Muskoka towns and townships, explained

The short answer

Muskoka’s communities sit inside five municipalities in this guide: the Town of Huntsville, the Town of Bracebridge, the Town of Gravenhurst, the Township of Muskoka Lakes and the Township of Lake of Bays. Each community falls in one municipality, as follows.

• Huntsville and Port Sydney: Town of Huntsville
• Bracebridge: Town of Bracebridge
• Gravenhurst: Town of Gravenhurst
• Port Carling, Bala, Windermere and Rosseau: Township of Muskoka Lakes
• Baysville and Dwight: Township of Lake of Bays

The municipality decides who you call about a building permit, a septic permit and a tax rate. A mailing address may name a village while the permits and taxes belong to the municipality around it.

How the District fits

The Town of Huntsville is a lower-tier municipality inside the District Municipality of Muskoka, which is the upper tier. The Town of Gravenhurst is described the same way and its 2026 tax rate summary labels a “Lower Tier General” rate and an “Upper Tier General” rate. The Town of Bracebridge sits inside the District Municipality of Muskoka.

The District’s land development page says area municipalities issue building permits. It says a project may need a development permit, a building permit or both and that area staff decide which apply. That page also says a District water and sewer connection permit is required in the urban centres and a road entrance permit may be needed where a property fronts a District road. The District maintains 730 km of roads and 52 bridges.

The research behind this page did not state how the Township of Muskoka Lakes and the Township of Lake of Bays fit in the District structure beyond that, so ask each township how the District and the township share services.

Huntsville and Port Sydney

Huntsville is a town. The District’s lake list names Mary Lake, Lake Vernon, Fairy Lake and Peninsula Lake in its Huntsville section and lists Peninsula Lake as Huntsville and Lake of Bays. Port Sydney is a community in Huntsville and is named as a Corridor 11 bus stop. A Town of Huntsville news release about the Port Sydney beach names the Mary Lake Association but does not state the lake, so check the lake with the Town.

Read more in the Huntsville guide and the Port Sydney guide.

Bracebridge

Bracebridge is a town. The District’s lake list names McKay Lake and Wood Lake in its Bracebridge section. The Town’s facility list includes Annie Williams Memorial Park, Bracebridge Bay Park, Bass Rock Park and Bowyer’s Beach Park.

Read more in the Bracebridge guide.

Gravenhurst

Gravenhurst is a town. The District’s lake list names Doeskin Lake, Clearwater Lake, Muldrew Lakes, Gull Lake, Silver Lake, Morrison Lake, Loon Lake, Turtle Lake, Bass Lake and Kahshe Lake in its Gravenhurst section. Muskoka Airport (YQA) is at 1011 Airport Road in Gravenhurst, owned by the District and operated by Muskoka Airport Incorporated.

Read more in the Gravenhurst guide.

Township of Muskoka Lakes

The Township history page gives its area as 781.6 km2 with 80 lakes. It surrounds Lakes Muskoka, Rosseau and Joseph. Four communities in this guide are in it:

• Port Carling, which the Township describes as situated between Lakes Rosseau and Muskoka
• Bala, which it describes as located at the confluence of Lake Muskoka and the Moon River
• Windermere, placed on Lake Rosseau by the Township’s history and docks pages
• Rosseau, for which the pages checked gave no location detail

Read more in the Port Carling, Bala, Windermere and Rosseau guides.

Township of Lake of Bays

The Township describes Lake of Bays as the fourth largest lake in Muskoka with nearly 170 km of shoreline. Baysville is located in the southern part of the township. Dwight is at the north end of Lake of Bays, on the Highway 60 corridor.

Read more in the Baysville and Dwight guides.

Why this matters when you shop for a property

Three rules change from one municipality to the next.

1. Tax rates. Huntsville and Gravenhurst publish 2026 residential rates and Bracebridge, Muskoka Lakes and Lake of Bays should be read from each township. The property tax post explains how the rates combine.
2. Septic and building permits. The area municipal building departments issue them. Lake of Bays and Muskoka Lakes also run septic inspection programs for their own areas.
3. Dock and shoreline rules. Muskoka Lakes has dock and boathouse limits in its zoning by-law. Lake of Bays lists no dock by-law on its by-law page. Confirm the rule for the exact address with the municipality.

If the postal address names a village, ask which municipality the lot is actually in before you read any rate or rule. A property near a boundary can be closer to one community’s services while sitting in another municipality, so the municipal roll number or a written answer from the municipality is a better guide than a mailing address.

Questions to ask

• Which municipality holds the property and which department handles building and septic permits?
• Which tax rate table applies to this property?
• Does the District require a water and sewer connection or a road entrance permit?
• Does the municipality run a septic inspection program?
• What does its zoning by-law say about docks and shoreline structures at this address?

Ask Kirby for the municipal contact for a community you are considering. The relocation guide covers the wider move and the services and access post covers hospitals, buses and septic permits.