Tiny Home Zoning Guide
Can I put a park model RV tiny home where I want it?
In your backyard, on its own piece of land, or in a park? This guide helps you find out, in four short steps.
Read the steps first so you know what to look for. Then use the county lookup at the bottom to find your local rules and who to contact.
We did our best research, but zoning rules change. Always check with your city or county before you buy.
Step 1
What is a tiny home?
"Tiny home" is not a legal term. It is an everyday name for any small home. Some tiny homes are built on the ground like a regular stick built house. They follow local building codes and get local inspections. Others are built on wheels. Those are called tiny homes on wheels.
Every home we sell is a park model RV. It is a tiny home on wheels built to a national RV code called ANSI A119.5. By law, it counts as an RV. So RV rules apply to it, not house rules.
Our homes fit the tiny home on wheels definition
- Under 400square feet (loft and porch do not count)
- Steel chassisa strong metal frame under the home
- Wheels and hitchwheels, axles, and a tow hitch, so it can move
- ANSI A119.5built to national RV code and RVIA certified
When you talk to a planner, say this:
"Park Model RV built to ANSI 119.5 code."
Step 2
Where can it go?
Some places are easy. Your own land takes a little homework.
The easy places
Tiny home communities
Where most of our buyers want to be. Hard to find, but more keep opening.
Long-term RV parks
The easiest to find. Most in Oregon and Washington take park model RVs.
Mobile home parks
Most say yes. Each park sets its own rules, so ask first.
Your own land
There are two ways to do it. Cities often treat them differently, so tell them which one you mean.
In a backyard
A house is already on the lot, and the tiny home goes behind or next to it. Most places allow a backyard ADU. Ask the city if they allow a park model RV too, either as an RV or as an ADU, and what you need to do.
On its own land
The tiny home is the only home on the lot. Ask the city if you can live in a park model RV there full time, and what you need to do.
For your own land, every city and county falls into one of three groups. (Tiny home communities, RV parks, and mobile home parks work in all three.)
- YesA few places
The rules clearly allow it. In Portland, for example, you can put one on most lots that already have a house, as long as it is hooked up to sewer and power. It counts as an occupied RV, and you can live in it year round.
- MaybeMost places
Usually yes, with a gray area or two to sort out, like a time limit on living in it or a certain kind of foundation. There is usually a way to make it work. The emails in Step 4 help most here.
- NoA few places
The rules say no to living in an RV on private land. Sometimes there is still a path, like a special permit, with more hoops to jump through. But some places truly will not allow it.
Quick tip: look around first. If neighbors keep RVs on their land, or people live in RVs near you, that is a good clue. Rural areas are often more flexible than cities, with bigger lots and fewer neighbors. But flexible is not the same as allowed, so still get your answer in writing.
Can it be an ADU?
Sometimes, yes. An ADU (accessory dwelling unit) is typically built to local house code, and a park model RV is built to RV code. But we have found that many cities and counties can be flexible. If the home checks the right boxes on their list, some will approve it as an ADU.
In Washington
We see this most here. Many cities and counties have approved park model RVs as ADUs. Each has its own checklist, like a foundation, hookups, or the L&I insignia (which our homes have).
In Oregon
It is more common to allow it as an RV. In Portland, for example, an occupied RV is allowed on most properties without being called an ADU.
Ask both ways. First: "Can a park model RV be approved as an ADU here? If so, what do you need?" If the answer is no: "Can someone live in it under your RV rules, or another category?" Names to mention:
- Occupied RV
- Temporary dwelling
- Mobile dwelling unit
- Caretaker home
- Farm worker housing
- Medical hardship
- Guest quarters
Park model RV vs ADU: quick comparison
| Topic | Park model RV | ADU |
|---|---|---|
| Built to | ANSI A119.5 (national RV code) | Local house code |
| Counts as | A vehicle, with a title | Part of the property |
| Usual review | Zoning check and hookup permits | Full building plan review |
| Size | Under 400 sq ft | Set by your city |
ADU definition from the Oregon Department of Land Conservation and Development (opens in a new tab). Your city may define it differently.
