Oregon Reach Code Creates Tiny House Building Guidelines

The new Oregon Reach Code is a voluntary set of standards with a section dedicated to tiny houses. These are can be utilized in place of state building codes, by a DIYer or pro-builder. It requires building officials to accept structures built to it.

The Reach Code includes an option for following the 2018 IRC Tiny House Appendix Q, for tiny houses built on a foundation, which allows for lower ceiling height limits and sleeping loft access by ladder. It also includes a section for movable tiny houses, aka tiny houses on wheels, allowing for temporary RV-type utility connections.

Perhaps the best bit of the new code is this: local building officials have the authority to waive or reduce some of the requirements, when deemed reasonable and when there is no imminent threat to public safety.

HUGE kudos to the dedicated folks who laid the groundwork for this huge victory Tiny House Build, SquareOne Villages, and the Oregon Chapter of the American Tiny House Association!

While the Oregon Reach Code is a game changer for tiny living in Oregon, it doesn’t solve all the issues for tiny house placement. For instance, the case for movable tiny houses as accessory dwelling units (ADUs) still needs to be made city by city, county by county. On the upside, tiny houses are now legitimized in the eyes of the state. The land use and zoning process should be extremely expedited because of the new building guidelines.

Hopefully, that will be the case in Bend, OR, where a young tiny house family was recently evicted-- read more.