Memphis, TN Accessory Structures: Tiny Homes (2026)

The Memphis and Shelby County Unified Development Code (UDC), adopted as the joint zoning code for Memphis and unincorporated Shelby County, regulates small second dwellings as Accessory Dwelling Units rather than as a separate 'tiny home' use. On lots up to 1.5 acres, a detached ADU may not exceed 700 square feet or one-third of the ground-floor area of the principal dwelling, whichever is smaller; on lots larger than 1.5 acres, the cap rises to one-half of the principal dwelling's ground-floor area. ADUs must comply with the underlying district setbacks, recorded easements, and parking requirements set elsewhere in the UDC, and most residential zones treat ADUs as a permitted secondary use to a single-family dwelling. The ADU must connect to the same utilities as the primary house and meet the Memphis and Shelby County 2018 Technical Codes (the locally adopted IRC and IBC) for foundation, egress, smoke alarms, and energy conservation. Tennessee has no statewide tiny-home preemption, and Memphis has not adopted IRC Appendix Q as a separate package, but plan reviewers can apply IRC small-dwelling provisions where allowed under the adopted residential code. A tiny house on wheels remains a recreational vehicle under both Memphis zoning and Tennessee Department of Revenue titling rules and may be occupied long-term only in a permitted RV park or campground, not on a residential lot. Short-term rental of an ADU is allowed only if the ADU has four or fewer bedrooms and the operator holds the required Memphis short-term rental permit.