Step 3
What the city will ask about
Planners go through a short list. Here it is. Tap any item to open it.
What kind of home it isOurs are park model RVs, a category of their own.
Small homes are built to one of three codes. Each follows different rules, so this comes first.
- House code: homes built on site, like most ADUs.
- HUD code: manufactured homes.
- ANSI A119.5: park model RVs. This is what we sell.
Our homes are park model RVs. They are not manufactured homes, modular homes, or traditional RVs.
Size matters too. A park model RV must be under 400 square feet. That keeps it an RV. A few places have a minimum size. Pacific County, Washington needs at least 410 square feet, so a park model RV is too small there.
Our homes: every model is built to ANSI A119.5, RVIA certified, and under 400 square feet.
FoundationBlocks and piers with tie-downs count as permanent in most places.
When a city says "permanent foundation," most people picture a concrete slab. That is usually not what they mean. They want to know the home sits on solid supports and is tied down so it cannot move.
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Blocks and piers with tie-downs What most people get
Concrete blocks or steel piers go under the frame. Straps tie the home to anchors in the ground. Manufactured homes in Oregon and Washington are set the same way. Most places count this as a permanent foundation.
You can add earthquake bracing if you want it or the city asks for it. A professional setting and leveling company does the work and can give the city what it needs. We do not do the setup ourselves, but we help arrange it with contractors we trust.
Ask your planner: "Do blocks and piers with tie-downs meet your permanent foundation rule?"
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Diamond Piers If they want engineered
Concrete pier heads with steel pins driven deep into the ground. They go in within two days with very little digging, and come with an official code report (ICC-ES ESR-1895) that some planners ask for. Lynnwood, Washington has approved a park model RV on Diamond Piers.
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Flat concrete foundation Rare, but doable
A few strict places want the home on a flat foundation, like a concrete slab. Your contractor takes off the wheels, grinds off the axles, and builds custom mounts on site. About 98% of our customers never need this. Once the axles are off, the home is no longer easy to move.
Ask this before you build anything. A permanent foundation can change what the city calls your home. Sometimes that helps you get a yes. Sometimes it changes your permits, inspections, or property tax.
Sources: Oregon BCD foundations and piers, HUD foundation guide, Diamond Pier for code officials. Tiny House Alliance USA on Diamond Piers.
WheelsSome cities want them on. Some want them off. Either works.
- Wheels on. The home stays an RV, so RV rules apply. Portland works this way. Even with the wheels on, the home rests on its blocks and piers, so it is solid. The wheels usually sit just off the ground.
- Wheels off. The city wants the home to look fixed in place, often with a permanent foundation.
Most people keep the wheels and axles on. The home sits on its blocks and piers and stays easy to move later.
If the city says "no wheels," the wheels come off easily and can go back on later. If the city wants the axles gone too, a contractor can grind them off on site. This is only needed in very strict areas, and it cannot be undone.
Moving it later. Some rules say the home must stay movable. Others say it must not be. Blocks and piers with the axles on keep both options open.
How long you can live in itLimits run from 2 weeks to 180 days. Some places have none.
Most counties in the Northwest limit how long someone can live in an RV on private land. Some allow 2 weeks. Others allow 30, 90, or 180 days. Some just say "not as a permanent home." A few, like Portland, allow long-term living.
What the code says
These limits are written into county and city code. They are real rules with real penalties, and they apply whether or not anyone is watching. Pierce County, Washington says it plainly: it is illegal to live in an RV without a temporary use permit, or for longer than the permit allows.
How it gets enforced
Most places have no list of occupied park model RVs, no clock running, and nobody assigned to track them. Across the Northwest, enforcement mostly starts with a complaint. Snohomish County says it directly:
"We cannot investigate an alleged violation or conduct a site visit until a complaint is filed."
