CHAPTER
6

The Legalities of Tiny Houses on Wheels

In This Chapter

• Learning about certification options for tiny houses
• Understanding tiny house challenges in current codes
• Knowing the best way to approach zoning departments
• Looking at creative solutions for legalization

Figuratively speaking, tiny houses on wheels are the new kids on the block. Even though they’re increasing in popularity by leaps and bounds, current building codes and zoning laws don’t quite know what to do with them. Thankfully, the U.S. housing industry is taking notice and changes are starting to happen.

In this chapter, we cover various details regarding the legalities of living in a THOWs ranging from general building codes and zoning to Accessory Dwelling Unit (ADUs), variances, tiny house communities, and RV parking.

Which agency you approach depends upon your needs. If touring this beautiful country with your THOWs is your dream, you should look at the RVIA route. If sitting on your tiny house porch watching the vegetables grow in your garden is your goal, you’ll want to look into ICC codes. If you want the minimal amount of oversight but want to ensure your tiny house trailer is legal for hauling your home, you’ll want to connect with your local DOT. If breaking away from any oversight is the vision, you’ll want to look for areas with no zoning ordinances or building codes.

International Residential Code and THOWs

The International Residential Code (IRC) is a nationally recognized construction code used for one- and two-family dwelling unit construction in the United States. Even though it’s called the International Residential Code, it’s used primarily in the United States.

According the International Code Council (ICC), which oversees the IRC’s development, the code is currently adopted in 49 states (not enforced in Wisconsin) plus the District of Columbia, Guam, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Building departments and inspectors at the local level enforce IRC codes and provisions.

One- and two-family dwelling units built to IRC requirements and inspected by building officials are eligible to receive a Certificate of Occupancy (COO). A COO is what gives a homeowner the green light to live in their new residence full time. Without a COO, a structure isn’t considered a legal dwelling unit or permanent residence. COOs are awarded to both professionally built and owner-built houses.

The challenge in working within the most recent version of the IRC standards (2015 as of the time of this publication) is that there’s no clear path to approval for tiny houses, especially those on wheels. As previously mentioned, tiny houses are new to the housing scene and residential codes are only now starting to catch up with them.

TINY WARNING

The ICC meets every 3 years to revise and update the code. Some communities in the United States though are still using IRC codes dating back to the early 2000s or even before. Note, just because the ICC approves a code change at the national level doesn’t necessarily mean your local building department has adopted the most current version.

The changes to the code that Appendix V provides will make the process of building a legal tiny house much easier. Once the appendix is adopted by local jurisdictions, a process that will happen in the time leading up to 2018, the path to permanent residence status will be clearly laid out for many. However, there will likely still be hiccups along the way that will need attention. The primary areas of the code that challenged a tiny house’s legality (now addressed by the new appendix) are as follows:

Ceiling Heights. Tiny houses on wheels towed on public roads are subject to state and national highway regulations. Most states limit the height of a moving vehicle to 13'6". This maximum is set to protect tall vehicles from hitting bridges and overpasses as they drive underneath.

In the meantime, the IRC had required a minimum ceiling height of 7' (with some exceptions) on every story. That’s tall considering that many movable tiny house interior floor levels start 2' above the ground. Combine that with the 13'6" height limit (measured from road level to the highest point of the structure), and you’re left without a lot of space for a loft, the most common location for a bedroom in a THOWs.

Ceiling heights under lofts had been an issue as well. If you were to lift your loft floor framing in order to have 7' of head height under it, your loft space above wouldn’t be tall enough for comfortable use. Currently, most tiny houses tend to have ceiling heights below the lofts around 6' 4" or less, well below the 7' minimum previously required.

The new standards in Appendix V allow for ceiling heights of 6'8" for general-use areas of the home and 6'4" for bathrooms and kitchens. This simple reduction in ceiling heights has a significant impact on tiny house design, construction, and use.

Foundations. In the eyes of code inspectors, there’s no such thing as a permanent residence on wheels. All houses they oversee and permit are set on permanent foundations. Even manufactured houses, which are delivered on wheels to their location site, are set on permanent foundations before receiving COOs.

That said, options do exist to satisfy the need for a foundation. The type of foundation you use is determined by local soils, topography, and other factors. Let’s go over the foundation options that can be applied to THOWs.

