Tiny home rules in Larimer County, 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.
By Colorado law a tiny house is 400 sq ft or less (excluding lofts). In unincorporated Larimer County, a tiny house on a permanent foundation is a legal dwelling with a building permit; a tiny house on wheels is treated as an RV and cannot be a year-round home.
Larimer County follows Colorado law: tiny houses are 400 sq ft of floor area or less, excluding lofts. A 'Tiny House on a Foundation' (site-built or manufactured) can be a legal dwelling if it gets a building permit, is designed for site-specific snow, wind, floodplain and wildfire hazards, and sits on a permanent foundation. The county adopted the 2021 IRC and Appendix Q for tiny houses, requiring minimum 70 sq ft habitable rooms, 6'8" ceilings (6'4" in baths/kitchens), egress, and smoke/CO alarms. A 'Tiny House on Wheels' (THOW) is a Recreational Vehicle regulated by the Land Use Code, cannot be occupied year-round, and on vacant land is limited to 180 days per 12 months in specific zoning districts.
Occupying a THOW as a permanent residence, or building a foundation tiny house without a permit, is a Land Use Code / building code violation subject to enforcement.
Other ordinances people look up for this city. Green dot = verified primary-source excerpt.
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See how Larimer County's tiny homes rules stack up against other locations.
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