Mobile, AL Accessory Structures: Tiny Homes (2026)
Tiny home rules in Mobile, AL, 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.
Key Facts
- Appendix adopted
- AQ - Tiny Houses
- Part of
- 2021 IRC amendments
- Ordinance adopted
- November 8, 2022
- Default IRC violation fine
- $250
Summary
Mobile's residential building code amendments formally adopt IRC Appendix AQ, the tiny house standards, giving tiny homes a recognized construction path under the city's code.
R102.5.1 Adopted Appendices. The following appendices shall be adopted:
Appendix AE - Manufactured Housing Used as Dwellings
Appendix AF - Radon Control Methods
Appendix AH - Patio Covers
Appendix AJ - Existing Buildings and Structures
Appendix AK - Sound Transmission
Appendix AM - Home Day Care R-3 Occupancy
Appendix AO - Automatic Vehicular Gates
Appendix AQ - Tiny Houses
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 67).
Full Breakdown
Mobile's Residential Code amendments at Sec. 28-52 list the appendices the city adopted alongside the base 2021 International Residential Code, and Appendix AQ - Tiny Houses is one of them, along with Appendix AE for manufactured housing and Appendix AM for home day care. Adopting AQ means a tiny house built to that appendix's standards is a permitted building type under Mobile's code rather than an unrecognized structure needing a variance. Permits and inspections still run through Build Mobile, the city's Department of Building Safety.
Violations & Fines
Building a tiny house without a permit or outside Appendix AQ's adopted standards is a Residential Code violation; Sec. 28-52 sets a default fine of $250.00 for IRC violations, rising to $300.00 for occupying without a certificate of occupancy.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are tiny houses legal to build in Mobile?
Do tiny houses still need permits in Mobile?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Mobile
Compare Mobile to another location·View the Alabama accessory structures overview
See something wrong?
Help us keep this page accurate. If you notice an error or outdated information, let us know.