• Concrete slab on grade with adequate anchoring
• Concrete pad and pier
• Perimeter concrete foundation
• Certified manufactured housing system
• Permanent wood foundation

Foundation systems and trailers were not directly addressed in the code change of 2016. We plan to work on addressing them in the next round of the code cycle. In the meantime, people can design foundation systems that meet the intent of the code, as described in the 2015 IRC under Section R101.3: “Intent,” and submit them under Section R104.11 of the 2015 IRC: “Alternative materials, design and methods of construction and equipment.”

As long as the proposed foundation system satisfies the building official in regards to the intent of the code and therefore the health and safety of both the inhabitants and any emergency crew that might service the home, you should be able to receive a building permit; assuming the rest of the design meets the required standards. To be sure, there’s a lot to know about foundations and properly attaching your home to them. For more detailed information, check out Chapter 11.

Emergency Escape Access. The intention of building codes is to not only keep a home’s occupants safe, but also to protect emergency crew members. One area of particular interest for building inspectors is fire safety. Emergency egress addresses both the points of escape should your home catch fire, and the emergency rescue routes for emergency crews.

A tiny house loft could prove dangerous in a fire without a means of egress. An emergency roof access escape window is an ideal solution and meets code requirements when installed within a maximum of 44" off the floor. We have officially added this standard to the IRC appendix. As a secondary safety measure, we recommend you install a folding escape ladder to get you safely to the ground.

DEFINITION

Emergency egress is a window, door, or other similar opening that is operable and provides direct access to a structure’s exterior. This opening must provide a means of escape for occupants as well as rescue access for emergency services. There are specific code requirements regarding size and location of these openings.

Sleeping Lofts. It’s common for people to build sleeping lofts in their THOWs. Unfortunately, they were illegal in the IRC until the new appendix was approved. They were illegal because of minimum residential ceiling heights and emergency egress provisions, both of which have been resolved in the appendix.

In addition to the emergency egress and rescue requirements mentioned above, there are now standards for minimum loft ceiling heights as well as loft area square footage requirements. With these two provisions in place, you can design a sleeping loft that is both comfortable and within the code.

If you don’t want to build your house with a code compliant sleeping loft, you have three other options for dealing with potential loft constraints.

• The first, and easiest, is to build your Tiny House On Wheels (THOWs) without a loft and to place your bedroom downstairs.
• The second option is to design your THOWs with a freestanding loft, or bunk bed system. Because the loft is freestanding, it’s considered furniture, not structural. That means the loft isn’t subject to ceiling height provisions and restrictions.
• The third approach isn’t one we recommend, but we need to mention it because it’s done so often. Many people simply label lofts on architectural plans as storage. Because building officials can’t require emergency egress, minimum ceiling heights, or stair access for storage areas, it removes any oversight from the code official. Once the COO is issued, the occupants then use these storage lofts as bedrooms.

Loft Access. The IRC has detailed specifics for the construction of stairs in conventional residential housing. Unfortunately, building a code compliant set of stairs to those standards in a THOWs is very difficult, if not impossible, to achieve. There are specifications on ceiling heights above each stair tread (which can’t be met as you approach the top of the stairs). Also, there is a minimum 36" stair width (which can’t easily be met because these homes are so narrow). Lastly, the dimensions of the stair treads and risers themselves can’t be met due to limited space.

The issue of loft access was a big one in the newly approved code appendix. All of the requirements have changed in a way that makes building stairs viable in a THOWs. Stair width has been reduced. Ceiling height requirements above stairs have been lowered. Stair riser and tread dimensions have been altered to simplify the construction in tight spaces. In other words, we now have our own set of standards for stairways in tiny houses.

An example of stairs using alternating tread devices in a tiny house built by Chad Smith of StructuralSpaces.com. Photo by Jenn Walton/Digiwerx Studios

The new appendix also allows for the use of ladders for loft access as well as alternating tread devices and ships ladders. The issue had been that these loft access devices previously permitted in the code were not allowed to be the primary means of egress. That provision has been successfully changed so that you can choose which type of loft access best suits your design: stairways, ladders, ships ladders, or alternating tread devices. They’re all legal to use under Appendix V.

IRC for THOSs and THOFs

When building a tiny house on a fixed foundation, you get back all the things you wanted: when you remove the trailer and its width and height restrictions, you have a clear path to approval within the current IRC for most tiny houses.

