Tiny home rules in Upland, CA — 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.
The City of Upland has no separate 'tiny home' zoning category. A tiny house on a permanent foundation is regulated as an ADU under Municipal Code Chapter 17.37 and must meet ADU and Building Code standards. A tiny house on wheels (an RV/movable structure) cannot be used as a permanent dwelling under the accessory-structure rules.
Upland does not publish a standalone tiny-home ordinance. In practice, a tiny house intended for full-time living is permitted only as an accessory dwelling unit on a permanent foundation under Chapter 17.37 of the Municipal Code (Ordinance No. 1993, adopted April 14, 2025), and it must comply with ADU development standards and the California Building/Residential Code. The City's ADU page confirms a JADU is capped at 500 square feet and must be within the existing or proposed home or attached garage, while detached ADUs must meet the City's size, setback, height, and parking standards. A tiny house on wheels is generally classified as a recreational vehicle or movable structure; the accessory-structure rules (Chapter 17.19) bar using garages, sheds, and similar accessory structures for human habitation, and Upland (like most California cities) does not allow an RV or movable tiny house to serve as a permanent residence on a lot. California's 'movable tiny house' provisions in state ADU law are discretionary and depend on local adoption, so a wheeled tiny home is not an as-of-right dwelling in Upland. Anyone seeking to live in a tiny home should pursue a foundation-based ADU/JADU through the Planning Division (909-931-4130) and Building and Safety (909-931-4110). This is the incorporated City of Upland's framework, separate from unincorporated San Bernardino County.
Living in a tiny house on wheels, an RV, or a non-permitted movable structure as a permanent residence violates the Municipal Code's prohibition on habitation of accessory structures (Chapter 17.19) and the zoning rules for dwellings. A foundation-based tiny house must be permitted as an ADU under Chapter 17.37. Code Enforcement can require removal or compliance.
Other ordinances people look up for this city. Green dot = verified primary-source excerpt.
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Under California SB 1383, Upland requires all residents to separate organic (food and green) waste. The City provides weekly green-waste (green barrel) colle...
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Upland has no published ordinance banning artificial turf, and the City's water-efficiency goals favor reducing live turf. Synthetic turf can serve as a wate...
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Upland does not mandate native plants, but its Water-Efficient Landscape ordinance (UMC Chapter 17.12) pushes low-water, climate-appropriate planting and min...
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Upland does not appear to publish a stand-alone rainwater-harvesting ordinance restricting rain barrels. Capturing rainwater is generally legal in California...
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The City of Upland is its own water utility and adopts staged conservation rules in UMC Chapter 13.16. Excessive runoff and unrepaired leaks are always prohi...
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Upland's Weed Abatement Program is a year-round fire-hazard reduction requirement enforced by the City. Properties must remove weeds, dead vegetation, trash ...
Side-by-side rule comparisons with other cities in San Bernardino County.
See how other cities in San Bernardino County handle tiny homes.
See how Upland's tiny homes rules stack up against other locations.
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