of rooms in a basement" and "alteration or addition of any plumbing" among the work that needs a permit. It lists replacing a plumbing fixture, with the pipes not moved, among the work that does not. No work starts until the permit is issued.

An ARU inside the house goes in the "Renovation to Residential" portal category. A detached ARU goes in the "Residential" category. The owner or a qualified designer can prepare the drawings, which must show all Building Code requirements. The City says that on a complete application, the permit will be issued within 10 business days. For an ARU in a new subdivision, the guide says occupancy cannot be granted before occupancy of the main unit. Rules differ by property and change; confirm with the City before you start.

Step 3: Septic, if the house is not on municipal services

The City says an ARU on private services needs a review of the existing system's parts and capacity. It adds that in many cases the existing system will not be adequate and a new or upgraded one will be necessary. Start with the Sewage System Area Inspector at septicpermits@kawarthalakes.ca. The guide also says that unless the City has put a hold on ARUs for servicing capacity, ARUs on municipal water and wastewater are allowed, so ask whether a hold applies.

Parking, driveway and entrance

The guide says an ARU does not need a dedicated parking space, and the main home's requirement, usually two spaces, still applies. The four urban by-laws say parking follows the requirements for the main unit. The Rural by-law says an ARU follows the parking section of that by-law, and its parking table has no separate line for an ARU. For a rural lot, ask whether an extra space is needed.

Cars parked illegally on the street are ticketed, with no exceptions for ARUs. The City asks you to fit all units' parking on the lot.

A separate driveway entrance for the suite needs an entrance permit first. The City's 2026 residential entrance fee is $250 with a $2,000 deposit. The page says winter snow cover can delay inspection and approval, the entrance must be staked, and the contractor must carry liability insurance and WSIB (workplace safety insurance) coverage and hold a Work in Right-of-Way permit. If the lot fronts a provincial highway, the guide says a Ministry of Transportation permit may be needed.

What the City's 2026 fee tables add up to

The City's fee page lists these 2026 lines, except the registration fee, which is in the Consolidated Fees By-law (Schedule E). Building and septic permit fees carry no HST.

Here is a hypothetical, not a quote. Say a 900 square foot basement is converted to a suite. That is 83.6 square metres, counted as 84 because of "or part thereof." At $12.75 that is $1,071. Add the $157 registration fee and the total is $1,228. Started without a permit, the permit alone would cost $2,142. The same table lists "partitioning of a basement" at a $271 flat rate. One note measures floor area to the outer face of the walls, and another leaves unfinished basements out of the count for new houses. Which line applies, and how those notes apply to an existing house, is for the building office to say. These figures leave out development charges if they apply, drawings, any septic work and the cost of building. They are the City's fees, not a price for any job.

If the unit already exists

By-law 2020-162 says an ARU created before November 16, 1995 and continuously occupied is eligible for registration. For a later unit, the guide says the City gives no opinion on legal non-conforming status (whether a use that began before today's zoning rules was lawful when it started). It says a declaration comes from Divisional Court, and the owner then gives the City that documentation.

Does the City help pay for a suite?

The City's grants page lists secondary suites among what its Affordable Housing Target Program funds. A City information package updated in January 2022, the latest version located when this page was checked, describes the homeowner version: help to create a rental unit at an agreed rent for a tenant with a low to moderate income. It says the agreement is registered on title, income and house-value limits are set each year, and there is no funding for work done before you apply. It describes a two-step application. The first step is an expression of interest, which it calls always open. Eligible applicants are then invited to a pre-application meeting and can apply at quarterly intakes. The current limits weren't on any City page behind this article, so this page gives no dollar figure. Ask the City's housing staff before work starts. The federal side is in how a basement suite is paid for.

Before you pay for drawings

1. Confirm the zoning and the count

   Email the Building and Zoning Clerks with your address and roll number. Ask how many ARUs your lot can hold.

2. Ask how registration and the permit are ordered

   Ask how the guide's order and the by-law's order fit together.

3. Check services

   If you are on a well and septic system, ask the Septic Inspector about your system first.

4. Count parking and plan the driveway

   A separate entrance needs its own permit.

If your home is inside the area Gilbert Brothers serves, which the FAQ explains, you can request a free estimate, and Gilbert Brothers replies within one business day. The rules above are the City's, and they apply whoever you hire. For the finish-level rules that apply to any basement, see the basement permit guide and basement renovations.

Frequently asked questions

Does a basement suite in Kawartha Lakes have to be registered?+

The City says every ARU must be registered under By-law 2020-162 and that an unregistered ARU is considered illegal.

Does the suite need its own parking space?+

The City's guide says no dedicated space is required, and the main home's requirement still applies. The Rural by-law refers to its parking section, so rural owners should ask.

Can I rent the suite by the night?+

The guide says a stay of 28 days or less is a short term rental, which the City licenses, and longer terms fall under provincial rental rules.

Do these rules apply in Peterborough or the nearby townships?+

No. They are the City of Kawartha Lakes's. Trent Lakes and Havelock-Belmont-Methuen have their own, as do the townships around Peterborough. Which office issues your permit shows how to find yours.