Exactly.
In most towns, townships, and counties in the United States, there are these roadblocks to your "tiny house" dream:
- minimum square footage requirement for a permanent structure
- tiny house advocates brag that they don't require a building permit to build their trailer on wheels, but then are aghast when they find that in order to dwell or live in the trailer, they needed a permit (because you are dwelling in a space that needed a building permit)
- people on-line in the tiny house community, and manufacturers of pre-made tiny homes tell future owners that because it's on wheels or it really isn't a permanent structure, zoning and codes don't apply. They are "off the grid" and "free." But the moment they "dwell" in the structure, it becomes a home and the authorities will shatter your dream to pieces
- others believe that they can code their tiny house as an RV, but then find out that because they are not a certified RV manufacturer or mobile home manufacturer, they have to become certified themselves. This process is a nightmare of costs, inspections, legal fees, and bureaucracy
- even if you win the "It's an RV and I built it myself as a certified manufacturer" battle, you then have to find a "home-built" RV, mobile home, or campground park that allows you to live there, and these are not only few and far between, but rapidly disappearing
- people think they can tell the local authorities they are "just camping", but municipalities have rules about time (no more than 30 days is standard)