Denver, CO Accessory Structures: Tiny Homes (2026)
Tiny home rules in Denver, 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
- Classification
- Tiny home = Manufactured Home
- Allowed zone district
- Manufactured Home Community (MHC) only
- Village alternative
- Congregate Living use category
- State definition cited
- C.R.S. § 24-32-3302(35)
- Enforcing agency
- Community Planning and Development
Summary
Denver's zoning code treats a tiny home built to the state's chassis-based definition as a type of Manufactured Home, so it can only be sited in the Manufactured Home Community zone district, not in a standard residential backyard.
Manufactured Home: A Manufactured Home is defined as any one of the following:
1. A dwelling that is built on a chassis; is designed for long-term residential occupancy; contains complete electrical, plumbing, and sanitary facilities; is designed to be installed in a permanent or semipermanent manner with or without a permanent foundation; and is capable of being drawn over public highways as a unit or in sections by special permit;.
2. A preconstructed building unit or combination of preconstructed building units that is constructed in compliance with the federal manufactured home construction safety standard, as defined in section 24-32-3302(13), C.R.S., as amended;
3. A mobile home, as defined in section 24-32-3302(24), C.R.S., as amended; or
4. A tiny home, as defined in section 24-32-3302(35), C.R.S., as amended. Manufactured Home Replacement: Removal and replacement of one or more Manufactured Home(s) within the MHC zone district with one or more different Manufactured Home(s), but not including a proposal or intent to remove and replace 100% of the Manufactured Homes at one time or in phases.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 147 Update 3).
Full Breakdown
The Denver Zoning Code defines Manufactured Home to include a tiny home, as defined in section 24-32-3302(35), C.R.S., alongside chassis-built dwellings and mobile homes, so a wheeled or state-defined tiny home is regulated as a manufactured home rather than a stand-alone accessory structure. It may only be sited within the Manufactured Home Community zone district, where manufactured homes occupy a shared zone lot, one per household. A separate, fixed tiny home village of multiple small structures sharing communal facilities is instead classified as Congregate Living, permitted only where that use appears in the applicable zone district's use table.
Violations & Fines
Siting a tiny home outside the Manufactured Home Community zone district, or running an unpermitted congregate tiny home village, is a zoning violation enforced by Community Planning and Development, subject to a correction order and fines for continued noncompliance.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I put a tiny home in my backyard in Denver?
What about a tiny home village?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Denver
Compare Denver to another location·View the Colorado accessory structures overview
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