QUICK FACTS:
Are Tiny Houses Legal In Alabama: YES*
Tiny House Costs In Alabama: $20,000 – $150,000
Tiny House Friendly Cities: Birmingham, Montgomery, Auburn
Timbercraft Tinyhomes Guntersville, Alabama
PRICE RANGE
$50,000-$150,000
AL Tiny Homes Warrior, Alabama
PRICE RANGE
$48,000-$71,000
AL Tiny Homes founder James Brewer has worked in the world of construction for over 20 years, but has only recently started to dabble in the world of tiny homes as they have become more popular. The company has a quick turnaround rate of six to eight weeks, with five different models to choose from to bring your vision to life.
Stone Canyon Homes Brilliant, Alabama
PRICE RANGE
$50,000-$70,000
Stone Canyon Homes is a client-focused luxury tiny home builder. Each tiny home the company builds is designed to make the most of space and efficiency while adhering to construction and building standards in the state. It offers seven different tiny home models; two are on wheels and five are on foundation.
Trailer World Alabama Montgomery and Auburn, AL
PRICE RANGE
$2,000-$29,000
Trailer World Alabama has a large inventory of trailer types and styles. With store locations in Ozark, Dothan, Montgomery, and Auburn, Trailer World serves customers all across the state. It offers gooseneck, dump, tilt, equipment, car hauler, utility, and enclosed trailers, as well as pre-owned trailers of all kinds.
Lone Wolf Trailer Dealer Falkville, AL
PRICE RANGE
$2,000-$12,000
Lone Wolf Trailer Company has been serving customers all over Alabama since 1978. With six different trailer options including single axle, tandem axle, car haulers, equipment, deckover, and dump trailers, as well as an option for custom design, the company offers something for every need. All products are built with American-made steel.
Jake’s Trailer Sales Sheffield, AL
PRICE RANGE
$2,000-$19,000
Jake’s Trailer Sales carries a large selection of new and pre-owned inventory. They carry cargo, dump, equipment, utility, flatbed, truck bed, and many other parts and pieces to meet the needs you have for your hauling products. Call to get connected with a team member.
Tiny Houses For Sale In Alabama
There are many reasons why the locals in Alabama truly love living there. From the incredible Southern cuisine, 21 gorgeous state parks, and a rich culture of Southern hospitality, life in Alabama really makes you feel at home.
Much of the state is made up of extremely close-knit rural communities, with a few urban cities like Huntsville, Birmingham, and Montgomery scattered around. If good cooking, small homesteads, and slow Sunday afternoons are up your alley, you may want to consider full-time residency in the Cotton State.
Tiny house culture is becoming more popular in Alabama, as tiny lifers tend to jive with the general pace of the state. If you’re looking to live in a tiny house in Alabama permanently, check out these tiny house listings.
Maybe you want to try tiny living in Alabama without moving to the state permanently. Whether you’re considering taking your next family vacation on the beaches of Gulf Shores or in the small towns of the deep south, check out these tiny houses on Airbnb.
There is no one set definition when it comes to tiny house communities, as a tiny village can serve a ton of different purposes! The state of Alabama definitely offers a taste of them all.
If you’re looking to live in a tiny house permanently as part of a sustainable living community, try renting a tiny cabin for your next weekend staycation or a collection of tiny homes for a huge celebration. Whatever it is, you’ll find what you’re looking for across Alabama.
Harmony Woods Ecovillage
Harmony Woods Ecovillage is an intentional living community located just 30 miles southwest of Chattanooga, Tennessee. This specific ecovillage was founded in 2021 and has flourished ever since. They are currently accepting new members.
The community was established with environmental consciousness as its main purpose. Members strive to grow as much of their own food as possible, use as many local and free resources as possible, and live lightly on the earth to reduce their carbon footprint as a team.
Leaders warn those interested that joining Harmony Woods is not for the faint of heart. The group wants its new members to know life is a team effort, and that it takes strength and dedication to sustain their homestead and build, plan, and operate as a tiny community.
