Tag: tiny house kits for sale

Colorado has no particular set of rules and regulations governing tiny houses. These houses mainly come under the umbrella of dwellings or recreational vans in several quarters around Colorado. Nevertheless, it gets extremely important for tiny home owners to adhere to the local building code rules and regulations, which is why this article is a must-read before you purchase tiny house kits for sale in Colorado.

As per data, most Americans have to shell out one-third or even half of their gross monthly income for staying under a roof. Mortgage, interest, insurance, rent, maintenance charges, and taxes are just to name a few that skyrocket the expenses. 

This insane price hike has pushed up the price of a large house like never before, rendering them unaffordable for a major portion of the American demography. The outcome, owning a normal-sized house is now a dream for many. 

To address this crisis of affordable housing, the tiny house movement came into the picture. The movement focuses on a straightforward and minimalist living approach with the primary aim of affordable housing. 

Colorado can be a treasure trove for anyone interested in buying a tiny house for recreational or work purposes. However, there are detailed rules and regulations that you need to adhere to before procuring tiny home kits for sale.

Here, we will discuss the laws governing Colorado tiny houses and how one can utilize them to their advantage. So, let’s start. 

Can you permanently reside in a tiny house in Colorado? 

As aforementioned, the law says tiny houses fall under the bracket of dwellings or recreational vans. Living on either of them permanently is forbidden. But the rules differ in many cities, and you can utilize many gray areas to your advantage. 

The concept of tiny houses is still relatively new, and many American states are yet to identify them. So, it cannot be certainly said that there are specific laws concerning tiny houses. 

Here you should note that the local laws of the land where you have set up your tiny house and the foundation where you have constructed your house are the two main factors determining whether you can reside permanently in a Colorado tiny house. 

For the tiny house on wheels, the structure will be considered an RV. In such a case, you can use your house only for camping or similar recreational purposes. Permanently residing in a home on wheels is strictly forbidden and illegal. 

On the other side of the spectrum, if you construct a permanent foundation underneath your tiny house, you may suffer from the problem of immobility. However, the rules will be much more flexible regarding permanently living in those structures. Again, one needs to adhere to the county’s laws for ceiling height, sewerage lines, grid water, and minimum area covered. 

Rules and Regulations Governing Colorado Tiny Houses 

The different zoning committees have numerous flexibilities in the rules and regulations for tiny houses. So, verifying with a building official of the local municipality is advisable. 

The jurisdiction upon which your tiny house will fall depends mainly on the kind of foundation one has set up for the tiny house. Now, you can have 3 types of foundations for your tiny house. Let’s take a look at them. 

• Rules Governing Permanent Structures: When you want to lay a permanent foundation for the tiny house, you must do away with its mobility. The best thing about a tiny home on a foundation is that they are preferable to an RV, especially when adhering to zoning regulations. 

The Colorado law states that a tiny house on a foundation can be deemed a dwelling. And if the dwelling is on anyone’s property, for example, in the backyard, it is deemed an ADU or accessory dwelling unit. 

The biggest challenge of constructing a permanent tiny house is that you must adhere to all the local building codes. This can include everything from stairs measurements and minimum areas covered for rooms to bathroom dimensions and the number of windows. 

• Rules Governing Temporary Tiny Houses: Temporary tiny houses have wheels underneath them instead of a foundation. So, if you are someone who has to move frequently, mobile homes can be a great choice for them. These houses don’t require separate land and are much cheaper than tiny houses on foundations. 

The best part is that no precise structural codes are applicable to tiny houses on wheels. Therefore, you can erect them as you wish and per your tastes and preferences. 

However, all that glitters is not gold. The jurisdiction governing temporary tiny houses is not flexible. Residing in a home without a foundation (mobile structure) has its own set of disadvantages:

❖ First up, many Colorado states consider tiny houses as RVs or recreational vehicles. So, you cannot live in them year-round. The law states that you are not allowed to camp a mobile home or an RV for longer than 14 days in the same area in a year. 

❖ Next, as a temporary tiny homeowner, you must obtain a certificate from RVIA to comply with the American National Safety Institute standards, which is 119.2. This includes proper documentation and inspection. 

❖ Lastly, there are many RV parks where tiny houses are not allowed. Therefore, it is advisable to research your choices beforehand. 

• Rules Governing Transitional Structures: A structure that comes between a permanent and mobile structure is known as a transitional structure. These are typically tiny houses with foundations that can be disassembled and transported on a trailer in case the need to travel arises. Yes, we are talking about tiny home kits for salethat are currently available.

However, since there is little information about the legal position of transitional structures, we suggest verifying with the building officials and concerned people at the local municipality and clearing all the legal and permissible matters before boarding the bandwagon. 

Here you should note that transitional structures like tiny house kits for sale are also not meant for permanent living. However, they can serve as a great office or art studio.

Final Take: 

So, we hope you have a fairly good idea about the rules and regulations that run Colorado tiny houses. If you are looking for tiny home builders offering quality tiny home kits for sale, houses on wheels, and building on a foundation, then join TinyHouseMe. We are an online directory where you will find a list of all trusted tiny home builders around the US and Canada. Get in touch with the builders via us to get a quicker response and priority service. Embrace the Tiny Home Movement today!

