Erin Doman on February 15, 2016 28 Comments Small living is a big deal. Tiny house communities are beginning to appear all over the country, for reasons related to economics, sustainability, minimalism and portability. For many people, the idea of living in a tiny home–with its tiny footprint and presumably tiny utility bills–is appealing. If you are looking into the viability of using a tiny home as your primary residence, you should consider more than just the feasibility of building and transporting the unit. Finding a permanent spot for a tiny home is a challenge no matter where you go in the U.S., but some cities make it easier than others. Below, we have outlined four notable tiny house-friendly cities as well as alternatives for those not local to these areas. 1. Spur, Texas Spur, a town in Dickens County in Texas, is a well-known tiny house-friendly city and claims to be the first such town in the nation. Spur is located about an hour away from Lubbock and has seen a recent decrease in population. The town of Spur has since decided to allow the construction of tiny homes under minimal restrictions in order to attract new residents. Properties are inexpensive in Spur, and the Texas sun and wind make off-grid living with alternative forms of energy a reachable goal. The town boasts a comprehensive public education system and fiber optic connectivity. Spur does not require any special permits to build a tiny home, but the home must be built on a foundation. If you are interested in learning how to build in Spur and more information about this town, you can read more here. 2. Fresno, California Section From the Update to Exhibit D: Revisions; November 18, 2015 (Fresno, California) A [tiny house] structure intended for separate, independent living quarters for one household that meets these six conditions: 1. Is licensed and registered with the California Department of Motor Vehicles and meets ANSI 119.2 or 119.5 requirements; 2. Is towable by a bumper hitch, frame-towing hitch, or fifth-wheel connection […]; 3. Is no larger than allowed by California State Law for movement on public highways; 4. Has at least 100 square feet of first floor interior living space; 5. Is a detached self-contained unit which includes basic functional areas […]; and 6. Is designed and built to look like a conventional building structure. Fresno is a Central California city of more than half a million residents. California, of course, is a big state. Some cities permit secondary dwellings (ADUs, or granny flats) to be built in residential zones, but building codes and zoning regulations vary widely from county to county and city to city. Several counties in California allow tiny homes on wheels in backyards of residential lots on one condition: the occupant of the tiny house must be a caregiver for the occupant of the main house. Fresno made the news in 2015 for being the first city in California to allow secondary dwelling units with wheels on residential lots, with no caregiver requirement. The local mayor, Ashley Swearingen, stated that Fresno is the first city to amend its code to sanction tiny homes built on trailers, instead of lumping them in with recreational vehicles. You can read more about Fresno’s City Development Code here. 3. Walsenburg, Colorado Walsenburg, in southern Colorado, is a town of around 3,000 residents. In 2014, the city changed its zoning rules specifically to allow tiny homes to be built on residential lots. The houses do need to be permanently constructed on foundations, not on trailers, and they must hook up to city utilities. While the city itself has changed its minimum square footage requirements, some subdivisions in Walsenburg may have homeowners’ associations (HOAs) with their own size and building-type requirements. Before you purchase a lot in Walsenburg, check to see if it falls under the control of an HOA. 4. Brevard, North Carolina The City of Brevard, in partnership with United Way of Transylvania County, has published a comprehensive guide (PDF) to building a tiny house for use within city limits. The guide lists steps for permitting and building a secondary dwelling on an existing property. In Brevard, the primary and secondary dwellings must have a single owner, and the secondary dwelling, or tiny house, must be built on a foundation (as opposed to being on wheels), and cannot exceed 800 square feet. The exact regulations listed in Brevard’s publication are specific to that city. Even if you do not live near these tiny house-friendly cities and are not willing to relocate to them, this is a good starting place for educating yourself about what kinds of steps you may need to take to get the ball rolling in any other city or town that allows secondary dwellings, or accessory dwelling units (ADUs), as they are commonly called, in residential areas. Building in Your City Depending on where you live, you may be able