Tiny home rules in Shasta 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.
Unincorporated Shasta County has no standalone 'tiny home' ordinance; treatment depends on form. A permanent tiny dwelling on a foundation is an ADU (Section 17.88.132); a small detached unit with no kitchen is a guest house (Section 17.88.185, max 640 sq ft); a tiny home on wheels is a trailer/RV, allowed only temporarily (Section 17.88.160).
Shasta County regulates tiny homes through existing categories rather than a dedicated section. A foundation-built tiny house intended as a second living unit is an Accessory Dwelling Unit governed by Section 17.88.132 (one per lot; size, setback, parking and ministerial-approval rules apply, with California's recodified ADU law at Gov. Code 66310 et seq. setting the floor). A small detached building used for guests but built without kitchen or cooking facilities is a 'guest house' under Section 17.88.185: it may not exceed 640 square feet or 20 feet in height, must sit behind the main residence and at least 6 feet from it, may not be a mobile home, and may not be rented separately. A movable tiny home on a chassis (THOW) is functionally a travel trailer/RV; under Section 17.88.160 a mobile home or travel trailer may be placed for residential occupancy only temporarily during construction of a permanent residence, subject to Section 16.04.110 and applicable permits. There is no general code allowance to live full-time in a tiny home on wheels on a lot. Because classification drives the rules, confirm your specific plan with Shasta County Resource Management.
Living permanently in a tiny home on wheels outside the temporary-construction allowance, occupying a guest house as a separate rental, or installing a tiny dwelling without ADU/building permits are code violations that can require permits, removal of the unit, or cessation of occupancy.
Other ordinances people look up for this city. Green dot = verified primary-source excerpt.
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See how Shasta County's tiny homes rules stack up against other locations.
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