What are the tiny house laws in Texas?

Tiny-home occupancy is allowed at the county level in 228 of Texas’s 254 counties¹. These findings cover unincorporated land, where permission often rests on the absence of county zoning restrictions¹. Use the county finding to start checking your parcel. It does not approve your particular house.

Texas treats industrialized housing and HUD-code manufactured housing as different categories^4,6. The manufactured-home zoning protection covers new HUD-code homes in qualifying Texas municipalities, subject to exceptions⁶. That protection does not give you a placement right for every tiny-house design⁶. Ask the seller which category your home meets before you pay a deposit. Ask TDLR about the industrialized-housing route for your model⁴.

A statewide minimum floor area for a conventional Texas home remains unconfirmed. Ask your local building official which minimum size and code rules apply to your parcel. Say whether you want a primary residence or an additional dwelling.

Texas’s industrialized-housing program adopts the 2021 International Residential Code, including Appendix AQ². That adoption covers industrialized housing and buildings, modules and modular components². The program’s code adoption is not a universal rule for site-built construction across Texas². If you want a factory-built model, ask TDLR which program standards cover your proposed design⁴. Get the size requirements for your home before you order plans or choose a floor layout.

Your house cannot stay on transportation-only wheels under Texas’s industrialized-housing installation rules⁴. Industrialized housing needs a permanent foundation, with the towing hitch, axles, brakes and other transportation-only equipment removed⁴. Ask TDLR whether your proposed home qualifies for that program before you plan a foundation conversion⁴.

A uniform statewide right or duration limit for RV occupancy on private land in Texas remains unconfirmed. Ask your county development office about full-time occupancy of your exact unit. Inside city limits, ask the city planning office. Texas’s county RV findings differ from its tiny-home findings: 219 allow RV living, 7 impose limits and 1 prohibits it⁷. County-level RV findings cover 227 counties, with 27 still unconfirmed⁷. Use the Texas RV-living list to narrow your search⁷.

You need a septic permit and approved plan for an on-site sewage facility in Texas unless an exemption applies³. A tiny home’s small floor area is not a listed exemption condition³. Most Texas areas use a local TCEQ-authorized agent, with TCEQ regional offices serving areas without an authorized local program³. Ask the state OSSF program for help finding your authority if you need it⁸.

For the Texas acreage exemption, you need at least 10 acres, and your single-family dwelling must be the tract’s only dwelling³. A licensed site evaluator or professional engineer must evaluate your site³. All system parts must sit at least 100 feet from the property line³. Effluent must stay on your property without causing a nuisance or groundwater pollution³. Planning, construction and installation standards still apply, and local rules can be stricter³. Confirm the exemption before you budget for a second dwelling.

You pay $75 per building for a Texas industrialized-housing installation permit when you use it instead of industrialized-builder registration⁵. You can take that route when buying for your own use, but you need industrialized-builder registration to assemble industrialized housing for others⁴. Ask TDLR which route fits your purchase before you agree to handle installation yourself⁴.

Your first installation of industrialized housing in Texas needs site inspections, including an approved third-party inspector outside a municipality⁹. Within a municipality, the municipal building official handles on-site inspection⁹. Where local occupancy rules apply, get the local building official’s certificate of occupancy before you move in¹⁰. Ask for a written list of installation, inspection and septic costs. Settle whether you can live on the parcel before you commit to transport or foundation work.