Tiny Houses, and the Not-So-Tiny Questions They Raise
Zoning Practice — November 2015
By Donald Elliott, FAICP, Peter Sullivan
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Tiny houses are the latest vehicle/structures to join the small house movement, and are now trending due to television programs like Tiny House Nation. Many individuals and couples seem proud to say they live a small but sophisticated lifestyle in less than 500 square feet.
But for planners, tiny houses are tricky. Although tiny houses are not generally designed for permanent occupancy, some of them are being purchased by people who intend to use them that way. Most zoning ordinances don't resolve this tension, because they don't address where or how tiny houses can be used for long-term or permanent occupancy.
This issue of Zoning Practice reviews how tiny houses fit into the general U.S. system of land-use control through building codes, zoning ordinances, subdivision regulations, and private restrictive covenants. And it addresses how zoning can enable small communities of tiny homes.
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About the Authors
Donald Elliott, FAICP
Donald L. Elliott, FAICP, is a Senior Consultant with Clarion Associates, LLC, a national land use consulting firm. Don has assisted over 70 U.S. and Canadian communities to update regulations related to housing, zoning, sustainability, fair housing, and land development. He teaches a graduate level course on Land Development Regulation at the University of Colorado at Denver and is a former member of the Denver Planning Board. He is the author of A Better Way to Zone (Island Press 2008) and co-author of The Rules that Shape Urban Form (APA 2012) and The Citizen's Guide to Planning (APA 2009).
Peter Sullivan