A recent code change in the 2015 IRC modified a semantic contradiction in the previous versions, which stipulated that a habitable room needed to be at least 120 square feet. This clarification now permits a habitable room to be as small as 70 square feet. It’s a big deal for tiny houses as this new minimum standard allows for a much smaller tiny house, around 93 square feet, which includes a bathroom.

The provisions of the 2018 Appendix V improve the design and construction of Tiny House on Foundations (THOFs), too. The same provisions that help a THOWs find a path to legality also help keep the scale of THOFs in check. After all, a 200 square-foot tiny house with two stories, each 7' tall, would look weird. Under the new code, the design details will all make better sense and, as a result, help create more aesthetically pleasing tiny houses.

We should note that according to the IRC, a dwelling unit, which is an official name for a home, is required to have specific elements within it in order to qualify for a COO. For example, you need permanent areas for eating, sleeping, cooking, sanitation, and living. All of these requirements can be met in one room, similar to a studio apartment, except for the sanitation area, which is required to be separate.

Tiny houses on skids are an interesting hybrid when it comes to IRC requirements. On one hand, they can be built on permanent foundations, yet on the other, they can be moved by being detached from those foundations. Because a house on skids can be moved, you need to consider road restrictions.

The good news is that codes do evolve, but it takes time. The approval of Appendix V into the 2018 IRC shows that the topic of tiny houses has truly landed on the ear of building departments across the country and they are looking for help in the approval/disapproval process. Several building officials at the ICC hearings told us that most code changes of this scale take 2-3 code cycles to approve. That’s 6 to 9 years! We got ours approved the first time around.

We will go back to the ICC in the next code cycle with a new proposal for movable tiny houses. This will be the next big step in the ever-evolving code process. Once that is in place, the construction of any tiny house whether on foundation, skids, or wheels will be straightforward and will have a clearly marked path to legality.

RVIA-Certified Homes

There’s another option for legalizing tiny houses on wheels: by obtaining a Recreational Vehicle Industry Association (RVIA) certification. At this juncture, RVIA accreditation is only available to professional builders that have gone through the certification process. Unlike the IRC, the RVIA certification is not available for the DIY builder.

The advantage of purchasing a premade RVIA-certified tiny house or working with an RVIA builder over building the home yourself is that you’ll get a certified home in the end. It’s then easier to secure insurance and financing and may even be required at some RV parks. It also offers peace of mind knowing that your THOWs was built to meet safety standards.

TINY TIP

The International Code Council (ICC) develops and oversees the International Residential Code (IRC) and several other national building codes.

The Recreational Vehicle Industry Association (RVIA) uses standards from the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) to oversee RV and tiny house construction. Sections A119.2 and/or A119.5 pertain to THOWs.

The RVIA requires that homes built under its umbrella meet the provisions of the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) code, specifically sections A119.2 and/or A119.5. These code provisions are more lenient than those in the IRC and allow for more flexibility when it comes to building a THOWs. For example, it recognizes a movable trailer as a legitimate foundation option, something not currently allowed in the IRC.

The downside of RVIA certification is that it doesn’t provide you with a certificate of occupancy. In other words, you’re no closer to owning a permanent residence at the end of the day in the eyes of local zoning and building departments. To them, your tiny home is still considered an RV.

This distinction is critical depending on what your needs and wants are. If you plan on traveling more than once per month in your THOWs or renting space in an RV park, an RVIA certification is your best option, especially because many RV parks won’t accept noncertified units on their property for liability reasons.

If you intend on parking your tiny house legally in one location for several months or more, a COO is what you’ll need. Because zoning regulations in most municipalities have strict rules against long-term parking for RVs (typically a maximum of 30 days), an RVIA certification won’t be of help.

If you want to move your tiny house from time to time and still have a COO, you’ll need to ensure your house meets the local code requirements for each new location. Just as full-scale homes can be moved from location to location, you can also move your tiny house and its COO. During the move itself, your house will be considered a load on a trailer, not a residence. Once situated in its new location and attached to a foundation, a new COO will be issued, which voids the previous one.

TINY TIP

Not every jurisdiction in the United States imposes construction and zoning regulations. Plenty of unincorporated communities exist around the country which have no overseeing body of regulators to dictate what you can and can’t build and live in. These areas are mostly rural and take some research to find, but they are out there.

Though there are unincorporated communities around the country that don’t impose zoning/code rules, and more and more municipalities are changing their zoning laws to accept THOWs, such communities are still few and far between.

