Proposed rules for so-called “tiny home” development districts will advance to the Warren County Commission after a fourth round of debate by a citizen board whose members still seemed at odds over what expectations to set.

The term “tiny home” typically refers to houses that are smaller than 600 square feet. They are frequently prefabricated at a central facility and then shipped to location. Proposed rules being considered by the planning and zoning board would allow for construction or placement of the homes in specially designated districts.

Across multiple discussions spanning multiple months, Warren County’s planning and zoning board has debated the definition of “tiny home,” structural requirements, lots sizes, minimum district acreage, setback distances, housing density, and more. Several times, discussions that seemed to be settled were revisited and arrived at different outcomes.

As one public observer told the board ahead of their fourth discussion on Oct. 20, “We’ve had a lot of back and forth, and I don’t know where you guys are standing on any of these numbers.”

Much of the debate among the planning board members, who are all citizen volunteers, was over what requirements are reasonable for ensuring quality residential areas, while still allowing tiny homes as an affordable living option in Warren County.

After a lengthy fourth debate, the planning board approved a series of regulations that will be drafted into a proposed ordinance to be reviewed and approved by the Warren County Commission. That ordinance approval will require a new round of public hearing, discussion, and potentially more revisions. No date has been set for those steps, and a written draft of the ordinance is not yet available.

Proposed rules

Here are the primary rules that the planning board arrived at after their fourth round of debate:

• Minimum district size: 15 acres: This would include all roads, community center, septic, and other amenities, along with the homes. Prospective developers had asked for a smaller minimum district size.
• Average density of three homes per acre: This means the number of tiny homes in a district can’t be more than three times the number of acres in the district. However, the homes could be placed in high-density clusters; they don’t have to be spread out.
• Home size: 200-625 square feet: This is the size range the board has proposed as a definition for tiny homes. Notably, the minimum size isn’t as small as tiny home builders and developers had requested which was 128 square feet to accommodate existing minimum sizes of prefabricated (‘prefab’) tiny homes. The proposed rules would also count any loft as part of the size of the home, which is an unusual departure from codes that normally only care about the footprint of a building.
• Maximum height: 13 feet, 6 inches: This rule stemmed from a question of whether the board should prevent tiny homes from being multi-story structures. Their answer was to limit height to the maximum for a prefab house to be towed down the interstate.
• 10-foot setbacks for lots, 50-foot setback for district boundary: No structure can be built within 10 feet of an individual lot line, or within 50 feet of a tiny home district boundary.
• No wheels: Most prefab tiny homes are made with wheels so they can be towed to their location. They homes are small enough that they can be towed by SUVs or pickup trucks, meaning they can remain mobile even after they’re occupied. However, the planning board voted that tiny homes should be permanent structures, not mobile homes, and so would have the wheels removed upon delivery.
• Short-wall foundation with footings: Another debate was whether simple slab concrete foundations would be sufficient for tiny homes. The board voted to require a more substantial foundation.
• Septic provided by builder/HOA: Much time was spent on how the requirements for a central septic system would limit what is feasible for a tiny home district, including the number of homes that can be supported. For any development requiring septic sewage disposal, a central system needs to be maintained by a homeowners association.
• Community center: After public input, the board added a requirement for a community center large enough to hold two people per home in the community.