Federal Government Trying to Outlaw Tiny Homes and RV Living

by Robert Richardson, Off Grid Survival:

In yet another attempt to go after the self-reliant lifestyle, the federal government has again taken aim at the off-grid lifestyle, and is attempting to ban Tiny Homes and RVs as permanent residences.

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development is in the process of putting the finishing touches on proposed regulations that would make living in an RV or a mobile Tiny Home illegal for most people.

The proposed regulations, entitled “FR–5877–P–01 Manufactured Home Procedural and Enforcement Regulations; Revision of Exemption for Recreational Vehicles”, will redefine the industry, and force HUD regulations on those that live the lifestyle. The new regulations are set to modify a current exemption in the Manufactured Home Procedural and Enforcement Regulations. According to the proposed docket information, RVs would be defined as “a factory build vehicular structure, not certified as a manufactured home, designed only for recreational use and not as a primary residence or for permanent occupancy.”

This means your tiny homes will either fall under HUD regulations, forcing you to comply with HUD building codes, or will be put on the exempt list, making your home illegal to use as a primary or permanent residence.

This is a huge hit for the thousands upon thousands of people who choose to give up their homes every year to live full-time in RVs and tiny homes. If this proposed regulation is adopted by HUD, most tiny homes that are built upon a mobile frame will be subjected to this regulation, and in essence be declared RVs that are not suitable for year-round living.

The FR–5877–P–01 Manufactured Home Procedural and Enforcement Regulations; Revision of Exemption for Recreational Vehicles Summary Reads:

This proposed rule would modify the current exemption for recreational vehicles in the Manufactured Home Procedural and Enforcement Regulations. Under the current exemption, questions have arisen regarding whether park model recreational vehicles are regulated by HUD’s manufactured home program.

These park models are being produced with patio roofs, screened in porches, and other extensions that exceed the 400 square foot maximum exemption in the current regulations. Additionally, some of these models are being marketed as suitable for year round living. HUD’s proposed rule would permit recreational vehicle manufactures to certify that a unit is exempted from HUD’s regulations. Specifically, HUD’s proposed rule would define a recreational vehicle as a factory build vehicular structure, not certified as a manufactured home, designed only for recreational use and not as a primary residence or for permanent occupancy, and built and certified in accordance with either the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) 1192-2015, Standard for Recreational Vehicles, or the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) A119.5-15, Recreational Park Trailer Standard. In addition, to provide consumers notice regarding the manufacturing standards used to construct the unit, HUD’s rule would require that units claiming the exemption display a notice that identifies the standards used to construct the unit and states that the unit is designed only for recreational use, and not as a primary residence or permanent dwelling.

These new HUD Regulations are no accident. In my opinion, it is part of a larger effort to control every aspect of how we live, where we live, and what we do with our so-called freedoms.

As I’ve pointed out numerous times in the past, governments at all levels, from federal to local zoning boards, are attempting to regulate us out of existence. The only reason people even started to build their tiny homes on these mobile frames was to try to get around the maze of zoning laws that forbid them from building tiny homes on their own land.

Once this HUD ruling goes onto affect, these tiny mobile homes will be a thing of the past. And when that happens, most tiny homes will be a thing of the past as well, since most areas of the country ban these types of homes from being permanently constructed as primary residences.

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