to build a tiny home and live in it legally. The easiest way may be to take advantage of any granny flat, ADU or secondary dwelling rules your city may have on the books. Bear in mind that many cities require both the primary and the secondary dwelling on a property to have a single owner. If this will not work for you, check into local RV parks. If you build your tiny home on a trailer, it may be classified as either a park model RV or a towable recreational trailer. Check with local park owners to see whether or not they permit year-round residency, as well as what types of trailers they will accept. If an RV park is not your style, you may be able to find a tiny house community on private property that is zoned for several tiny houses. These communities are popping up all over the United States and have many advantages for those who enjoy small living. For one thing, you will be part of a community of like-minded individuals. Also, many tiny house communities have common areas, such as a larger house or building with cooking facilities and showers, communal gardens and so on. Anywhere, U.S.A The advantage of building a tiny home on wheels is that it can be towed wherever the road leads. If you have the right kind of certification on your towable tiny home, you may be able to park it at any number of RV parks across the country. Many cities that don’t allow tiny houses as permanent dwellings do allow them as temporary dwellings for a maximum number of days (either consecutive days, total days per year or a combination of the two). If you can work remotely, you could make use of these ordinances to live in a city for the maximum allowed time before moving on. Alternatively, you could find a large parcel of land in a state and county with friendly zoning rules and start your own tiny house community. With a tiny, portable home, your options are endless. Cost of Living Considerations Tiny homes, by virtue of their size, cost less to build than larger homes constructed of comparable materials. However, building costs can add up quickly, depending on the materials used, whether you are building the home yourself or hiring a contractor, and so on. Once built, tiny homes are well known for being energy efficient and contributing to a low cost of living. Other ways to keep your total costs down include choosing a geographic area with a lower cost of living, using solar and/or wind power whenever possible and growing at least some of your own food. Being as efficient as possible will mean lower costs compared with traditional homes in the same geographic area, but moving to an area with even lower costs overall will allow you to save even more money in the long run. The Future of Tiny House-Friendly Cities These are just a few of the tiny house-friendly cities that are beginning to appear across the country. As the tiny house movement continues to gain momentum, there is a good chance that more cities will join in and become more friendly with their building and zoning rules. If you dream of owning a tiny home and living in it permanently, check out one of these tiny house-friendly cities or help to make your own city more accommodating for tiny houses and the people who love them.
Michael Maddox says February 17, 2016 at 5:13 pm I am working with my local zoning board to try to win a variance on the minimum square footage required for permanent dwellings at my Eco village Green Bridge Farm. I should know in a couple of weeks. I am registered as an “experimental subdivision” and that might provide the latitude for challenging the minimum square footage rule. Reply
Whitney says February 20, 2016 at 8:59 am Very informative Erin. Have been asking such questions myself as I climb the ‘north of 50’ pole and think about retirement. Keep posting! Reply
Chris Day says February 20, 2016 at 3:33 pm Good starting point. Would be interested in your blog, or website with other articles on tiny homes, living, lifestyles… I’m a Realtor in San Diego County, CA. Very interested in building my own…. Thank You. Reply
Marian says February 21, 2016 at 5:50 pm I hear Berkeley CA is in the process of trying to pass a ADU ordinance. I think the primary incentive is for senior housing so seniors can continue to live on their properties. Reply
Kobyn Schlichter says February 25, 2016 at 10:12 pm in northern alberta, im in the process of changing the zoning from agriculture to direct control to setup a type of tiny house community. the zoning change is a 50$ fee if accepted. hopefully this will bypass the traditional route of subdividing, and allow long term residency vs setting up a r.v park. Reply
Cailito says February 29, 2016 at 7:20 pm Great read. Anyone know of any tiny house friendlly communities in the city of Atlanta, Georgia? I know first hand a lot of people are struggling to pay housing rent in addition to other bills and this would be a great alternative for them. And then theres the glaring homeless population that could benefit from a tiny house as well. Reply
