Silver City, New Mexico

Tiny houses defined in the code

Problem

Outdated building codes block innovative, sustainable construction. Rural builders face red tape that favors conventional (and often wasteful) approaches.

Solution

Silver City Ordinance No. 1276, adopted February 26, 2019 after Planning and Zoning Commission review on December 4, 2018, added a 'Tiny house' definition (400 square feet or less excluding lofts, on a permanent foundation, not chassis-mounted units or RVs, incorporating the state's NMAC 14.7.3.28 tiny-house appendix definitions) to the Land Use and Zoning Code of 2010 and a 'Tiny Home' row to the use table, allowed by right in the Ru, RA, RB-1, RB-2, RC and MU districts, by conditional use permit in C-HD, and not allowed in C-Lt, C-Hwy and I. New Mexico's residential building code (14.7.3 NMAC, issued by the Construction Industries Division) adopts IRC Appendix AQ for tiny houses on permanent foundations, treats chassis-mounted units with axles as RVs, and requires inspection of tiny houses built in or brought into the state.

Patterns used: Eco-Adaptive Building Codes

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