In the village, the land, buildings, and infrastructure are collectively owned and managed by all members through a land trust set up by the founders. However, personal living dwellings are owned by individuals who build or buy them. Members are given a ¼ acre of land to live self sustainably.
You can learn more about joining on the FAQ section of the website and see if membership at Harmony Woods is right for you.
Eagles Landing Tiny Community
Believe it or not, Eagles Landing Tiny Community started out as a seafood restaurant. As the owner began to learn more about tiny house culture, his humble restaurant evolved into a tiny house community for those who love life on the lake.
The Landing at Parker Creek restaurant opened in June of 2015 on the shores of Lake Martin. As the restaurant become more popular, several of the regulars mentioned that they owned a boat, but had no place to spend the weekend or week at the lake. This gave owner Herb Winches and his wife Betty an idea. They decided to create a tiny house community for customers to stay as long as they like!
Today, Eagles Landing Tiny Community is made up of several tiny cabins available for rent. When you rent a tiny house on the lake at Eagles Landing, you also receive access to a private boat slip, a beach, swimming pool, barbecue grill, and picnic table area.
You can check out the availability of each tiny cabin through the calendar on the Eagles Landing website.
Paradise Tiny Village
Paradise Tiny Village is a party and event venue made up nine total tiny homes. Each tiny house is themed after a popular drink, including the Sangria, the Mimosa, the Screwdriver, and many more.
The resort is family friendly, filled with hammocks, a fire pit, and both outdoor and indoor amenities. The property is gated with keypad access and security cameras on the premises to keep your guests safe.
The venue village has two options for hosting your event on the premises. The wedding package includes two-night accommodations for the wedding and rehearsal dinner, along with full cleanup service and other amenities. There is also a party and event package, which is customizable to your needs depending on your vision for your event.
Contact Paradise Tiny Village through the website if you’re interested in hosting your next event in this tiny home village.
Minimalists of Birmingham
Minimalists of Birmingham is a meetup group for those who live in or near Birmingham seeking to adopt a minimalist lifestyle. This group was created by The Minimalists and is led by Claire Williams, whose goal is to include anyone who is interested in Minimalism and lives in Alabama. To join, e-mail clairewilliams@prodigy.net or text 205-242-2085.
Alabama Farming And Livestock
The deep south is wrought with small rural communities of farmers and homesteaders. That’s why it’s great to connect with others living that same lifestyle. The Alabama Farming and Livestock Facebook page was created to discuss topics related to farming and livestock, and give people a space to share their knowledge and skills. Anyone can join and contribute.
Alabama Gardeners
The Alabama Gardeners Facebook page was created for all gardeners living in Alabama to share their gardening experience, ask each other questions, learn from one another, and make new friends. Anyone is welcome to join the page to share their garden and learn from others in the Alabama gardening community.
Just like other states in the past 10 years, tiny house culture has become more popular in the state of Alabama for many who live in rural areas or small communities. However, the tiny lifestyle still receives a lot of pushback across the state.
What’s tricky about Alabama is that it has yet to develop or claim a statewide building code. This means that implementation of building and zoning codes, as well as the management of homeowner compliance, is regulated and enforced on a local or jurisdictional level.
So, what does this mean for tiny homeowners in the Cotton State?
How Can I Make My Tiny House Legal In Alabama?
The best way to decipher if your tiny home is legal in your area of Alabama is to defer to the individual building codes within each jurisdiction. Due to the fact that Alabama doesn’t have a state building code, it’s difficult to know exactly what’s allowed and not allowed without going local.
Check out the bottom of the page for access to the municipal codes in popular Alabama cities.
Places you CAN have a tiny house in Alabama:
- Your own property
- Someone else’s yard (with permission)
- An Alabama RV Park
- A tiny house community (with permits)
- Neighborhood or city lots (with permits)
For other property types, refer to your local government to decide if your tiny home is legal in the state of Alabama.
