Fresno County, CA Accessory Structures: Tiny Homes (2026)
Tiny home rules in Fresno County, 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.
Key Facts
- Allowed standard
- Appendix Q of the California Residential Code
- Time limit
- One year from verified structure loss
- Eligibility
- Property owner of record only, after fire/disaster loss
- Permit required
- Site plan under CBC § 107.2.6, § 15.70.060
- Governing chapter
- Fresno County Code Chapter 15.70
Summary
Fresno County allows a displaced homeowner whose residence burned down or was destroyed to place a Tiny House built to Appendix Q of the California Residential Code on the property for up to one year. The rule sits in the county's disaster-response chapter, not its general accessory-structure code, so it only applies after a documented total loss.
Recognizing availability of affordable temporary housing when a single-family residence is made inhabitable or destroyed by fire, vehicle accident, or other natural cause, Temporary Housing as described herein may be allowed in accordance with the provisions of this chapter are applicable only to the resident who is identified as the property owner of record. ... A.Temporary housing, also referred to as Temporary Housing Units, may be provided by means of:1.Recreational Vehicle (RV)...or2.Tiny Houses complying with the provisions of Appendix Q of the California Residential Code.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 51).
Full Breakdown
70, Emergency and Disaster Response, was adopted by Ordinance No. 23-001 on February 28, 2023, to let a property owner keep temporary housing on site while rebuilding after a single-family residence is made uninhabitable or destroyed by fire, vehicle accident, or other natural cause. 010 limits the chapter to the resident identified as the property owner of record, and the provisions stay in effect for only one year from the date a local fire protection agency or the county's Development Services Division verifies the structure loss or damage.
030(A) lists two allowed forms of Temporary Housing Units: a licensed, operable recreational vehicle certified to NFPA 1192 and related standards, or a Tiny House complying with Appendix Q of the California Residential Code. 300 for parcels in the State Responsibility Area. 030(C) and (D) require a listed smoke detector and carbon dioxide detector in each living area, plus a propane gas detector if the unit runs on propane fuel. 6 and a foundation support system resisting lateral movement, along with the manufacturer's information for the Tiny House unit.
Violations & Fines
Placing a Temporary Housing Unit, including a Tiny House, without the permit required by Fresno County Code Section 15.70.060, or keeping one beyond the one-year window in Section 15.70.010 or after the property owner of record changes, is unpermitted development the county's Development Services Division can require to be removed or brought into compliance with a standard permit.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I put a tiny house on my Fresno County property?
How long can the tiny house stay after a home is destroyed?
Does the tiny house still need a building permit?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Fresno County
California rules heatmap·Compare Fresno County to another location·View the California accessory structures overview
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