Charlene says March 13, 2016 at 1:29 pm I too would want to live around the area of Atlanta and would like to find a Tiny House community. From being a border, that would just be a step up for me. Cailito and I would really like a reply please. I note that nobody has given an answer yet…it’s almost the middle of March. Thank you! Reply
Jennifer Glover says August 14, 2016 at 7:26 am Why isn’t there tiny house meet up groups yet on the Atlanta are? Reply
Mark Pantak says January 8, 2017 at 3:50 am There is in Atlanta: Meetup(dot)com/Atlanta-Tiny-House-Meetup/ Reply
Sonya Rowe says August 20, 2016 at 5:25 am I am VERY interested in the San Diego County possibilities, as almost all of my family is there and I dream about being all of my kids and grandkids. I don’t belong anywhere else! Reply
Michelle Woodward says September 21, 2016 at 1:27 pm Gulfport/Biloxi, MS too! One of those towns was on a tiny house show and the mayor was saying he wanted his town to be tiny house friendly. Reply
Jo Conatser says November 7, 2016 at 11:48 pm FYI. The city of Spur, Texas has enacted some tiny house building codes and a copy is available from City Hall. According to the City Secretary they are rather lenient. You do have to submit the plans for your tiny house to the City for prior approval. Reply
Dog Lady says December 20, 2016 at 3:15 am It seems that Spur, Texas is the only city on this list that doesn’t require them to be on residential property or relegated to an RV park. Why is there such resistance to the tiny home movement from city officials nationwide? Reply
Dog Lady says December 20, 2016 at 3:24 am Update since this article was written re: Spur, TX. According to a report in The Wall Street Journal, home plans must be submitted for approval, and be connected to the electrical grid. Sewer system and water supply. Reply
Charlotte Minahan says February 25, 2018 at 8:21 pm Any tiny house cities in Northern California? Reply
Kathleen Fobell says June 7, 2018 at 9:08 pm I need to know where in Co. I could think about building my tiny home? Kathleen Reply
ArielJoy says June 24, 2018 at 6:16 pm Walsenburg. I read, a while back, that because of a new Marijuana processing plant in Walsenburg that needed affordable housing for its workers, the zoning laws were changed to make the town/city tiny house friendly. You can build a tiny house on a residential lot so long as the house is hooked up to public utilities, etc. and is on a permanent foundation. Reply
Karen says August 3, 2018 at 9:33 pm Why don’t they let elderly in Michigan have their own tiny houses? They are taking so much from the elderly, that this would help them tremendously. Then they could afford their drs,meds,food,&other needs.I talk to so many that would love to live in a tiny house community just for the elderly. Reply
Maureen Dennis says August 6, 2018 at 12:36 pm I would like to develop a tiny house community on 20 acres in a rural area of Warren County, Missouri. I envision a park like setting with a stocked pond, community garden, bonfire pit and walking trails. I just don’t know if there is enough interest in making this concept work in this part of the country. Please post your feedback. I welcome your thoughts. Maureen Reply
Heidi says August 10, 2018 at 9:37 pm That sounds like a great idea. As a baby boomer, I am getting ready to downsize and get out of the rat race. Your setting sounds like something I dream of! Reply
sandra L brown says September 15, 2018 at 4:56 pm Is there a tiny house community in any areas close to tampa florida? Reply
Donna says September 25, 2018 at 8:29 pm Hi, my name is Donna. I reside in Arizona and have since 1971 as an Airforce Military Brat i have seen lots of changes over the years. I have been evicted, kicked out, unable to find affordable living, homeless. I have taken a quick interest in Tiny Homes. I am disabled and with the cost of living a tiny house would be the way to go for me. I want to know if, in Arizona. There are any communities available for me, or does anyone know how to go about getting sponsors to assist in a new tiny house community? This is something I whole heartedly feel compelled to try not only for myself but for other struggling families. If anyone could help me I’d appreciate any and all feedback . Thank you. Reply
Rob says December 5, 2018 at 2:37 am i read about the “if you bought enough land in a tiny house friendly community/or county with low to no covenants… DOES ANYONE HAVE ANY MORE SPECIFIC INFORMATION ON THAT? i ve heard theres a few of those, id just really like to know the specifics if ANYONE would respond to me here, and send me any and all info you have about that, i would greatly appreciate it! thats right up my alley of what I’m looking to do, and I would make it a mecca!!!! thanks!!!!! rob Reply