What is a Tiny House?
A tiny house is a house that is smaller than average. They are generally between 400 and 500 square feet. There are different sizes of tiny homes, including:
- A traditional cabin
- An A-frame style cabin
- A teepee style cabin
- A Dutch design style cabin (called a chalet) with its own tiny front porch or patio
- An addition to a traditional house, like a room or a second story
- A full-sized cabin under 400 square feet
- A trailer with all the same features as a tiny house.
What is the legal status of Tiny Houses?
Tiny houses are legal in all 50 states and most countries worldwide. Some states and countries require that certain aspects of tiny houses be in place, but mostly, it is up to you to build your tiny home.
The State of Nevada does not have any regulations on Tiny Houses. There are no building codes for them, either.
Therefore, there are no restrictions on how much weight they can have or how many people they can accommodate. The exception is when it affects public health or safety issues.
The zoning laws in Nevada allow one tiny house to be placed on any lot, as long as it doesn’t impact the surrounding homes.
Still, Nevada has very few zoning laws, anyway. So there are no state laws regulating the use of these houses, except for the maximum occupancy allowed in Nevada.
The City of Las Vegas has regulations on Tiny Houses, but the city is not likely to enforce these regulations. Instead, the City of Las Vegas will implement laws that impact public health and safety issues.
Still, they are not expected to enforce laws that affect the land use of a property owner’s tiny house.
What is required to build a Tiny House?
Most people who build tiny houses do so by using materials available at their local hardware store, Home Depot, or Lowe’s. You will need essential tools such as a hammer, screwdriver, saws, and sawhorses.
Again, most people build their houses from building materials available at Home Depot or Lowe’s.
The type of house you build is up to you, as long as it meets all building codes in your area.
For example, you can create a place that is a tiny house, A-frame style cabin, teepee style cabin, or Dutch design style cabin. The type of house you build is not as important as how you make it.
The only aspect of building a tiny house that differs from making a standard home is the size of the foundation.
Most people will need to get a permit from their local county to build their tiny houses on their property. This will be because of public health and safety issues and problems with land use and zoning laws in your area.
Where can I find information about building codes?
You can find information about building codes in your area at your local county building department website or their offices.