UPDATE: Oakland's Groundbreaking Tiny House Ordinance Approved!

Oakland approves cutting-edge tiny house regulations!

WOW!! The City of Oakland, California is now tiny home friendly. The Mayor and City Council yesterday approved a sweeping set of ordinances that permit movable tiny homes as not only accessory dwelling units (ADUs), but also as units that can be placed on a city lot by itself or with other units.

“It has been a pleasure to work with the Mayor’s staff the past several years in gaining acceptance for movable tiny homes as permanent habitable dwelling units. Oakland now joins the other major California cities in accepting tiny homes as an affordable and sustainable housing product.”

-THIA President Dan Fitzpatrick

The new ordinances go into effect, mid-January of 2022. This is a fairly complex set of laws. For more details, the ordinance provisions and staff report can be found here.

June 3, 2021 - exciting progress!

The city's Planning Commissions unanimously recommended to the Oakland City Council that they approve ordinance amendments that will permit movable tiny homes as habitable dwelling units as ADU's and standalone units on their own lot.

For example, a typical single-family lot is permitted to have three units—thus a vacant lot can have 3 movable tiny homes. THIA President, Dan Fitzpatrick has been working closely with the Mayor's housing staff for the past three years said,

"We are very pleased with the Mayor's leadership and Planning Commission action last night to provide opportunities for movable tiny homes in assisting in the affordable housing crisis. The ability to now place movable tiny homes in backyards and on a lot by themselves is groundbreaking in the nation. Hopefully, other cities follow suit."

The ordinance now goes to the City Council subcommittee and then to the full Council in the fall of 2021.