Tiny home rules in Fair Oaks, 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.
Tiny homes on a permanent foundation can qualify as ADUs in unincorporated Sacramento County. Tiny homes on wheels (THOWs) are regulated as recreational vehicles and generally cannot be used as permanent dwellings on residential lots.
Tiny homes built to the California Residential Code on a permanent foundation are treated as ADUs or primary dwellings and qualify for the Gov Code 65852.2 streamlined ADU pathway, with a minimum habitable floor area of 150 sq ft per CRC R304 and 220 sq ft for an efficiency dwelling. Tiny homes on wheels certified as RVs under ANSI A119.5 or park trailers (ANSI A119.5) are classified as recreational vehicles, not dwellings. County Code Title 22 limits RV occupancy on residential lots to 30 days per year without permit, and bans permanent RV occupancy in most residential zones. Movable tiny houses have been separately authorized in some California cities but Sacramento County has not adopted a dedicated THOW ordinance. Tiny homes in permitted mobile home parks follow separate rules under Title 25.
Illegal THOW occupancy can result in county abatement, zoning violations, and daily administrative fines.
Fair Oaks, CA
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Side-by-side rule comparisons with other cities in Sacramento County.
See how other cities in Sacramento County handle tiny homes.
See how Fair Oaks's tiny homes rules stack up against other locations.
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