THOW Rental Lot on a SFH Property/Lot. Where to start?
Member since 2024 · 3 posts · 3 votes
Part of my buy box is that I want to be able to legally set up a THOW (Tiny Home on Wheels) Rental Lot on my SFH property. I would provide a set space on my lot + utilities hook up and Tenant would bring and park their own THOW.
I've seen other people do this across the US though mostly on the West Coast. I know overall THOW are legal in Connecticut where I'm looking to buy, but from what I've been able to research each town has their own bylaws governing them and the language can be quite vague so I'm not sure where to start. Is a lawyer the best person to confirm what getting this approved would entail, if there are any restrictions I should be aware of (like lot size), and which towns would be best to attempt this? If not, who would? I understand there will likely be an approval process of some sort but would like to do my due diligence / hedge my bets as much as possible.
This is 100% dependent on your local governing bodies -and- the characteristics of the specific site. Spending money on an attorney is a waste at this junction. You'll need to go into the city/county that will tell you what you're allowed and figure out a pathway forward. It may be allowed, may require a variance, may require infrastructure, etc. It's a massive unknown, but the first thing you need to figure out.
All of our politicians are champions of affordable, attainable housing.
Delivering opportunities to provide it is where you'll find they like talking out of both sides of their mouths.
One good approach is to prove the THOWs are quality, certified homes, NOAH certified, etc. and not bundles of trash duct taped together. There's a massive stigma that only poor destitute people want tiny homes. You'll want them to know the homes will be well built and well maintained to have any chance.
Thanks for replying. I get lost with who at the city/county should I be speaking with which is why I was thinking a lawyer could help. Would it be the city clerk?
And absolutely agreed on the approach. I'm planning to pitch it as an ADU alternative with a reference deck of photos & links to what I'm intending to do referencing the West Coast examples I've seen. The THOW would have to meet set requirements as far as certification, safety, & aesthetics (ie not an RV / mobile home). My buy box also includes lots where the size/geography allow the THOW to be well set back from the house / lot lines and preferably not visible from the street.
CT-based agent here, and this is exactly the kind of question where "call the town" beats "call a lawyer" as step one — a lawyer becomes worth the money later, not now.
Who to actually talk to: not the city clerk, the Zoning Enforcement Officer (ZEO). Every CT town has one, and they're the person who interprets the local zoning regs and tells you whether your use fits an existing category, needs a variance, or needs a special permit/site plan approval. Town Planning & Zoning departments are usually reachable directly and most ZEOs will do a quick informal conversation before you spend money on anything formal — some will even confirm interpretation in writing if you ask, which is worth having on file.
The core issue you're up against: CT's building code currently classifies THOWs as temporary structures, and they can't be used as permanent residences unless they meet the criteria set for ADUs. So your pitch (THOW as ADU alternative, not RV/mobile home) is the right instinct — you're trying to get it classified under the ADU framework rather than the "temporary structure" bucket, since that's the difference between a legal long-term rental and something a town can order removed.
Where to look first: New Haven and Fairfield counties currently have the most specific zoning language around tiny homes under 400 sq ft, so ZEOs there have likely fielded this exact question before and may have precedent to point you to, even if it's not THOW-specific. I'd call around to a handful of towns in those counties before narrowing your buy box further — some ZEOs will engage constructively with a well-documented pitch like yours, others will default to "no" on anything not explicitly permitted, and there's no way to know which without asking.
On the lawyer question — worth bringing one in once you've identified 2-3 candidate towns and gotten informal ZEO feedback, specifically to help draft the variance/special permit application if one's needed. Paying an attorney to call towns on your behalf is what Ed's pointing at as the waste — that legwork you can do yourself for free, and towns often respond better to the actual applicant than a lawyer's letter at this early stage anyway.