Two-Unit House Registration

Effective January 1, 2004 the City of Barrie requires every two-unit house within the city to be registered. As part of the registration process, the City will confirm that the two-unit house is legal under the City’s Zoning By-law, and that the house complies with several health and safety regulations.

This section will provide general information to help owners of two-unit houses understand what will be required of them.

What is a Two-Unit House?

A two-unit house is a building that contains two residential dwelling units. Commonly, a two-unit house starts as a single dwelling unit (detached, semidetached or townhouse) with a second dwelling unit created within the house later on. The second unit is sometimes referred to as a second suite, an in-law suite or a basement apartment. Duplexes & semi-detached units located on the same property are also considered as two-unit houses.

Why Do Two-Unit Houses Need to be Registered?

There are probably a couple thousand two-unit houses in the city. Concerned that many of these units may be illegal and/or unsafe for the occupants, the City of Barrie has adopted a by-law to require every two-unit house to be registered. Through the registration process the house will be inspected to confirm compliance with the Zoning By-law, the Building Code, the Fire Code and the Property Standards By-law.

Owning an unregistered two-unit house is a contravention of the Registration By-law.

For more information on Registering Your Two-Unit House, please read the information brochure found on this web page.