Standard for Off-Site Construction Tiny Houses
(IS-OSMTH)
ICC 1215 – Design, Construction, Inspection and Regulation of Small Residential Units and Tiny Houses for Permanent Occupancy
Abstract: This standard will provide minimum requirements for the design, construction, inspection, certification and regulatory compliance of small residential units (SRUs) and tiny houses used for permanent occupancy to assure public safety, sustainability and resilience. The standard will include: consensus definitions for SRUs, tiny houses and related terminology; prescriptive and performance based compliance methods for SRUs, tiny house foundations and chassis; and plan review, inspection and certification requirements for SRUs and tiny houses constructed on-site and off-site. The standard will address SRUs and tiny houses built on a foundation and those with wheels and a permanent chassis intended for permanent occupancy. The 2021 International Residential Code (including Appendix AQ), and ICC/MBI Standards 1200 and 1205 will serve as the initial base documents with references to other existing standards. The standard will be written in mandatory code-intended language to support use by manufacturers and adoption by jurisdictions globally. This standard will not address SRUs or tiny houses used for temporary or seasonal occupancy, or tiny house community development or microgrids.
Background (Needs Statement): Tiny houses are growing in popularity as communities look to address affordable housing issues and homebuyers are looking for new housing options. This standard will codify existing requirements for the design, construction, inspection and certification of SRUs and tiny houses used as permanent dwellings into a single standard and address identified gaps in available requirements for foundations and chassis. The 2021 International Residential Code (including Appendix AQ), and ICC/MBI Standards 1200 and 1205 will serve as the initial base documents with references to other existing standards.
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Karl W. Aittaniemi, P.E., Staff Liaison
Committee News
25.06.06 | IS-OSMTH has moved to this new committee website
As part of ICC's continuous process improvement, the committee page has moved to this new website with enhanced features building upon the open and transparent processes that make ICC the global leader in codes, standards and guideline development for the built environment. (BSJ Article here)
25.06.04 | 21st meeting of the IS-OSMTH committee
The 21st meeting of the IS-OSMTH committee was held on June 4, 2025 to continue the consideration of public input comments received on November 15, 2024. . Meeting minutes are posted in the documents folder with the public input agenda listing committee action to date.
The next public meeting of the committee is scheduled for June 18, 2025 at 2 PM CT and will take place every two weeks until all public input comments are adjudicated.
Interested parties may participate on work groups created by the committee to assist in the development of the technical content of the standard. Please contact the committee secretariat for more information.
25.05.16 | Revised PINS published for ICC 1215
ICC has submitted a revised PINS for ICC 1215 as part of a committee approved defined term for Small Residential Units (SRUs) which may affect builder stakeholders. The PINS appears in the May 16, 2025 edition of ANSI Standards Action with a comment period concluding on June 15, 2025.
23.11.17 | ICC Board of Directors Appoints IS-OSMTH Committee Members
The ICC Board of Directors has appointed the committee which will develop the ICC 1215 Design, Construction, Inspection and Regulation of Tiny Houses for Permanent Occupancy.
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