Where Can Tiny Homes, Tiny Houses Be Parked?
You’ll be surprised to know that one of the major predicaments of tiny house owners is finding legally a place for tiny home parking. The rise in popularity of tiny houses was somewhat unprecedented in that it didn’t leave any room for proper zoning laws to be put in place to accommodate these growing communities. As a result, more than half of tiny house dwellers are finding it hard to position their tiny houses legally in the areas they want to live in.
Why The Difficulty In Tiny House Parking?
You see, tiny houses fall into this little gray area where it can be considered as a recreational vehicle and an actual home. For cities and towns that see tiny houses on the same level as RVs, permanent dwelling is prohibited because of implemented restrictions.
In some places, it’s also seen as accessory dwelling units (ADUs) once you place foundations on your tiny house. This also comes with its own set of regulations that you’ll have to go by as well.
Good news is, with the tiny house movement, more and more municipalities and states are rewriting their zoning laws and regulations to make way for the growing interest and demand for tiny living. At this point, it’s only a matter of checking which places have these laws in place already in order to find a suitable place to park your little dwelling in. But given that this has been an ongoing problem among tiny houseowners, where can I park my tiny house — safely and legally — and how can you find them? Let’s find out.
Where Can You Park Tiny Houses? Best Places To Park
Despite parking being a problem for tiny houses, there are indeed accessible areas where it can be placed without encountering any problems. Before you dare to risk it all in moving your tiny house to another place, better check these areas first to avoid any hassles or issues that may arise when you park a tiny home.
Can You Park A Tiny Home In A RV Parks/National Parks/Campgrounds?
Given that most states see tiny houses on wheels as recreational vehicles, it would be quite easy to park these on known RV parks, national parks, and campgrounds, especially if it’s just for a vacation or short-term stay.
National parks and camping grounds have great places to camp and would be perfect if you’re eyeing a short trip, perhaps to immerse yourself in nature or take your family or friends for a fun nature outing.
RV parks are also suitable if you’re on a journey or road trip. You can take a stop at these RV parks and stay for a few days before you move on to another place.
However, do make sure that you register your tiny dwelling or have an RVIA (Recreational Vehicle Industry Association) certified tiny house, in order to ensure the legality of your stay.
What’s great about these places is that, more or less, they are packed with essential amenities such as water and power supply. You may even have access to a proper sewage system and enjoy extra amenities such as cable and Wi-Fi. The key, however, is to do some prior research since RV parks aren’t built the same way and are also priced differently per night.
Tiny House-Friendly Communities
The tides are turning when it comes to legalities concerning tiny houses. Again, it’s only a matter of time before you can enjoy more freedom in moving and parking your tiny house wherever you please.
In the meantime, you can easily look for tiny house-friendly communities and areas that would warmly welcome you even for a permanent stay.
Not so surprisingly, various developments are being built like subdivisions in which long-term tiny houses are completely legalized.
From municipalities such as Fresno, California to Spur, Texas, as well as Portland, Oregon and even Lantier, Quebec, a lot of cities are making way for the growing popularity of tiny homes, especially for modern-day homeowners like millennials.
These cities see the benefit of creating a safe and legal space for tiny houses as a way to densify neighborhoods and also offer affordable housing options.
It would really make much more sense to just go for one of these tiny house-friendly communities, in which you’ll also be able to connect with like-minded individuals who will most likely share similar lifestyles and ways of living.
How To Find A Place To Park Your Tiny House
Now that we’ve answered where tiny houses can be parked, it’s now time to know more about how to find tiny house parking spaces in the first place.
The thing is, it’s not just legal matters that are changing in lieu of growing tiny house communities, it’s also the knowledge base that’s expanding to cater to those who are interested in making the shift towards a smaller and more mobile home.
Even just by googling the nearest tiny-friendly RV park or tiny house-friendly city, for sure you’ll find a spot that you can drive to and legally park your tiny house.