Also, there’s significant confusion about the Office of Housing and Urban Development’s (HUD) role in the tiny house movement. This is because of misinformation found on the internet. HUD doesn’t currently oversee tiny houses in any form. HUD is only in charge of manufactured housing and certifies only the facilities that produce said housing.

DOT-Certified Trailers

You can get your tiny house certified as a load-on-a-trailer through the Department of Transportation (DOT). This option is typically the easiest and the one with the least amount of oversight. At the end of the DOT employee’s inspection, you’re granted the right to transfer a load (your THOWs) on a DOT-registered trailer.

The primary focus of these inspections is the connection between the trailer and the load it’s carrying. A DOT inspector might or might not look at your construction plans. He might not even be concerned with the construction progress of your home.

This certification only represents a right to transport a load on your trailer. You should not consider this an endorsement of your home or a COO. If you want something more than a trailer certification, then the DOT route isn’t for you.

Zoning and Where to Park

Now that you have a clear understanding of which agencies govern what in the world of tiny house construction, you need to consider where you’re going to park your THOWs. Once again, you’ll need to contemplate the kind of life you want to live within your house. Will you be skipping with it state-to-state, or will you be keeping it parked in one place for quite some time?

Your local zoning department is the entity that dictates where you can park your THOWs. As much as they might love tiny houses and want to help, they’re bound by local zoning ordinances and must act accordingly. These laws are complex, so let’s look at how the system works.

How Zoning Works

Zoning departments are charged with regulating the use of land in a municipality. In very simplistic terms, they decide who gets to be neighbors with whom. If you get a knock on your tiny house door by an official citing a complaint from a neighbor charging that you’re parked illegally, that’s your friendly zoning enforcement officer paying a visit.

DEFINITION

Building codes tell you how to build your tiny house. Zoning codes tell you where you can park your tiny house.

The motives for zoning regulations in a community are inherently good. Without these policies, an industrial chemical salvage company could set up operations next to your house.

The challenge for the tiny house community is that because tiny houses are on wheels, zoning officers often lump them into the same category as RVs. There has long been a stigma against year-round RV living in residential communities, so most municipalities in the country have set a time limit of 30 days for inhabiting a location in an RV.

It won’t matter if you have an RVIA-certified tiny home now or not. What matters is that your tiny home is considered an RV by local zoning departments. Knowing how to approach a zoning department to gain permission to live full-time in a THOWs is essential. For starters, you’ll need to know which zoning department to contact.

There are multiple layers of zoning control, from national oversight all the way down to the land parcel itself.

• Federal zoning laws oversee land use in areas such as national parks and other federally owned lands.
• Below federal oversight is state zoning, which manages areas such as state parks, restricted wetlands, and so forth.
• Next comes county zoning, which is typically the first office you’ll contact regarding your zoning questions. Even though federal and state guidelines might be in place on your property, private landowners rarely deal with those agencies directly because the local zoning offices are charged with ensuring that the larger requirements are met.
• If the property in question is located within city limits, you’ll deal directly with the city zoning office rather than the county zoning office. This varies from location to location, so it’s a good idea to make a few phones calls before visiting any of the offices.

There can be more layers of zoning control, such as plat requirements, such as setbacks from property lines, and/or Homeowners Association (HOA) restrictions, such as the inability to park RVs on the property. Sometimes, regulations at this level are the strictest and most challenging to appeal. For example, a piece of land on the market might be saddled with a new construction minimum square footage requirement of 2,000, which would eliminate any hopes of putting a tiny home on that land.

DEFINITION

The term plat refers to the specific piece of property in question as defined by public records and land surveys. A plat is typically represented in a plot plan or plat plan that shows the location of all structures, waterways, wells, septic fields, and other points of importance.

Each level of control can present a challenge, whether you’re parking on someone else’s property or buying your own land. We recommend you search for any zoning restrictions on the property in question before making any decisions. You can do this yourself through the office of public records or your zoning department.

Some zoning records are complicated and difficult to interpret. If you’re unsure how to interpret what you’ve found, we highly recommend hiring a title company to do the research for you. It’ll cost some money, but in the end, you’ll receive a detailed and comprehensive report explaining everything in laymen’s terms.

How to Approach Zoning

Now that you’ve done your research on the property in question, it’s time to contact zoning directly. The best advice we can give is to always be friendly, professional, and appreciative. Keep in mind that people working in building departments frequently must deal with disgruntled applicants. A warm smile and a sincere thank you can go a long way.

