Vallejo, CA Accessory Structures: Tiny Homes (2026)

Vallejo's zoning code is explicit that a tiny home without a permanent foundation is a manufactured home for regulatory purposes, and Section 16.325.03 states that 'a manufactured home having no permanent foundation system shall be placed in a mobile home park, including a tiny home,' with the park required to meet 'the mobile home park standards of Chapter 16.328, Mobile Home Parks, and any other requirements adopted by the city council.' A tiny home on wheels or skids cannot simply be sited in a residential backyard; that placement option is reserved for manufactured homes bolted to a permanent foundation under Section 16.325.02, which requires an insignia of approval from the California Department of Housing and Community Development for units built after September 15, 1971, or from HUD for units built after July 1, 1976.

Once routed into a mobile home park, the tiny home is subject to Chapter 16.328's development standards, applied through a major use permit under Chapter 16.606. Every park must sit on at least four acres, keep a 20-foot front setback and 15-foot side and rear setbacks measured to the nearest mobile home lot line, and give each individual home space at least a five-foot setback on all sides. Permanent additions built onto an individual site, including room additions, cabanas, carports and patio structures, are prohibited outright; only portable, easily disassembled structures are allowed, and only with the planning director's and building official's approval. Each space also needs at least one individually accessible and one tandem parking space, underground utilities, and a connection to the city sewer system.