Tiny home rules in Chesterfield County, VA — 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.
Chesterfield has no special tiny-home ordinance. A tiny house on a permanent foundation is a dwelling that must meet the Virginia building code and district minimum standards and setbacks. A tiny house on wheels is treated as an RV and cannot be a permanent residence.
There is no tiny-home-specific rule in the county code. A tiny house built on a permanent foundation is regulated as a single-family dwelling: it must satisfy the Virginia Uniform Statewide Building Code (which adopts the IRC, including its tiny-house provisions) and the zoning district's setback, height and lot requirements. A movable tiny house on a trailer chassis is classified as a recreational vehicle or manufactured unit and may not be used as a permanent dwelling on a residential lot. Placing a second tiny dwelling behind an existing house is an accessory dwelling and needs a Conditional Use Permit.
Living in a tiny house on wheels, or siting a tiny dwelling without meeting building code, permits and setbacks, is a zoning and building-code violation subject to enforcement and removal.
Other ordinances people look up for this city. Green dot = verified primary-source excerpt.
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