Broomfield, CO Accessory Structures: Tiny Homes (2026)
Tiny home rules in Broomfield, CO, 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
- Tiny/manufactured/modular homes
- Allowed as ADUs
- Foundation
- Must comply with IRC
- Tie-downs
- May be required
- Cladding
- Must match principal home
- Wheeled/temporary units
- Prohibited under (J)
- ADU limit still applies
- One per parcel
Summary
Broomfield Municipal Code section 17-32-160(K)-(L) permits manufactured homes, tiny homes, and modular homes to serve as a lawful accessory dwelling unit, as long as the unit sits on a foundation meeting the International Residential Code and is clad to match the principal house.
(K)Manufactured homes and tiny homes shall be permitted for use as an accessory dwelling unit when installed with a foundation that is in compliance with the International Residential Code, which may include tie downs, and clad in materials or colors to match the principal structure, in compliance with section 17-42-320. ... (L)Tiny houses and modular homes shall be permitted for use as an accessory dwelling unit when it is clad in materials or colors to match the principal structure.
Full Breakdown
Subsection (K) requires a manufactured or tiny home used as an ADU to be installed on a foundation complying with the International Residential Code, which may include tie downs, and clad in materials or colors matching the principal structure, with a cross-reference to section 17-42-320 for the design standard. Subsection (L) separately confirms tiny houses and modular homes qualify as ADUs when clad to match the principal structure. Both provisions sit inside the general ADU framework in section 17-32-160: only one ADU per parcel, a size cap of 50% of the principal home's footprint or 800 square feet (whichever is less, with a 500-square-foot floor regardless of house size), the same architectural design-matching standard in subsection (F), and the short-term rental ban in subsection (E).
The foundation requirement in subsection (K) is what separates a permitted tiny home ADU from the prohibited category in subsection (J), which bars travel trailers, recreational vehicles, shipping containers, and other temporary structures from serving as an ADU: a wheeled or non-foundation tiny home falls into that prohibited category, while a foundation-installed one does not. Every tiny home ADU owner must still record the declaration of use under subsection (I) before a detached unit can receive its certificate of occupancy.
Violations & Fines
Installing a tiny home or manufactured home as an ADU without a permanent, IRC-compliant foundation, without required tie-downs, or without cladding that matches the principal structure violates section 17-32-160(K)-(L), and Community Development can withhold a certificate of occupancy or order the structure removed. Using a wheeled tiny home, travel trailer, or shipping container as an ADU instead falls under the prohibition on temporary structures in subsection (J) and is treated as an unpermitted accessory structure.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I put a tiny house on wheels in my Broomfield backyard as a rental unit?
Does a tiny home ADU need to match my house's exterior?
What foundation does Broomfield require for a manufactured home ADU?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Broomfield
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