Bonneville County, ID Accessory Structures: Tiny Homes (2026)
Tiny home rules in Bonneville County, ID, 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 chapter
- Ch. 154, floodplain management
- Tiny home classified as
- Manufactured home / RV
- Temporary placement limit
- Fewer than 180 consecutive days
- Permanent placement
- Full new-construction elevation standards apply
- Permit needed in SFHA
- Floodplain development permit, § 154.27
- Maximum penalty
- $500 fine or 180 days jail
Summary
Bonneville County's floodplain code classifies tiny homes as manufactured homes and recreational vehicles. Any tiny home sited within a special flood hazard area must meet the same elevation and permitting standards as a manufactured home, not the lighter rules for a storage shed or detached garage.
MANUFACTURED HOME. A structure, transportable in one or more sections, built on a permanent chassis and designed to be used with or without a permanent foundation when connected to the required utilities. This includes tiny homes and park model manufactured homes... (A) Residential construction. New construction, substantial improvements and development of any residential structure (including manufactured homes, tiny homes and park models) shall have the lowest floor, including basement, and utilities, including ductwork, elevated no lower than the flood protection elevation, as defined in § 154.02... (E) Recreational vehicles... (2) Permanent placement. Recreational vehicles (including tiny homes and park models) that do not meet the limitations of temporary placement shall meet all the requirements for new construction, as set forth in § 154.45 and divisions (A) and (B) above.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: 2026 S-1: Ordinance 280-26, passed 1-20-2026).
Full Breakdown
Chapter 154's definitions section folds tiny homes directly into two regulated categories: MANUFACTURED HOME ("This includes tiny homes and park model manufactured homes") and RECREATIONAL VEHICLE ("This includes tiny homes and park model manufactured homes"). 02. 46(G), which covers sheds and detached garages, because that track expressly bars human habitation and temperature control; a tiny home used as living space does not qualify. 46(E) splits tiny homes into two tracks depending on how long they sit on the lot. Temporary placement allows a tiny home to remain fewer than 180 consecutive days if it stays licensed, road-ready, wheeled or on a jacking system, and connected only by quick-disconnect utilities with no permanent additions. 46. 28. Outside a mapped special flood hazard area, this chapter simply does not apply to placement of a tiny home.
Violations & Fines
Placing or altering a tiny home in a special flood hazard area without meeting the elevation, anchoring or permit requirements is a misdemeanor under § 154.99, punishable by a fine of not more than $500 or imprisonment of not more than 180 days, or both, with each day of continued violation a separate offense. The Floodplain Administrator issues a corrective notice under § 154.29 requiring the owner to remedy the violation within 60 to 180 days, and an owner may appeal a corrective order to the county's governing body within ten days of issuance.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Bonneville County regulate tiny homes as accessory structures?
Can I keep a tiny home on wheels temporarily without a permit?
What happens if I leave it permanently without complying?
Who enforces the tiny home floodplain rules?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Bonneville County
Compare Bonneville County to another location·View the Idaho accessory structures overview
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