Josephine County, OR Accessory Structures: Tiny Homes (2026)

030(B) lets the Planning Director authorize a second structure for extra living space on a lot, called a "detached living space," but the definition is narrow: it is a temporary single-family structure ancillary to the main dwelling, with no dining table or dining room, an induction cooktop allowed but no wiring or installation for a conventional oven. The code states outright that "'Tiny homes' on wheels are not considered detached living spaces," and separately excludes camping units, buses, or other vehicles from the detached-living-space category.

A legally sited unit must instead be a freestanding structure built on site or stick-built elsewhere and moved onto the lot. These units are allowed only in the rural residential, community residential, limited development, serpentine, exclusive farm and farm resource, and forest commercial and woodlot zones outside the Grants Pass and Cave Junction urban growth boundaries (inside a UGB, the city's own rules govern). 060, must sit within 100 feet of the principal dwelling (150 feet if a new wildfire fuel break is built), meet the same zone setbacks as a new dwelling, and be served by a potable water source and an on-site sewage system or public sewer; portable toilets are not permitted.

Only one detached living space is allowed per lot, and it cannot become a third dwelling unit on the parcel. A deed restriction recorded with the County Clerk must state the unit cannot be used as an independent dwelling, and it cannot be rented short-term or on a transient basis.