I built my tiny house in 2011 and have lived in it ever since. Tiny homes are safe, affordable, and have provided my family with a life that most can only dream of. However, the journey towards legalization is not always an easy path. One major aspect is still missing from the International Residential Code (IRC) to fully address this housing type: the wheels.

Currently, an effort initiated by the Tiny Home Industry Association (THIA) in conjunction with the International Code Council (ICC), seeks to 'fix' this gap. However, this so-called fix looks a lot to me like handing the housing segment over to industry and eliminating the DIY spirit that is central to the tiny home movement. All while not really addressing the wheels anyway. We cannot let this happen.

In 2016, significant work was accomplished to include tiny homes in the IRC via Appendix Q, paving the way for their recognition and growth. This acceptance was a monumental step forward, allowing countless individuals to embrace this lifestyle legally and affordably. Yet now there is this effort, which is being driven by a committee of builders who don't fairly represent the public, to scoop these advancements out of code and provide a path, mostly only for industry in their new standard OSMTH 1215. 

Tiny homes represent more than just a trend; they are a viable solution to many in this housing crisis, offering affordability, sustainability and an achievable path to owner occupied housing. The proposed changes risk making tiny homes less accessible by placing undue emphasis on industry control and ignoring the diverse needs of tiny home residents.

We need to maintain the progress made in Appendix Q and work towards inclusive solutions that address the wheel issue without sacrificing the foundational principles of the tiny home movement. Retaining the DIY spirit, ensuring affordability, and making sure individuals have the option to build their own house if they choose must remain central in any future amendments to the IRC and any standards developed to address tiny house code needs.

Please join me in urging the relevant authorities to block these regressive changes and support a more inclusive, innovative, and equitable approach to tiny home legislation. Sign this petition to protect the integrity of the tiny home lifestyle and help ensure that this modern housing solution remains accessible to all.

There are going to be a few steps to this:

My biggest hope is, and has been, that this effort can get on track and become helpful for the entire tiny house community. If that happens I will update here and close this petition. However, in my experience attending these meetings, it hasn't really mattered what is brought forward, there seems to be an agenda at play centered around a new, Small Residential Unit (SRU), term. 

The first hurdle we need to cross is stopping the current title change of the standard which aims change the focus of the standard to the new term (SRU). While there is nothing inherently wrong with an SRU, the aim is to subvert the term 'tiny home' underneath it. This stands to force early adopting jurisdictions to make significant changes (which they may or may not want to make) if they wish to continue tiny house legalization. It also puts an unnecessary layer around tiny homes, making them easier to deny or worse, hand off only to only licensed manufacturers. Something completely counter to our original effort of getting tiny homes into the IRC in the first place. 

I will update this petition with the next steps if/as they are needed. 

More Information:

OSMTH Committee - details as stated
Committee Roster - who is on the committee
Title Change problems - A deeper overview 

Definitions:

Existing definition of a tiny house from Appendix Q (now BB): 
Tiny House: A dwelling that is 400 s.f. (37m2) or less in floor area excluding lofts.

New definition proposed despite opposition:
Tiny House: A SRU that is 400 s.f. (37m2) or less in floor area.

So what is an SRU and who regulates them? It is a completely new and made up term defined in their code change proposal as:
Small Residential Units (SRU): A dwelling unit that is 1,200 square feet (111.5 m2) or less constructed as a permanent residential structure, shall be constructed in accordance with ICC/THIA 1215 or this code [IRC], as applicable.

The verbiage being pushed in the (still developing) referenced standard prioritizes manufacturing plants over the public. Which stands to push all tiny homes to licensed manufacturing facilities and out of the publics reach.

Despite opposition at the April 2025 hearings and throughout the entire development process, the committee has decided the SRU is paramount. The latest PINs submittal to change the title from "ICC/THIA 1215-202x, Design, Construction, Inspection and Regulation of  Tiny Houses for Permanent Occupancy" to "ICC/THIA 1215-202x, Design, Construction, Inspection and Regulation of Small Residential Units and Tiny Houses for Permanent Occupancy", is their back door way of using this opportunity presented to tiny houses to subvert tiny homes below their new term and push them down a more proprietary path than any other dwelling is held to.