Tiny home rules in Utica, NY — 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.
Utica has no dedicated tiny-home ordinance. A permanent tiny house on a foundation is regulated as a dwelling or ADU (max 800 sq ft, owner-occupied) and must meet the NY Uniform Code; movable tiny houses on wheels are not permitted as permanent residences.
The Zoning Code has no separate tiny-home category. A small permanent dwelling is treated like any dwelling unit and must satisfy the district's minimum requirements and the NY State Uniform Fire Prevention and Building Code. A tiny house used as a second unit falls under the ADU rules: one per dwelling, owner-occupancy, and a maximum of 800 square feet of gross floor area. A tiny house on wheels reads as a recreational vehicle or manufactured unit and is not authorized as a permanent residence outside of a compliant dwelling. The city's Manufactured Homes provisions apply mainly within special flood-hazard areas.
Placing or occupying a tiny home that is not a permitted dwelling violates the Zoning and Building Codes; Code Enforcement can order removal and impose fines.
Other ordinances people look up for this city. Green dot = verified primary-source excerpt.
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