Tiny House Zoning: 3 Things to Consider

For those looking to join the growing tiny house movement, it doesn’t take long for the passion and excitement to wane in the face of questions and uncertainty regarding confusing building codes, permits and laws.

Questions such as: Can I build my own tiny home? Do I have to buy it from a licensed manufacturer? Once I have it, how should it be classified (i.e., residence, trailer, RV?) and where can I legally put it? Unfortunately, the answers are not always easy to find.

First, zoning codes are a local issue and, consequently, there’s no blanket answer. Even within a single city, the differences can be noteworthy from mile to mile. Some states may have laws that prohibit tiny houses in certain areas based on size, whereas other municipalities may be more flexible.

Secondly, the grey area of “only discuss what you want up for discussion” can become problematic. There’s considerable debate in tiny house forums about whether or not to abide by codes or subtly do as you wish and beg for forgiveness later as Hari Berzins' family did.

Third, is it a trailer or a tiny house? The not-so-simple solution is to do your homework. For instance, if the zoning allows for a trailer to be housed out of site on certain sized properties, does that mean that the trailer can also be occupied fulltime? Similarly, your tiny house could be appropriate for an area zoned as a campground, but are there limits on stays in such scenarios? Nevertheless, the best place to start your investigation is at your municipalities zoning office.

At the end of the day, the more urban your destination, the more intense your adventure is likely to be. Connect with likeminded people - even if only virtually - who may be able to provide support and advice.

Tiny house blogs offer lots of real world stories from tiny house dwellers. Check out these blogs and sites for feedback and tales from the tiny home trenches:

• Tiny House Family
• Clothesline Tiny Homes
• Tumbleweed Houses
• Tiny House Talk
• The Tiny Life
• Tiny House Listings

As far as building a tiny house, if you aren’t much of a handyman, know that you’ve got your work cut out for you. For instance, having a tiny house is one thing, but having a tiny house that you want to haul around is another. A house that will be truly mobile needs to be built to withstand punishment, not just from mother nature. If you live in the northeast imagine driving around in your car with your tiny house behind you while you go over some New England potholes! Your tiny house could end up a wreck after one short drive.

Ultimately, understanding the building codes and zoning regulations requires patience in translating from a more rigid industry-specific language to layman’s terms. What’s more, the rules you’ll be looking at may not be as explicit as you’d like. If you’re totally out of your comfort zone on the construction side, collaborate with a licensed builder or consider purchasing your tiny home from a reputable retailer (like Tumbleweed).

Then, once you’re knowledgeable on the matter, and especially if you’ve been able to successfully maneuver your region’s regulations, consider paving the way for others. While you don’t necessarily need to go so far as to add your name to the ballot, you can join with others in the tiny house movement to leverage collective bargaining.