Tiny house legalization efforts are spreading, and more cities are accepting tiny homes on wheels as legal ADUs! We know you’re excited, so today, we’ll just get right to it.
Have you ever searched for “legal tiny house parking in British Columbia?” Or maybe, “Where can you legally park a tiny house?”
Because if you have Googled legal tiny house parking, chances are you came up with a lot of conflicting information.
This is because change takes time. So even though the modern tiny house movement has been around for more than twenty years, we’re only now beginning to make tiny homes legal dwelling units!
Fortunately, our team at Mint has some excellent news for you.
And so far, the easiest way for cities to legalize tiny homes on wheels as legal dwelling units is by classifying them as ADUs.
ADU stands for auxiliary dwelling unit. This is an independent living unit that shares a lot with a traditional home or other primary structure.
An ADU must contain a living area, bedroom area, bathroom, and small kitchen. Or at least a kitchenette! And although laws vary, an ADU usually has to be smaller and less prominent than the main house on the property.
Even if you haven’t heard the term ‘ADU,’ you’ve probably heard the concept referenced. People have many words for auxiliary dwelling units. For example, do any of these sound familiar?
The short answer? Because the government is already familiar with ADUs.
Here’s the thing; laws are slow to change, right?
So when we go to our local planning departments and ask for “tiny house permits,” we throw everyone into a tailspin because the term “tiny house” hasn’t made its way into the books yet. At least not in most places.
This is why at Mint, we certify our tiny homes on wheels as “RVs.” This is also why people are asking their city planning departments for permission to have a “tiny house ADU” or “ADU built to XYZ (tiny house) standards” instead of strictly asking for permission to park a tiny house on private land.
When you were a kid, did you ever want something you knew your parents would say no to? Like, maybe, a sleepover birthday party that included a trip to a PG-13 movie?
If you pitched the whole thing at once, your parents would likely say no, but if you got them to commit to the sleepover first and the movie second, you might have a better shot, right?
When it comes to making tiny houses legal, it’s best to take the same approach.
At present, the easiest legal tiny house parking can be found in an RV park or tiny home community. But many people envision parking their tiny homes on private land.
Some people even want to buy raw land and develop it so there is just a single tiny house on the property. And while that could potentially be done, it will likely be more expensive and require the navigation of more red tape than going the ADU route.
Sure, you might have to install an RV electrical box or extend your sewer pipe twenty extra feet, but you aren’t starting from scratch when you classify a tiny house as an ADU.
To develop raw land for a tiny house, however, is a considerable undertaking. You would need to abide by zoning laws, get soil tests done, clear trees and brush, grade the soil, lay a pad, install sewer or a septic system, figure out how to bring water and electricity to the property, arrange for cell service and wifi, and possibly even be legally required to have a driveway.
So it could, again, it could potentially be done, but it would take a lot of work. With the ADU scenario, however, the majority of that work has already been done!
If you are a traditional homeowner and you’ve been thinking about buying a tiny house ADU for your backyard, we’re glad you’re here!
Tiny houses have a ton of built-in flexibility, so maybe you’ll use your Mint tiny house in all those ways over the years! You’ve probably heard us say it before, but a tiny house is a great tool to help people adapt to change.
If you are a traditional homeowner and you’ve been thinking about buying a tiny house ADU for your backyard, we’re glad you’re here!
Tiny houses have a ton of built-in flexibility, so maybe you’ll use your Mint tiny house in all those ways over the years! You’ve probably heard us say it before, but a tiny house is a great tool to help people adapt to change.
Because if you do, we can help with that!
We suggest you browse our gallery to get inspired. If you’d like a (big) tiny house, our new Onyx model is turning heads! And if you are planning a tiny house Airbnb, we have a new STR (short-term rental) line.
Whichever tiny house you choose, though, there will be specific details and considerations.
That’s it for now, but thanks for joining us here on the blog, and we’ll see you next week!
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