Tiny House Laws in Key Alabama Counties: Local Zoning Ordinances
Each county has the freedom to amend the statewide building laws in order to accommodate the needs of their specific area. Several of the 67 counties in Alabama have acted on the chance to amend tiny house laws. Let’s take a look at what they’ve done.
Jefferson County, Alabama
Jefferson County has created its own building ordinance (Read the PDF here) that specifically permits accessory dwelling units in certain districts as long as they are no bigger than 200 square feet. There are many counties throughout that indirectly prohibit ADUs based on the general building codes, so Jefferson County stands out in this way.
Baldwin County, Alabama
Baldwin County’s acceptance of tiny homes is a win for the tiny community. The County abides by the 2018 version of the International Residential Code. This version of the IRC includes Appendix Q, which specifically addresses tiny houses and includes accommodations that make living in a tiny home easier.
Appendix Q legalizes lofts, lowers the minimum ceiling height for traditional dwellings, creates egress requirements specifically for lofts, and allows the building of stairs and ladders in small spaces. It applies to tiny houses used as single dwelling units.
Here are some of the regulations worth noting:
- Habitable space and hallways in tiny houses shall have a ceiling height of not less than 6 feet, 8 inches.
- Bathrooms, toilet rooms, and kitchens shall have a ceiling height of not less than 6 feet, 4 inches.
- Obstructions such as beams, girders, ducts, and lighting shall not extend below the minimum ceiling heights mentioned above.
- Lofts may have ceiling heights less than 6 feet, 8 inches.
- Lofts shall have a floor area of not less than 35 square feet and shall not be less than 5 feet in any horizontal dimension.
- The loft guards shall be located along the open side of the lofts.
- Loft guards shall not be less than 36 inches in height or one-half of the clear height to the ceiling, whichever is less.
- Tiny houses shall meet the requirements of Section R310 in the One-and-Two-Family Dwelling Building Code for Emergency Escape and Rescue Openings. (Read the PDF here)
- In lofts used as sleeping rooms, egress roof access windows shall be deemed to meet the requirements of Section R310. (Read the PDF here)
- Windows shall be installed such that the bottom of the opening is not more than 44 inches above the loft floor, provided the egress roof access window complies with the minimum opening area requirements of Section R310.2.1. (Read the PDF here)
Madison County, Alabama
Just like Baldwin County, Madison County recognizes the 2018 version of the International Building Code. This means that Madison County is particularly accommodating to tiny living. It also adopted Appendix Q, which legalizes all of the elements listed above.
Tiny House Building Codes In Key Cities Of Alabama
Some cities in Alabama have their own set of building laws that are separate from their individual county. Let’s look at the building legality and dimension in key cities in Alabama.
Valley, Alabama
The city of Valley has its own set of building codes that follow the 2006 Edition of the International Residential Code. Most tiny houses are smaller than 400 square feet, which are prohibited under this version of the International Residential Code. This unfortunately makes it difficult to live tiny in Valley, Alabama.
Alexander City, Alabama
Alexander City adopts the 2015 version of the International Residential Code as its city-wide building law. This means that Alexander City is not specifically accommodating to tiny homes, as its building code prohibits dwelling units smaller than 500 square feet and does not allow lofts and other features that tiny homes often include.
Birmingham, Alabama
Just like Alexander City, Birmingham uses the 2015 version of the International Residential Code as its city-wide building law. This means that the same restrictions placed on those in Alexander City apply to the citizens of Birmingham.
Tiny House Building Codes In Alabama:
Tiny House Laws In Alabama:
*Disclaimer: The information provided on this website should not be taken as an expert opinion, consultation, or advisement of any kind. Building codes, home building, zoning, local laws etc are complicated and ultimately your responsibility to execute legally and safely. You must do your own research, consult with and verify with all applicable authorities, local officials, regulatory bodies, code and zoning officials, and city/state/federal governments. See our full legal page for further information here: https://thetinylife.com/about-us/legal/
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Zippers Heating and Cooling
251-725-0192
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