Tiny home rules in Polk County, FL — 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.
Polk County has no separate tiny-home ordinance. A tiny house on a permanent foundation must meet the Florida Building Code and the zoning district's standards; a mobile home is only allowed as a temporary medical-hardship residence under strict LDC limits, not a casual second dwelling.
Polk County's LDC does not create a distinct tiny-home category, so a tiny house is regulated by its structure type. A site-built or modular tiny home must meet the Florida Building Code and the district's lot-area and setback rules in Table 2.2, and individual mobile homes are only allowed where 'Mobile Homes, Individual' is a permitted or conditional use per Table 2.1. The main way to add a temporary extra dwelling is LDC Section 206.J: a temporary mobile home for a medical hardship on the same lot as an existing home, on a parcel of at least 12,500 square feet or 50 feet wide, not in the front yard, with approvals valid one year and renewable while the hardship continues.
Placing a tiny home or mobile home as a second dwelling against the district use rules, or keeping a medical-hardship mobile home after the hardship ends, violates the LDC; the hardship unit must be removed within 60 days.
Other ordinances people look up for this city. Green dot = verified primary-source excerpt.
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