San Diego, California’s second-largest city, has unanimously approved moveable tiny houses as ADUs. This ordinance was modeled after LA and San Jose city ordinances. San Luis, Obispo, and many other cities have now legalized the tiny home on wheels. It’s a win-win for the tiny home advocates as it makes it easier for the tiny home dwellers to park the tiny home structures in their region. TinyHouseMe is one of the most trusted online directories offering you the opportunity to connect with multiple builders offering top-notch tiny home kits for sale, ADUs, cabins, casitas, tiny homes on wheels, houses on foundation, and structures of a similar kind. 

A revolutionary change

The San Diego County Board of Supervisors has taken steps to help renters and home buyers deal with the housing crisis. They have adopted 22 promising actions (as per data) and made amendments to help deliver different housing structures easier and faster. The Board has encouraged innovation and technology and at the same time reduced and guaranteed review times for permits and housing plans. The builders will also get financial incentives and extra customer support. The Board is funding $14.5M to carry out all these plans. 

These promising actions will help tiny home builders save valuable time and provide more certainty in the manufacturing process. With the involvement of technology, even tiny home buyers can now track the project, get more transparency, and have increased communication with the builders during the development process. With technology, the tiny home buyer will get more support, be more educated about the tiny home project and get much-needed guidance from the builders throughout the manufacturing process.

The County ensures that there will be additional professionals who make sure the applications are correct and completed during submissions to save time. The projects that need septic tank approval will now have dedicated professional assistance for conducting all types of septic reviews more efficiently. The County will offer pre-approved home plans for single-family tiny homes and accept tiny houses on wheels as an approved solution to housing.

These recommendations were generated by the County’s multi-department working group, and then it was designed with the stakeholder’s inputs. The working group includes Public Works, County Counsel, Planning and Development Services, Environment Health and Quality, County Fire, Purchasing and Contracting, General Services, Housing and Community Development Services, and the Office of Economic Development and Government Affairs.

A great solution for the region’s ongoing housing affordability crisis

The County’s approval of tiny home on wheels is a great response to the ongoing housing affordability crisis. However, efforts are still underway to create a roadmap or Housing Blueprint. The County is creating the roadmap and helping to guide the ongoing response concerning the housing affordability crisis. The blueprint has the entire layout of the objectives, goals, and strategies of the County for maximizing the balance of priorities and resources and ensuring the future steps taken to meet San Diego’s housing requirements are in alignment with the core values of excellence, integrity, belonging, sustainability, access, and equity. The most vital is the Community Input, as it helps address the County’s efforts to tackle the crisis. Therefore, leaving a comment on the website might help if you have any input. You can review the Housing Blueprint and offer your recommendations, and the goals and objectives will be presented to the Board of Supervisors. 

As a recognition of all the efforts to date, the state has given the County Prohousing Designation. This is awarded to the counties and cities for implementation of land use and zoning policies that will favor development and accelerate the time frame of housing production while reducing the production and housing costs and offering financial subsidies.

To make things easier, we have broken down the details of the ordinances and these are similar to other California cities.

• The tiny home on wheels must be registered and licensed with the California DMV. Many builders can handle all the registration and paperwork of the customized trailers. Connect with such builders via TinyHouseMe now to get started.
• The tiny home on wheels should not be larger than what’s allowed on public highways. This means the tiny home on trailers needs to be constructed per California codes. For more details on this, you can either book an appointment with a Californian tiny home builder or sign up to get helpful advice for your tiny home planning.
• Keep in mind that skoolies are not considered tiny houses, and the tiny home on wheels, although movable, cannot be mobilized under its own power.
• The tiny home on wheels cannot have a separate address and must be located not in the front yard but behind the primary house.
• When you park the tiny home, the wheels, undercarriage, and tongue should be concealed from view, and there shouldn’t be any mechanical equipment on the roof.
• The tiny home on wheels should be connected to sewer, water, and electricity, and as no natural gas is allowed, propane is good to go!
• If you want a DIY build tiny home on wheels, they must still be RV-certified and park model certified. 
• If the main building of your house has a fire sprinkler, then the tiny house must have the same, especially if the place is prone to fire accidents.

Design Elements of a tiny home on wheels:

• The materials used on the exterior should not be of a single-piece composite, interlocking metal sheathing, or laminate.
• The windows should have double-pane glass and not be rounded like on RV or park models. 
• The windows should be labeled for building use.
• The roof should have a slope for draining over the roof edge. At least 50% needs to be a 2:12 pitch.
• There should be no slides, tip outs or articulation in any rooms.

Final Words

The ADU (Accessory Dwelling Unit) ordinance approval gives permits to tiny homes on wheels as a permissible and permanent habitual ADU unit. The THIA (Tiny Home Industry Association) has spent months guiding this ordinance, and now we are all happy with the city’s approval.

However, if you are planning to purchase tiny house kits for sale, then it’s better to research, compare and choose – before deciding on a good builder. At TinyHouseMe, we help you find over 100 tiny home builders across the U.S. and Canada. Sign up now for a quick response from your chosen builder.