Read the gap correctly. There is a real gap between the written rule and day to day enforcement, and pretending otherwise would not help you. But an unenforced limit is not permission. It is exposure that has not been triggered yet. If a complaint gets filed, the written rule is what gets enforced, and you carry that risk. That is why talking to your neighbors matters so much.
Sources: Snohomish County Code Enforcement and Pierce County Occupied RVs. Enforcement varies by place and can change.
Hookups, septic, and where it sitsSeptic size and distance from the property lines.
Hookups. Ask if the city wants RV-style hookups or permanent ones for water, sewer, and power. RV-style is usually simpler.
Septic. In rural areas, this is often the real hold-up. If your septic was sized for one house, the county may make you expand it before you add a second home. On city sewer, this is usually easy.
Where it sits. Most places have rules for:
- How far it must be from your property lines
- How far it must be from your house (Portland says at least 5 feet)
- Which side of the house it can go on (Portland says behind the front of the house)
- Driveway access, and room for fire trucks in rural areas
Rules about your lotHomes per lot, plus flood, fire, and wetland zones.
Homes per lot. Some zones allow only one home per lot. But if the county counts a park model RV as an RV, and not as a second home, that limit may not apply. Ask: "Does an occupied park model RV count toward the limit on homes for this lot?"
Special zones. Some land has extra rules no matter what you put on it:
- Flood zones: the home may need to sit higher, and you may need another permit.
- Wildfire areas: you may need cleared space and fire truck access.
- Wetlands, steep slopes, and shorelines: each has its own review.
In a "maybe" area? Talk to your neighbors first.
If your rules clearly say yes, you are covered. A friendly hello is still a nice idea, but you do not need to worry.
If your area is a "maybe," your neighbors matter more than you think. Most problems start with a neighbor, not an inspector. Before the home shows up:
- Tell them what is coming. Where it will sit and who will live in it. A five minute talk prevents most complaints.
- Ask what would bother them. Parking, noise, the view, a new driveway. Most worries are easy to fix early.
- Fix the easy stuff. Move the home ten feet. Add a fence or plants.
- Read your HOA rules. An HOA or deed rule can ban RVs even when the county says yes.
- Get the county's answer in writing. If someone complains later, that email is your proof.
Step 4
Ask, and get it in writing
- Have your address or zoning code ready. You can give the city your exact address. If you would rather not, just give your zoning code. Find it by searching your address on your county's map website (often called GIS). It looks like R-5, RR-10, or MUA.
- Send the first email below to your city or county planning department. The county lookup shows who to contact.
- If they push back, send the follow-up that matches their answer.
- Save their reply before you buy anything.
Emails to send
Fill in the parts in [brackets]. In Washington, be sure to tell them the home is an L&I certified park model RV. That line is already in the first email.
If the planner has never heard of a park model RV
This is the most common reason for a no, and the easiest to fix. Use the exact name and send them our short guide for city staff.
Download the guide (PDF), opens in a new tabGot a question or a no in Washington?
The Washington Tiny House Association helps people get tiny homes approved. Todd McKellips, who helped write the state's tiny house law (SB 5383), works with them.
Visit legaltinyhouses.org, opens in a new tab wa@legaltinyhouses.orgCounty Lookup
Look up your county or city
All 75 counties in Oregon and Washington, plus the 100 largest cities. Not listed? Send the first email above. The same questions work everywhere.
What do these labels mean?
- Easy Path
- There is a clear permit or written rule that allows it.
- Mixed
- Some cities in this county allow it and others do not. Check your city.
- Verify First
- No clear rule yet. A temporary permit or foundation path often works.
- Restricted
- The code limits or bans living in an RV. Read the notes for exceptions.
No counties or cities match your search.
Easy PathThe rules say yes
MixedSome cities allow it
Zoning checks out? Come see us.
Once your city or county says yes, we will help you pick a model, go over financing, and get you on the delivery schedule.
Schedule a TourFor zoning questions, please use the emails above to reach your planning department. We cannot give advice on a specific property.