Daly City, CA Accessory Structures: Tiny Homes (2026)

California's statewide ADU law (Gov. Code §66323, formerly §65852.2) defines an ADU as a permanent dwelling unit with sleeping, cooking, and sanitation facilities on a residential lot. To be an ADU, a tiny home must be built on a permanent foundation, comply with the California Residential Code (Title 24, adopted by Daly City in Municipal Code Title 12), and meet HCD's minimum room and ceiling standards. When those conditions are met, Daly City must ministerially approve up to one detached ADU per single-family lot, up to 800 sq ft livable, with four-foot side and rear setbacks - and cannot impose additional design standards beyond what state law permits. A tiny home on wheels (THOW) is a recreational vehicle (RV) under California Vehicle Code §§635 and 18010, regulated by HCD for construction. Daly City Municipal Code Title 14 zoning, like nearly all California cities, prohibits using an RV as a permanent residence on a private lot outside a licensed RV park. THOWs may be parked but not occupied as a dwelling on residential property. For modular/manufactured tiny homes installed on a permanent foundation as ADUs, apply through Daly City Building Division (650-991-8061).