Stanislaus County, CA Accessory Structures: Tiny Homes (2026)
Tiny home rules in Stanislaus County, CA, covering tiny houses on wheels (THOWs), park model RVs, and tiny home on foundation builds, determine where they are legal and how they get permitted.
Key Facts
- Governing section
- § 16.70.010, adopting CRC Appendix BB
- Code edition
- 2025 California Residential Code (ICC)
- Also adopted
- Appendices BF, BJ and CJ alongside BB
- Record keeping
- Building official keeps public copy of code
- Penalty
- Misdemeanor; up to $5,000/6 months on repeat violation
- Last updated
- Ord. CS 1402, November 18, 2025
Summary
Stanislaus County's building code, Section 16.70.010, adopts the 2025 California Residential Code together with Appendix BB, 'Tiny Houses,' making tiny-house construction standards part of the county's official Residential Code for the unincorporated area. The county also adopted Appendices BF (Patio Covers), BJ (Strawbale Construction) and CJ (Emergency Housing) alongside it.
Except as hereafter changed or modified, the California Residential Code, as published by the International Code Council, 2025 Edition, Chapter 1, Division II Administration Sections R105.2 and R109.1 through R109.1.6.2 except R109.1.2, Appendices "BF" "Patio Covers," "BB" "Tiny Houses," and "BJ" "Strawbale Construction," and "CJ" "Emergency Housing" are adopted by reference and incorporated in this chapter as if fully set forth herein, and shall be referred to as the California Residential Code of the county.
Full Breakdown
010 of the Stanislaus County Code adopts, by reference, the California Residential Code as published by the International Code Council, 2025 Edition, and with it, Appendix 'BB,' titled 'Tiny Houses,' as an incorporated part of the county's Residential Code for the unincorporated area. 2), plus Appendix 'BF' (Patio Covers), Appendix 'BJ' (Strawbale Construction) and Appendix 'CJ' (Emergency Housing). Because the appendix is adopted 'as if fully set forth herein,' its construction requirements, covering matters such as minimum ceiling heights, sleeping loft egress, stairway and ladder standards, and other tiny-house-specific provisions found in the ICC's Appendix BB, apply to a tiny house built as a permanent residential structure in the unincorporated county, subject to whatever the county's amendments elsewhere in Title 16 change.
The county building official is required to keep a copy of the code, together with all adopted appendices, available for public examination. 010. The ordinance was last updated by Ord. CS 1402 on November 18, 2025, rolling the county forward from the 2022 to the 2025 edition of the California Residential Code.
Violations & Fines
Building without a required permit, or constructing a tiny house that doesn't meet the adopted Residential Code and Appendix BB standards, is a Title 16 violation under Section 16.00.070: a misdemeanor punished per Section 1.36.010, with a second or later conviction at the same property within five years raising the maximum to a $5,000 fine or six months in jail, or both, under Health and Safety Code Section 17995.1. Noncompliant structures can also be declared a public nuisance and abated under Section 16.00.080.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are tiny houses legal to build in unincorporated Stanislaus County?
Which building code applies to a tiny house in the county?
What happens if I build a tiny house without a permit in Stanislaus County?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Stanislaus County
California rules heatmap·Compare Stanislaus County to another location·View the California accessory structures overview
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