The quick answer is YES! But what might surprise you is more than 20% of the states don’t have building codes for tiny houses.
In a recent Bob Villa report, 11 Places in the U.S. With No Building Codes, he found rural parts of the country have chosen not to adopt a building code, making them ideal for tiny homes and other alternative residential designs.
Sometimes building codes can cause long delays in construction, as builders are forced to wait for inspectors to visit the home. The need to constantly have to seek approval through permits can also slow a project to a crawl, dramatically increasing its budget. In these cases, it can make sense to build in a part of the country that isn’t governed by building codes.
Building Codes by State
Building codes vary by state. Some on our list have statewide building codes and give their local governments the ability to opt-out of adopting them. Others in this group have no statewide building codes at all, turning the power over to local governments to enact (or not enact) their own codes.
It’s likely to be easier to build a tiny house in a state without building codes because you can skip meeting requirements such as a minimum house or lot size. Here are 11 states without statewide residential building codes including:
- Alabama
- Arizona
- Colorado
- Illinois
- Mississippi
- Missouri
- North Dakota
- Tennessee
- Texas
- West Virginia
- Wyoming
However, since some of these states allow counties and cities to opt-in (or out) of building codes, check regulations for your specific locale before you start your tiny home project. Note: Building codes aren’t always negative, either, since they are meant to promote safer building practices.
CLICK HERE for a more detailed description on each state from BOB VILA
