Tiny home rules in Cupertino, 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.
A permanent tiny home on a foundation is treated as an accessory dwelling unit in Cupertino under Municipal Code Chapter 19.112, which allows detached ADUs up to 800 to 1,000 square feet. Movable tiny homes on wheels are not recognized as standalone permanent dwellings.
Cupertino has no separate tiny-home ordinance; a permanent small dwelling is regulated as an accessory dwelling unit under CMC Chapter 19.112, implementing state ADU law (Gov. Code 66310 to 66342). A detached ADU may be built up to 800 s.f. under streamlined standards (CMC 19.112.030), or up to 850 s.f. for a studio or one-bedroom and 1,000 s.f. for larger units under non-streamlined standards (CMC 19.112.040), with a 4-foot side and rear setback and generally 18-foot height. The ADU definition includes efficiency units and manufactured homes as defined in state law. A tiny home on a permanent foundation must meet California Building Code dwelling standards; a tiny house on wheels is treated as a recreational vehicle, not a permanent dwelling.
Occupying an unpermitted tiny structure as a dwelling can trigger correction notices, orders to legalize under ADU standards, or removal of the structure.
Other ordinances people look up for this city. Green dot = verified primary-source excerpt.
cupertino-ca
Under California's SB 1383, Cupertino residents and businesses must keep food scraps and yard trimmings out of the trash and use Recology South Bay's organic...
cupertino-ca
Artificial turf is not counted as drought-tolerant landscaping in California, and under SB 676 (Government Code 53087.7) cities like Cupertino may regulate s...
cupertino-ca
Cupertino's Water-Efficient Landscape Ordinance (Municipal Code Chapter 14.15) implements California's MWELO and caps turf at 25% of landscape area, favoring...
cupertino-ca
Cupertino places no ban on residential rainwater harvesting and actively encourages on-site rainwater and graywater capture in its Water-Efficient Landscape ...
cupertino-ca
Cupertino has permanent water-waste prohibitions under Municipal Code Chapter 15.32, banning runoff, hosing pavement, and un-nozzled hoses. Water is supplied...
cupertino-ca
Cupertino declares overgrown weeds and dry brush a fire nuisance under Municipal Code Chapter 9.08, enforced through a Santa Clara County weed abatement prog...
Side-by-side rule comparisons with other cities in Santa Clara County.
See how other cities in Santa Clara County handle tiny homes.
See how Cupertino's tiny homes rules stack up against other locations.
Help us keep this page accurate. If you notice an error or outdated information, let us know.