Tiny homes need residential zoning like any house, but minimum home sizes, one-home-per-lot rules and the RV status of homes on wheels often block them. Tiny home communities usually get approved as a planned development, a cottage cluster, an RV park or a manufactured home park.
New to zoning types? Read what residential zoning means and what it allows.
R - Residential
Is a tiny home community allowed in Columbus?
Open the Columbus zoning map to find a property's zoning district, then check what that district allows.
Check zoning in Columbus, OH →Building codes have a precise answer. The tiny house appendix to the International Residential Code, Appendix AQ, defines a tiny house as a dwelling of 400 square feet or less, not counting lofts. It relaxes some rules for these homes, such as allowing ceilings as low as 6 feet 8 inches in living areas, and sets rules for lofts and ladders.
The appendix only applies where a state or city has adopted it, so ask your building department. Zoning codes may use their own definition or none at all.
This is the first split in tiny house zoning. A tiny home on a permanent foundation is a house, and it follows residential zoning and the building code. A tiny home on a trailer is usually treated as a recreational vehicle, as Wikipedia's tiny house movement entry notes, and most residential zones don't allow living in an RV full time.
| Type | Usually regulated as | Where it usually fits |
|---|---|---|
| Tiny home on a foundation | A dwelling under the building code | Residential lots, ADUs, cottage clusters, planned developments |
| Tiny home on wheels | A recreational vehicle | RV parks and campgrounds, or zones with special tiny home rules |
| HUD-labeled small home | A manufactured home | Where manufactured homes are allowed |
Most residential zones allow a house, so the use isn't the problem. The size and density rules are:
Our residential zoning guide explains how these districts usually set lot and density rules.
A community of tiny homes needs a route that allows many small homes on one site. The common options are:
Each path brings its own site rules for roads, utilities, parking and open space. A planned development gives the most flexibility but usually takes the longest, with public hearings and negotiated conditions.
Other small-home options with their own rules include container homes and manufactured homes.
Often, if it sits on a foundation and meets the code's accessory dwelling unit rules. A tiny house on wheels usually can't be lived in full time in a backyard. Our ADU zoning guide covers backyard units.
Only where local rules allow full-time RV living, such as some RV parks and a small number of cities with tiny home provisions. In most residential zones, an RV can't be a permanent home.
Yes, where zoning allows them through a planned development, cottage cluster rules or a park approval. Very few codes allow one by right, so most go through a public hearing.