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Small Houses and the Impact of City Housing Codes and Zoning

Housing > Small House Society

Summary. The video below presents some insights into the challenge of finding a suitable location for a tiny home on wheels intended to be lived in year-round.

As explained in the video, in most cities, small homes on wheels are considered to be the equivalent of an RV or camper. You can have them on your property, and you can even have guests staying for a short time, but in some cities they are considered to be temporary dwellings and so they can’t be used for year-round habitation.

Local laws may state that electric and water hookups are okay, but not for extended periods of time (such as more than 30 days). So, that’s what the law says.

Yet, as most city offices will tell you, the laws are not enforceable because nobody knows how many nights a person is sleeping in a tiny home unless there are paid city employees who stay on the property every day for 30 days to see if a person is complying with the law.

Video. The video below provides a comprehensive presentation on this topic.

Video – Short Version. A shorter video on this topic is below.

By Greg Johnson

Greg Johnson is a freelance writer and tech consultant in Iowa City. He is also the founder and Director of the ResourcesForLife.com website. Learn more at AboutGregJohnson.com