IRC Standardizes Building Code for Tiny Homes

Cities, towns and counties typically base their building codes on the International Residential Code (IRC), which is collaborating with the Tiny Home Industry Association (THIA) to standardize the codes related to tiny homes used for permanent occupancy, whether on a foundation or on wheels.

Tiny homes are increasingly being adopted as an affordable means of housing the homeless, but have also grown in popularity among those who choose to “live lightly.”  I have toured tiny homes in more than one “green homes tour” in Boulder and elsewhere.

The standards are included in the IRC as Appendix AQ. ICC/THIA Standard 1215 will complement existing tiny house resources developed by the Code Council, including the “International Tiny House Provisions,” “Model Legislation on Tiny Houses,” and a “Guide on Navigating Certification and Regulation of Tiny Houses.” All of these are available on the Code Council’s dedicated off-site construction webpage.

“This new standard will codify existing requirements for the design, construction, inspection, and certification of tiny houses into a single standard while also helping to address identified gaps in available requirements,” said Ryan Colker, Code Council vice president of innovation.

“This joint effort with the Code Council will go a long way in helping to clear the confusion within the regulatory and tiny home builder community,” said Brad Wiseman, CEO and Board Chairman of THIA.

Author: Jim Smith, Broker

Jim Smith is best known for his weekly "Real Estate Today" column published on the Real Estate page of The Denver every Saturday and in 24 metro area weekly newspapers the following Wednesday or Thursday. Individual articles are also published at http://RealEstateToday.substack.com. Over a decade of the columns are archived at www.JimSmithColumns.com. View all posts by Jim Smith, Broker