Black Hawk County, IA Accessory Structures: Tiny Homes (2026)

95. 010, a mobile home used for dwelling purposes may be placed only in a licensed mobile home park, and a new park may be established only in a designated district after a permit is secured. To open a park, an applicant files a written application with the County Zoning Commission that includes the site's legal description, a site plan and the written consent of 75 percent of the property owners within 200 feet of the site. The Zoning Commission forwards a recommendation to the Board of Supervisors, which grants or denies the application; construction cannot begin until the Administrative Officer receives proof of Iowa Department of Health compliance covering lot and street layout, sewage disposal, water supply and electrical distribution.

Outside a park, a mobile home (and by extension an oversized tiny home) may be placed only in limited circumstances: as the principal dwelling on a farm, or as a second unit for an immediate family member actively engaged in the farm's agricultural operation; as temporary living quarters during construction of a permanent dwelling, with the Zoning Commission setting the expiration date; as a temporary office for up to 180 days; or, after a natural disaster, as on-lot emergency housing for up to 18 months while the owner's home is rebuilt, subject to written approval from the Zoning Administrator and a 30-day deadline to pull a reconstruction permit.