Tiny home rules in Onondaga County, NY — 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 foundations must comply with NY Uniform Code minimums. NY has no specific tiny-home appendix. Tiny homes on wheels treated as RVs and cannot be used as permanent dwellings in most Onondaga County zones.
New York adopted the 2020 Residential Code without Appendix Q (the IRC's tiny-house appendix), so tiny houses on permanent foundations must meet the full NY Uniform Fire Prevention and Building Code including minimum ceiling heights, egress, and habitable space requirements. There is no statewide minimum dwelling square footage, but individual Onondaga towns set minimums through zoning (often 600-1,000 sq ft for a permitted single-family home). Tiny houses on wheels (THOWs) are classified as recreational vehicles or travel trailers under NY Vehicle & Traffic Law and the Uniform Code, and cannot be used as a permanent dwelling in residential zones. Syracuse and most suburban towns (Clay, Salina, Manlius) prohibit permanent RV occupancy. Some towns allow temporary occupancy of an RV during active construction of a primary dwelling under a 180-day builder's permit.
Zoning violations: fines up to $350/day plus court-ordered removal in most Onondaga towns. Unpermitted occupancy: stop-use orders and utility disconnect.
Onondaga County, NY
Commercial noise regulated by municipal codes. Syracuse zoning limits industrial noise at residential property lines to 65 dBA day, 55 dBA night.
Onondaga County, NY
Commercial vehicles over 10,000 lbs or bearing commercial signage are generally prohibited on residential streets overnight in Syracuse and most Onondaga Cou...
Onondaga County, NY
RV and boat parking regulated by town zoning codes. Most Onondaga County towns prohibit on-street RV parking over 24-48 hours and require side or rear yard s...
Onondaga County, NY
Street parking in Onondaga County follows NY Vehicle & Traffic Law plus local codes. City of Syracuse enforces odd-even street cleaning rules Nov 15-Apr 1 an...
Onondaga County, NY
Smoke and CO detectors required in all NY dwellings under 19 NYCRR Part 1225 (Uniform Code). Amanda's Law requires CO alarms in homes with fuel-burning appli...
Onondaga County, NY
Outdoor burning of brush, leaves, or debris is prohibited in Onondaga County from March 15 to May 15 under the NYSDEC statewide burn ban. Burning household t...
See how Onondaga County's tiny homes rules stack up against other locations.
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