Of course, this varies on whether you’re looking for a short-term stay or a more permanent one. To help you out with this search, we’ve rounded up the best resources on looking for a place that would allow tiny house parking.
Try It Tiny
Dubbed as the “Airbnb for tiny house-friendly land rentals,” Try It Tiny is a website started back in 2017 by tiny house advocate Maggie Daniels. She wanted to offer an easier way to connect fellow tiny homeowners with landowners who are keen to rent out their land.
The site has since grown to also offer longer-term listings, as well as options for those who are looking to stay or try out in an already positioned tiny house across the country.
Try It Tiny is a great place to start searching for land that you can rent — short-term or long-term — that would allow to park a tiny house or tiny home on wheels safely and legally.
My Tiny House Parking
Part of the Tiny House Network family of websites, My Tiny House Parking is an interactive map through which you can find listings for private parking, parking spots on tiny house communities and even farms, as well as accessible RV parks.
Looking through this interactive map can give you an overview of the distances from where you’re currently located and how far you are from the nearest available parking spot for your tiny house.
Tiny House Hosting
Websites aren’t the only resource that you can use to find tiny house parking options. Facebook is also home to growing online communities dedicated to tiny house owners and those looking to provide their land for rent.
One example is Tiny House Hosting, which is a Facebook group that connects tiny dwellers to available spaces and pieces of land that are for rent or for sale.
On top of that, this group also allows tiny life members to post about tiny houses for rent, plus other listing opportunities to those looking to start tiny house communities in certain cities across various states in the country.
Tiny House Map
Another interactive map designed to cater to tiny house owners is Tiny House Map. This one’s created by tiny house builder Dan Louche of Tiny Home Builders, and features a searchable, interactive map or parking guide that contains tons of information on where to park your house.
Not only does it show communities and areas that are renting out land, but it also has ample information for those looking for a place to park, build or buy their own tiny houses, and other related info.
Online Classifieds and Meetups
Of course, good old Craigslist and Meetup also works just as fine in searching for places to find parking for your tiny house. Through these websites, you can find homeowners who are opening up their driveway or backyards to allow tiny home visitors that have a tiny house or RV.
This is one way for tiny house owners to find temporary parking spots for their houses. However, it’s also important to get more information on local regulations to make sure that you’re not bypassing any zoning law whatsoever.
Tiny House Meetups, on the other hand, can be used to find gatherings that can connect you to other tiny home dwellers.
This is an effective way to actually join an existing tiny house community or at the very least, get potential leads and information on tiny house parking spots and tiny home community locations.
More Tips On Parking Your Tiny House
A little due diligence goes a long way in ensuring that you won’t have any problems in parking your tiny house in your chosen area. Even though one of the most highlighted benefits of a tiny house on wheels is the freedom and mobility, it can be quite a conundrum to deal with in reality because of laws and regulations.
Here are a couple more tips that would come handy in finding a great place to park a tiny house.
Do Your Research
Browse, search, ask, seek. Take the time and make the effort to get the right answers concerning various laws and regulations of the areas and states you’ve been eyeing to move in to.
Don’t just drive off on a whim and hope for the best, thinking that you’ll be able to find a loophole or maybe work your way around these laws.
What you saved by living in a tiny house can easily turn to dust if you run into problems with the law. It doesn’t take a lot, to do research prior, whether it’s just for a quick stop or long-term stay.
Connect With The Community Of Tiny Dwellers
As with regular homeowners, finding a community to belong to is just as important for tiny home owners as well.
Sometimes, it’s even better to seek out these tiny house communities before you even search for a place to drive off to or find a place where your tiny home can be parked at.
Think of these communities as the very foundation of your chosen way of living. Wherever you go within the country, these communities are what you’ll depend on to help you transition to a new place with ease.
There Is Parking For Tiny Houses
Tiny homes are becoming more accepted in areas around the country. Regulations are changing, but in the meantime there are a lot a ways to find out where you can legally park and live in your tiny house. Use your resources. There are tiny house maps, websites, Facebook, and communities that will help you find the ideal place to park your tiny home!
