Can I put a Tiny House on my property?

Tiny house in green field

There are state-wide regulations that control the use of Tiny Homes and lack of compliance can result in enforcement action.

While there are some planning exemptions that exist for small second dwellings, these do not necessarily apply for Tiny Houses and a lot of online resources fail to disclose the necessity to have appropriate council permissions.

This is particularly the case for Indigo Shire, where there are a number of properties with planning overlays, including flood overlays, environmental significance overlays and heritage overlays.

Check with us first

It is always advisable to confirm with our Planning Team whether there are requirements for your particular property before you start your project.

Furthermore, any dwelling or type of accommodation requires a building permit. There is no allowance for “weekenders” or “temporary accommodation” under the Building Code and all applications need to meet the requirements of that code.

It is very difficult to get a Tiny House or Movable Dwelling to comply with Building Code requirements. Most are engineered to a caravan standard only and have difficulty meeting other standards such as 7-star energy rating, head height or access and, amenity standards.

Exemptions

Similarly, Tiny Houses and portable dwellings are not exempt from permits because they are on a trailer or movable. However, in the instance they are exempt:

  • They must have a VIN number registered with VicRoads
  • They can only be installed in a registered caravan park or;
  • They can only be parked on your property for a total of 28 days in a calendar year.

If you are considering purchasing or installing a Tiny House, but do not want to speak with council in the first instance, we recommend asking the following questions of your provider:

  • Can this get a building permit as a Class 1ai dwelling?
  • Can you provide me with Domestic Builders Warranty insurance?
  • Are you a registered Building Practitioner in Victoria?

Worth noting

  • New South Wales has different legislation to Victoria so out-of-state companies may not be aware of Victoria’s more stringent requirements.
  • A composting toilet does not address 90% of the wastewater generated – if you connect to reticulated plumbing then the Tiny House or dwelling is no longer “movable”
  • Some companies will advise that they can provide the engineering and energy rating for an additional cost and will encourage you to be an Owner Builder.  It is best to ask for a detailed quote as it is often cost prohibitive to proceed.
  • It is very difficult to obtain building permission for Glamping Tents or Yurts to be used for the purpose of accommodation. Should you wish to do so, you will need to obtain planning permission as a caravan park and register under the Residential Tenancies Act 1997 and 2024 Regulations – even for a single tent.

If you are ever in doubt, it is best to call and speak with us, we’re happy to help. 

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