Tiny home rules in Shelby County, TN — 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.
Unincorporated Shelby County has no separate tiny-home ordinance. A permanent tiny house is regulated by the Unified Development Code as a single-family dwelling or, as a second unit, an accessory dwelling unit under UDC 2.7.2D, and must meet county building and residential codes.
The Memphis/Shelby County UDC contains no tiny-home-specific category, so a tiny house on unincorporated county land is regulated by its function. A tiny house on a permanent foundation as the only home on a lot is treated as a single-family detached dwelling and must meet the zoning district's minimum lot and setback and the residential building code. A tiny house added as a second unit is an accessory dwelling unit under UDC Sec. 2.7.2D: one per lot, accessory to a single-family detached home, sized by lot area, requiring administrative site plan review. A tiny house on wheels is generally treated as a recreational vehicle, and long-term RV occupancy on a residential lot is not permitted. Cities apply their own rules.
Placing a tiny house that is not a permitted dwelling use, adding a second beyond the one-ADU limit, or living long-term in a tiny house on wheels on a residential lot violates the UDC, enforced by Planning and Development.
Other ordinances people look up for this city. Green dot = verified primary-source excerpt.
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Backyard composting is allowed in Shelby County and has no dedicated permit, but compost and organic material must be managed so it does not become harmful v...
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Shelby County has no ordinance banning or specially permitting artificial turf. Synthetic turf is not counted as living landscaping under the Unified Develop...
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The Memphis and Shelby County Unified Development Code favors native landscaping, directing that trees and shrubs be predominately hardy Tennessee native spe...
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Shelby County has no ordinance prohibiting or specially licensing residential rainwater harvesting. Rain barrels and cisterns are generally allowed, and Tenn...
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Shelby County has no mandatory outdoor watering schedule. Water is supplied by Memphis Light, Gas and Water from the Memphis Sand Aquifer, and MLGW promotes ...
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The Code of Shelby County authorizes the county to compel owners of unincorporated property to cut rank weeds, grasses, and underbrush deemed a health or tra...
See how Shelby County's tiny homes rules stack up against other locations.
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