“Tiny Homes” Status Creates Regulatory Confusion for County Officials

Will County officials are struggling to establish clear regulations for “tiny homes,” with committee members expressing confusion over terminology and appropriate standards during Wednesday’s Land Use and Development Committee meeting.

Planning staff informed the committee that under Illinois statutes, mobile structures marketed as tiny homes are classified as recreational vehicles that must be registered with state-issued RV license plates. Currently, these structures are only permitted for residential use in approved campgrounds within the county.

“Tiny homes are classified as recreational vehicles and must be registered with the state of Illinois with the RV license plate, which only allows them to be used in Will County within approved campgrounds,” explained Colin, a planning staff member.

The discussion revealed widespread confusion among committee members about what constitutes a tiny home, with some members thinking of permanent small dwellings rather than mobile structures.

“For me, this is not a tiny home. This is a camper,” said committee member Ogala. “As I know tiny homes from the magazines and all that, it is a fixed structure… It’s concrete under. It’s got front porch. Everything is all hooked up.”

The issue arose following a situation in Crete Township where a resident placed what was described as a tiny home on their property without water or sanitation facilities, prompting complaints from neighbors.

“She bought one of these quote ‘tiny homes,’ which I don’t know if it has a license plate, but it’s a dwelling on wheels,” explained committee member Newquist. “I can tell you the neighbors hate it. They’re up in arms about it.”

After extensive discussion, the committee reached an informal consensus against expanding where mobile tiny homes can be located, with most members preferring they remain restricted to campgrounds.

Staff clarified that permanent small dwellings are already permitted under county building codes, with building official Owen explaining via teleconference that the international residential code only specifies minimum room sizes with no overall minimum square footage requirement.

“The code, the IRC, the international residential code, just has minimum room sizes. So you could get there with only a couple hundred square feet,” Owen said.

Committee members expressed concerns about sanitation, appearance, and neighborhood impacts if mobile tiny homes were allowed outside designated areas.

“My concern is if we open this up at all, you’re going to have people that maybe inherit or own or buy a lot in a beautiful subdivision… and that’s what I have to look at now next to my $500,000 house,” said committee chair Pretzel.

When polled by the chair, most committee members expressed support for maintaining current restrictions that limit homes on wheels to campgrounds and RV parks while continuing to allow permanent small dwellings that meet building codes.

The discussion highlighted the challenges local governments face in adapting regulations to evolving housing trends and terminology. No formal action was taken, with the committee agreeing to revisit the issue in the future.