Missouri Tiny House Builders

With this being the case, many places in Missouri don’t actually have zoning or building codes, so it ends up being pretty easy to live in your RV or tiny home in the state.

Are Tiny Houses On Wheels Legal In Missouri?

In Missouri, special permits are not required for tiny houses on wheels as long as the living area is less than 320 square feet (excluding built-in equipment—such as wardrobes, closets, kitchen units or fixtures—and bath and toilet rooms), and the home is towed by a motorized vehicle.

Legally, tiny homes on wheels are considered travel trailers by the State of Missouri. Missouri defines a travel trailer as “a portable vehicular unit mounted on wheels designed to provide temporary living quarters for recreational, camping, or travel use.”
For those who want to live in their tiny house on wheels as their full-time house, this can cause some restrictions.

Restrictions On Tiny Homes On Wheels:

• It is unlawful to park in a street or public space
• It unlawful to park in some cities and counties
• Travel trailers are not allowed inside city limits

However, not all independent counties and cities abide by these statewide restrictions. Some specific cities and counties in Missouri have created laws that are more accommodating to tiny housers or use Appendix Q from the IRC.

Are Tiny Houses On Foundation Legal In Missouri?

Like I said above, Missouri hasn’t yet adopted Appendix Q to support the legality of tiny homes, but individual cities and counties have approved the use of tiny homes in their individual jurisdictions.

Missouri has very loose statewide building laws, so the legality of your tiny house on foundation will really depend on what size and type of dwellings are legal in your specific city or county in Missouri. If you are seeking more information on whether or not tiny homes are legal in your area, call your local representative to gain more insight into what the specific laws are where you live.

Tiny House Laws in Key Missouri Counties: Local Zoning Ordinances

The counties in the state of Missouri have a lot of room for variation when it comes to building laws. Each county has the freedom to amend the statewide building laws in order to accommodate the needs of their specific demographic.

Franklin County, Missouri

Franklin County allows tiny houses used as backyard ADUs as long as they are on foundation and lots are a minimum of 1 acre. Additionally, the ADUs must be a maximum of 500 square feet or 50% of the size of primary residential structures, whichever is less.

Lawrence County, Missouri

Lawrence County, Missouri, is very friendly to tiny houses and tiny homeowners due to their lack of regulations. There are no zoning restrictions, building codes, or regulations in this county, and you don’t need a building permit for your tiny home in this county unless you want your own septic system.

Warren County, Missouri

In April of 2022, the planning and zoning board began toying with adding tiny homes to their building codes. Results form this meeting have not yet been solidified, but there is hope for the tiny living community in Warren County that change will happen soon.

Tiny House Laws in Key Missouri Cities: Local Zoning Ordinances

There are several cities that have restrictions which make it illegal to live in a tiny home, especially one on wheels. Other cities have specifically allowed tiny houses into their city-wide zoning codes.

Tiny Home Friendly Cities In Missouri:

• Saint Charles, Missouri
• Branson, Missouri
• St. Louis, Missouri
• Jefferson City, Missouri
• Kansas City, Missouri
• Columbia, Missouri
• Springfield, Missouri

Kansas City, Missouri

Even though the State of Missouri has not adopted Appendix Q at the statewide level, Kansas City has adopted it into its citywide laws on its own accord, making Kansas City friendly for tiny homes on foundation. However, it is still illegal to park a tiny house on wheels in a public space in the city.

St. Louis, Missouri

St. Louis has its own Residential Tiny House Checklist (Read the PDF here) which specifies that they must be on foundation to be considered a dwelling unit and be legal for permanent housing.

However, if your tiny house is on a permanent chassis with wheels and has been certified by the Housing and Urban Development (HUD) or the Federal Housing Administration (FHA), your tiny house can be placed in a mobile home park. Any other type of mobile house or tiny house on wheels can only be used for recreation in St. Louis.

Jefferson City, Missouri

Jefferson City’s Activate Jefferson City 2040 (Read the PDF here) plan includes tiny houses and backyard ADUs in its plan. This plan was created when community members came forward and advocated for the inclusion of tiny houses in the city’s codes.