Tiny home rules in Orem, UT — 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.
Orem allows only one single-family dwelling per residential lot (22-6-8(F)), prohibits using a detached accessory building as a separate apartment or guest house (22-6-8(D)(7)), and bans shipping containers, semi-trailers, boxcars, and PODS as residential structures (22-6-8(D)(9)) - which together restrict standalone tiny homes. Tiny dwellings within the main house may qualify as internal ADUs under Utah Code 10-9a-530.
Orem City Code does not have a tiny-home category; standalone tiny dwellings are constrained by several existing provisions. Section 22-6-8(F) provides that only one single-family dwelling may be constructed per lot in a residential zone, so a separate tiny home as a second residence on the lot is generally not permitted. Section 22-6-8(D)(7) states an accessory building/structure located in a residential zone shall not be designed or used as a guest house or a separate apartment unit, foreclosing a detached habitable tiny structure in the backyard. Section 22-6-8(D)(9) prohibits shipping containers, semi-trailers, boxcars, PODS, or similar structures from being installed or maintained on a residential lot, ruling out container-conversion tiny homes. Tiny dwelling space created within the footprint of an owner-occupied detached single-family home can, however, qualify as an 'internal accessory dwelling unit' that is a permitted use under Utah Code Section 10-9a-530, subject to building, health, and fire codes. The City's residential development standards also set minimum dwelling footprints (for example, 800 to 1,000 square feet excluding the garage, reducible to 650 square feet with a qualifying second story under 22-6-8(A)), which a primary tiny dwelling would have to meet.
Placing a standalone tiny home, container dwelling, or second residence on a lot in violation of these sections is a zoning violation subject to Orem code enforcement, abatement, and removal orders; container structures are independently prohibited regardless of permitting.
Other ordinances people look up for this city. Green dot = verified primary-source excerpt.
Orem, UT
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Orem, UT
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Orem, UT
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Orem, UT
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Orem, UT
Orem requires a minimum number of off-street paved parking spaces by zoning type. For accessory apartments, at least 3 paved off-street parking pads are requ...
Orem, UT
Orem caps continuous parking in the same on-street location at 72 hours (Orem City Code 19-3-6), and Utah state law (UCA 41-6a-1402) requires vehicles to be ...
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