Tiny houses and the law: what French regulations say

The words “tiny house” do not appear in any French legislation. To decide which rules apply, the authorities look at how the house is designed and how it is used. This guide sets out the four possible regimes, what each allows and what each prohibits, with the corresponding articles of the Code de l’urbanisme (French planning code).

Does a tiny house have a legal status?

No, not one of its own. The Ministry of Housing confirmed this in 2024, in reply to a written question in the Assemblée nationale: tiny houses “are not covered by any specific legislative or regulatory definition”. Which rules apply depends on whether or not they have “permanent means of mobility”.

In practice, the same house can therefore change regime depending on whether it stays on its wheels, is taken off its trailer or is set on foundations. This choice, made at the outset, determines the formalities, the places where it can go and even access to certain types of financial assistance.

What are the four possible regimes?

Depending on its characteristics, a tiny house falls under one of these four regimes:

• Caravan (caravane) (article R111-47 of the Code de l’urbanisme): a habitable vehicle intended for “temporary or seasonal occupation for leisure use”, which “permanently” keeps its means of mobility and which the Code de la route (French highway code) does not prohibit from being driven on the road. This is the case for a tiny house on a type-approved, roadworthy trailer.
• Mobile leisure home (résidence mobile de loisirs) (article R111-41): the same type of vehicle, but one that the Code de la route prohibits from being driven on the road. This is the regime for static caravans (mobil-homes).
• Demountable dwelling (résidence démontable) used as a permanent home (article R111-51): an installation “without foundations”, occupied “as a main residence for at least eight months a year”, and “easily and quickly demountable at any time”.
• Building: a house fixed to the ground, which follows the ordinary rules for any building: prior declaration (déclaration préalable) or planning permission (permis de construire).

The 2024 ministerial reply sums up the logic: a tiny house that keeps a permanent means of mobility is treated as a caravan or a mobile leisure home; if it has none, or has been deprived of it, it may fall under the regime for demountable dwellings.

Tiny houses on wheels: what are the rules?

As long as it keeps its wheels and can be driven on the road, your tiny house is legally a caravan. Three rules follow from this.

Less than three months a year: no planning formality

Article R*421-23 of the Code de l’urbanisme only requires a prior declaration for siting a caravan for more than three months a year outside a campsite, a residential leisure park or a holiday village. All periods of parking, whether consecutive or not, are added together to calculate these three months.

More than three months a year: prior declaration

Beyond three months a year on the same plot, you must submit a prior declaration to the town hall. The town hall assesses it against the PLU (local urban plan), so it can refuse it if the rules for the zone do not allow it. The steps are explained in our guide planning permission or prior declaration.

Areas where siting is prohibited

Articles R111-48 and R111-49 prohibit siting caravans in particular in areas where camping is prohibited, in classified woodland to be preserved and in protected forests. There is one exception: a caravan may be stored, pending its next use, on the plot where the building that is its user’s residence stands (article R111-50).

A tiny house as a main residence: what difference does demountable-dwelling status make?

The regime for demountable dwellings, created by the ALUR Act, is aimed at permanent housing. To qualify, the criteria in article R111-51 are cumulative:

• an installation without foundations;
• with indoor or outdoor equipment, and capable of being self-sufficient in relation to public utility networks;
• intended for habitation and occupied as a main residence for at least eight months a year;
• whose installation and outdoor equipment are easily and quickly demountable at any time.

It is the plots intended to receive these dwellings that require authorisation. The Code de l’urbanisme provides for a prior declaration when the total floor area does not exceed 40 m² (article R*421-23), and a development permit (permis d’aménager) from two demountable dwellings with a combined area of more than 40 m² (article R*421-19). If the equipment is not connected to public utility networks, the application must include a certificate covering hygiene and safety rules, in particular fire safety, and how water, drainage and electricity are provided (article R441-6-1).

This regime has a practical advantage: according to the 2024 ministerial reply, a tiny house treated as a demountable dwelling may give entitlement to personal housing assistance (APL, aides personnelles au logement), provided it meets the decent-housing criteria and is the applicant’s main residence. A tiny house that keeps its means of mobility does not give entitlement to it. See our guide living in a tiny house all year round.

A tiny house on foundations: which authorisations?

A tiny house fixed to the ground is a building like any other. The general thresholds, which the PLU or a protected area can make stricter, are as follows:

• up to 5 m² of footprint and floor area: no formality;
• from 5 to 20 m²: prior declaration;
• over 20 m²: planning permission.

An authorised building is subject to the development tax (taxe d’aménagement). And a building that has not been authorised cannot be permanently connected to the electricity, water, gas or telephone networks (article L111-12 of the Code de l’urbanisme).

Where can you site a tiny house?

The location depends on the regime chosen. A caravan can be parked on private land within the limits set out above, or on a campsite. A mobile leisure home can only be sited in residential leisure parks, certain holiday villages and certain campsites (article R111-42). In an agricultural or natural zone, permanent demountable housing is only possible as an exception, in areas defined by the PLU known as STECAL (sectors of limited size and capacity, article L151-13).

Every scenario is covered in our guide where to site a tiny house.

Where to start before you buy?

1. Decide on the use: leisure for a few weeks a year, second home, main residence or business use.
2. Consult the PLU of the municipality you have in mind (at the town hall or on the Géoportail de l’urbanisme) and request a planning certificate (certificat d’urbanisme): it is free and states the rules that apply to the plot.
3. Talk to the town hall’s planning department before you buy, presenting your specific project (dimensions, length of occupation, utility connections).
4. Choose the regime (caravan, demountable dwelling or building) accordingly, then submit the appropriate application.

A clearly presented project, with the plans of the house, makes discussions with the town hall much easier. We provide the plans and technical data sheet for each model: see our models.

Key points

• No legislation defines the tiny house: the rules that apply depend on its mobility and its use.
• On wheels: a caravan. Beyond three months a year on the same plot, a prior declaration.
• As a main residence without foundations: the demountable-dwelling regime, with possible entitlement to APL.
• On foundations: a building, with a prior declaration up to 20 m² and planning permission above that.
• The municipality’s PLU always has the final say: check before you buy.

Please note: this guide sets out the general rules, checked on the date shown. It is no substitute for personalised advice: local rules (PLU, protected areas, risk zones) may be stricter. For a specific project, contact your town hall’s planning department or the ADIL (departmental housing information agency) in your département.