Apex, NC Accessory Structures: Tiny Homes (2026)

North Carolina has not adopted the Appendix Q Tiny House provisions of the IRC into its statewide residential code, so a 'tiny home' in Apex is regulated either as a small single-family dwelling under the 2018 NC Residential Code or as an accessory apartment. Site-built or HUD-Code tiny homes on a permanent foundation may be: (1) the principal single-family dwelling — must meet the underlying Apex residential district's minimum lot area, lot width, setbacks, and dimensional standards under UDO Sec. 5.1.1. RA requires a 5-acre lot with 30 ft front / 15 ft side / 25 ft rear setbacks; RR requires a 1-acre lot with 40/15/25 setbacks; LD requires 10,000 sq ft with 25 ft front / 8 ft min (20 ft total) side / 25 ft rear setbacks; MD single-family requires 25 ft front / 6 ft min (16 ft total) side / 20 ft rear; HDSF requires 15/8/15 with a 40 ft lot width minimum; or (2) an Accessory Apartment under UDO Sec. 4.5.6 — capped at 40 percent of the principal dwelling's heated square footage (50 percent or 1,000 sq ft in the Small Town Character Overlay District), common ownership required, and 5 ft minimum side/rear setbacks under Sec. 5.2.7.E. Tiny homes on wheels (THOWs) registered as travel trailers, park-model RVs, or recreational vehicles with NC DMV are NOT compliant with the NC Residential Code and cannot serve as a principal or accessory dwelling in any Apex residential district. UDO Sec. 4.5.3.B.2 prohibits portable storage containers (PODS) as a permanent use in residential districts — the same logic applies to THOWs and other temporary structures used as housing. Manufactured (HUD-Code) homes are permitted in the MH Manufactured Home and MHP Manufactured Home Park districts only (UDO Sec. 5.1.1) with their own setbacks (MH: 25 ft front / 8 ft side / 25 ft rear, 24 ft max height; MHP: 25 ft perimeter, with interior 10/6/10 setbacks, 20 ft max height). Manufactured home installation must follow NCGS § 143-145 and the NC Regulations for Manufactured/Modular Buildings.