Below are some action steps to take when approaching officials:

Anonymous contact. If you call the zoning department and say, “Hi. I own the property at 123 Main Street, and I want to build a Tiny House On Wheels (THOWs) on it,” you’ve put all your cards on the table before knowing their position on THOWs. Instead, tell them you’re considering purchasing a property on Main Street and that you’re interested in building a residence no larger than 400 square feet. If they say it’s not a possibility, take notes on the reasons provided. Ask them to be as specific as possible so you can address each issue when you eventually fill out your application.

Learn the details. Do your research and ensure you have at least a reasonable understanding of the codes and zoning in your area. If the RR2 zoning you hope to build on allows for only one house per two acres, don’t show up and ask for a permit to build three. Be smart in your approach and know what you can and can’t do before making your application.

Preparation. Once you’re ready to officially present your application, make sure it’s complete and addresses the issues the zoning officers initially specified. Your application should demonstrate that you have a thorough grasp of your project and that you understand the zoning process.

Keep in mind that zoning officials are often swamped with applications. They typically prefer conventional projects because anything out of the ordinary represents more work for them. If you present them with not only an unconventional project but also a poorly prepared application, you’ve likely stepped off on the wrong foot from the get go.

TINY WARNING

Few things irritate a building official more than receiving an incomplete application. They’re often asked to do more than their workday can accommodate, so any time they must slow down their process because of an applicant’s lack of preparation, they’re bound to get annoyed. Do them and yourself a favor by having your application fully completed before handing it in.

Present your project in terms of benefits to your community. For example, the city or county might be required to provide a certain number of affordable housing units to their jurisdiction. Meeting that quota can be difficult, so you should suggest that perhaps your THOWs can be counted as one such unit. Maybe you live in an area in which there are more residents moving out than in. In that case, highlight other communities that have welcomed tiny houses and that have seen a population boom. The more you can show that your build will be an asset, the more likely they are to approve it.

Professionalism. This might seem obvious but showing up to the zoning office or a meeting wearing sweatpants and a ripped t-shirt won’t get you taken seriously or professionally. Do yourself a favor and show up looking professional and acting politely and respectfully.

Land use consultants. Although expensive, hiring a land use consultant can be a very smart decision especially if your project has several unusual aspects to it. These consultants will ensure that you don’t overlook important details in your application. They’ll also know who you should and should not speak with at your zoning office. They will steer you to the right people, so you don’t end up potentially compromising your project by approaching someone who can make it very difficult for you.

Avoiding Common Pitfalls

We all want our projects to run smoothly, and we certainly don’t want to make a careless mistake and create unnecessary hardships. There are several pitfalls that can easily be avoided if you know what they look like. Here are the top ones:

Don’t demand anything. As soon as you start expressing that something is your right, you’ll lose the building official’s attention. Communicate, don’t dictate.

Be strong but not rigid. It’s important to be passionate and enthusiastic when presenting your project. At the same time, you need to be flexible on any changes that won’t cause a huge impact on your project. Give a little when you can.

Respect. If you disrespect a building official, you might have lost them for good. Show them that you value their opinion, even if you disagree with it. A civil conversation is always more effective than a shouting match.

Don’t rush them. Your lack of planning does not constitute an emergency to anyone on the zoning staff. Provide yourself with plenty of time when dealing with this office.

Smile in the face of adversity. If an official is rude, continue to be polite and even friendly. You may find that it disarms the situation and changes the entire tone of the conversation.

It can be difficult to remember these points when faced with an uncompromising building or zoning official. If you can manage to apply these tools when needed, you could turn a bad situation into a good one. In the end, it’s better to have your project approved than to simply win an argument.

Your Primary Residence

If you plan on making your tiny house your primary residence, you’ll need a COO to do so legally. As you might recall, it’s the building department (not zoning) that issues those certificates. COOs are important in zoning because residential areas are zoned only for residential homes. That’s why you won’t find industrial chemical salvage yards next to houses. It’s also why you’re not allowed to live full-time in RVs in residential neighborhoods.

Currently, unless you have a COO, you won’t be allowed to inhabit your tiny house legally in most jurisdictions. While there are some exceptions, and many positive changes are happening around the country, non-COO approved THOWs simply are not allowed in the vast majority of residential areas at this time.

