Tiny Homes

Thanks for choosing Unincorporated Clear Creek County as a place to call home.  Please note the difference between a Single Family Residence under 400 sqft, a Tiny House, and a Tiny Home below. Regardless of which classification you are, you will need to undergo a building permit with the building department which includes a planning review with the Planning Department.  All Tiny Structures must meet the parcel-specific Wind and Snow Load which can be found here.

Tiny Homes

 Regulated by the State as well

Effective 7/1/2023, the Division of Housing’s Building Codes & Standards (BCS) section will regulate the construction, sales, and installation of tiny homes.  *Tiny homes must still undergo a review from the Clear Creek County Planning Department. 

Tiny homes must meet the state definition of a tiny home as follows:

  • Is permanently constructed on a vehicle chassis
  •  Is designed for long-term residency
  • Includes electrical, mechanical, or plumbing services that are fabricated, formed, or assembled at a location other than the site of the completed home
  • Is not self-propelled
  • Has square footage of 400 square feet or less
  • Has a metal plate insignia installed under the kitchen sink by the Division of Housing

What a tiny home is not:

  • A manufactured home as defined in C.R.S. 24-32-3302(20)
  •  A recreational park trailer
  •  A recreational vehicle
  •  A semitrailer
  •  An intermodal shipping container

In order to meet this definition, a tiny home must be built to the International Residential Code as adopted by the Building Codes & Standards program within the Division of Housing.  Colorado tiny homes will receive a metal plate insignia that certifies the tiny home is built to the codes and standards of the program. When installed on a temporary or permanent foundation, the tiny home will also receive a metal plate installation insignia.

Tiny Houses

A tiny house is a modular factory-built residential structure that is 400 square feet or less; designed for long-term occupancy; built to the International Residential Code; and attached to a permanent foundation. They are not built on a permanent chassis. Tiny houses have been allowed by the Division of Housing for several years. Tiny houses will have a metal plate insignia that certify the tiny house is built to the codes and standards of the program. When installed on a permanent foundation, the tiny house will also receive a metal plate installation insignia. *Tiny houses must still undergo a review from the Clear Creek County Planning Department. 

Building My Own Tiny House

If you are planning on building your own residential dwelling structure under 400 sqft, it falls directly under the Single Family Residence Permitting Procedure for Clear Creek County. Minimum room sizes must meet the current version of the adopted IRC.. Parcel-specific roof snow loads and wind loads must be met.