Secondary Suites in Aurora - Design, Permits, Construction

Old Aurora lots routinely run 200 ft deep - the longest average rear-yard depth of any town in York Region. That depth is why Aurora is one of the few GTA municipalities where a two-storey garden suite with its own private yard still clears the angular plane without a minor variance. Aurora permits additional dwelling units with the Aurora Village and Northeast Old Aurora heritage districts adding design review in the core.

Large mature lots in Old Aurora with 200 ft depths, and Oak Ridges Moraine constraints on the western edge. North-GTA snowfall of 148 cm and -5.1°C winters give Aurora a May-October working season - foundations for secondary suites go in before the ground closes, with interior finishing carried through the cold months.

"Secondary suite" is the Ontario planning term for a second self-contained dwelling inside the existing house, so the review in Aurora turns on the interior - separate kitchen and bath, an exit that does not pass through the primary unit, and rated separation between the two. Because the shell already exists, the schedule is driven by inspection sequencing rather than by weather: rough-in, framing and insulation inspections gate one another regardless of the May-October season. Bill 23 makes up to three units as-of-right on most serviced Aurora lots, so a secondary suite generally proceeds by building permit alone without a rezoning application.