Parking in RV Parks

RV parks can be a great option for a THOWs. Many of them are very nicely developed, situated in pretty locations, and boast a tight knit community. They can offer amenities such as community gathering spaces, swimming pools, playgrounds, Wi-Fi, and more.

TINY QUOTE

“Home is where you park it.”
–Author Unknown

Most RV parks have opened their gates for THOWs with enthusiasm, but others have unfortunately taken a stance against them simply because they’re different. Knowing whether you’ll be welcome or not is something you can find out ahead of time by simply placing a phone call. Do the research beforehand.

In most cases, RV parks have time limits for how long someone can stay there. This is because zoning regulations have earmarked RV parks for recreational, not permanent housing. These time constraints are almost always enforced by the park owner (not by zoning officers). That means if they’re comfortable with you staying permanently, there shouldn’t be any issues.

If you have a house on a trailer that was certified by the DOT or a self-built tiny house, it might be hard to place it in an RV park. Many RV parks require RVs to be RVIA certified and meet basic safety standards. If an unsafe RV or tiny house were to catch on fire, it could be devastating for all the neighbors and the property.

Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs)

The frequency of tiny houses on wheels being used as Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs) has increased dramatically in a short time. Several towns, including Fresno and Ojai, California; Nantucket, Massachusetts; Rockledge, Florida; and others across the country, have changed their zoning ordinances to allow THOWs to be placed as backyard cottages. Although not considered primary residences, this offers another option for those looking to park their homes in residential neighborhoods.

TINY TIP

To improve your chances of being allowed to place your tiny home as an ADU in your community, be sure to highlight the quality design and construction of your home and the value it brings as a backyard cottage when approaching the zoning department.

In general, ADUs or backyard cottages are allowed on properties that have already developed a primary residence. The size of the ADU typically can’t be larger than a specific percentage of the main house. In most cases, the ADU must share a utility meter with the main house and can’t have its own. The main downside of this approach is that ADUs typically must be owned by the property owners themselves and their rental may not be allowed.

Finding Creative Solutions

You might find yourself in a position in which normal routes to home approval just won’t work for you. This could be due to local ordinances, your home’s design, or for some other combination of issues. No matter what the cause, the solution might take some creativity. Persistence is a great quality in times like this. There are always options available if you look hard enough.

How Variances Work

The most commonly used alternative approach for home approval is the use of a variance. A variance is simply an official request to deviate from the standards of current zoning requirements. An approved variance does not change the zoning in which the home is located. Instead, it provides the property owner with a waiver from the specific requirements of the zoning ordinance.

Each application process is slightly different, so you’ll need to contact your local zoning department and ask what specific steps you need to take. One certainty is that there will be a fee involved with the application process. The amount of that fee varies from place to place.

Variance applications can be challenging and require a lot of forethought and planning. Since you’re asking for an exemption to a zoning law, you’ll need to assemble evidence explaining why they should give it to you. How hard it is to get a variance depends largely on the community you live in. Some make it super challenging, while others gladly hand them out.

An example of where a variance could be approved is in the case of caring for an elderly family member. Perhaps the caregiver wants to live on the land, close to the elderly person but not in the same house. A THOWs is a great solution for such a scenario. The home can be in close proximity to the main house, yet everyone’s privacy is maintained.

Developing a Tiny House Community

Many people in the tiny house movement are excited about the idea of living in a tiny house community. Several tiny house communities are emerging around the country and more are in the planning stages every day.

If you’re interested in starting your own, look for land zoned for RV parks and/or recreational use. Research the likelihood of a variance to allow for full-time residency. These proposals are best framed from the perspective of affordable housing. Because so many communities are experiencing significant hardships with real estate costs at all-time highs, they’re often happy about projects that can ease this burden especially when it comes with no hard costs to them.

Another option is to look for property zoned for multi-family use. In those situations, there’s little you need to do in terms of zoning because it’s already designated for this type of use. You might, however, need to make some modifications on how many homes are allowed on the property. Once again, present your project from the perspective of mutual benefits.

The Least You Need to Know

• Tiny houses on wheels currently fall into a gray area in terms of codes and zoning, though much of that is changing as tiny houses gain popularity.
• There are options for people who want to live in their THOWs legally; knowing which route to take depends on what your goals are.
• Zoning plays a big part in tiny house living; knowing how zoning works is essential.
• Variances are the most commonly used approach when looking for an exemption from current zoning laws, and can work well for tiny housers.