Where can you put a tiny house? Possible land and the rules

Finding land is often the longest stage of a tiny house project. The options depend on three things: the status of the house (on wheels, demountable or fixed to the ground), how long it will be occupied, and the planning rules of the municipality. Here are the most common cases.

Can you install a tiny house in your garden?

Yes, within the limits set by the Code de l’urbanisme (French planning code) and the PLU (local urban plan). A tiny house on wheels is legally a caravan: it can be parked on private land without any planning formality for up to three months a year, all periods combined. Beyond that, you need a prior declaration (déclaration préalable).

The Code also provides that 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). This is storage, not occupation as a home.

A tiny house fixed to the ground in a garden is a building: a prior declaration from 5 to 20 m², planning permission (permis de construire) beyond that. The procedures are detailed in our guide planning permission or prior declaration.

The garden case – guest room, office, home for a relative, connections from the existing house – has a full guide of its own: installing a tiny house in your garden.

What about buildable land?

This is the simplest situation. Land classified by the PLU as an urban zone or a zone to be urbanised can take dwellings, subject to the zone’s regulations: siting, height, external appearance, parking. A tiny house must comply with these rules like any other building or installation.

Before buying land, ask for a planning certificate (certificat d’urbanisme). It is free and valid for 18 months. The detailed version (certificat opérationnel), issued within two months, states whether your specific project can be carried out on that land.

Can you install a tiny house on non-buildable land?

In principle, not to live in. The agricultural (A) and natural (N) zones of PLUs are protected. The Code de l’urbanisme does, however, provide for an exception: the PLU regulations may, on an exceptional basis, designate areas of limited size and accommodation capacity, known as STECAL, where authorisation may be given in particular for demountable dwellings forming the permanent home of their users (article L151-13).

In these areas, the regulations set the conditions for height, siting and density, as well as the conditions for connection to utility networks and for hygiene and safety. A STECAL is created when the PLU is drawn up or amended: it is a step taken by the local authority, not by a private individual.

Beware of adverts for “leisure plots” sold as habitable: non-buildable land does not become buildable because a house on wheels is placed on it. Beyond three months a year, the prior declaration will be assessed against the PLU, which may prohibit it.

This is the most frequently asked question on the subject, and it deserves a guide of its own: tiny house on non-buildable land, which covers zones A and N, STECALs and the case of agricultural land.

How many tiny houses can you install on the same plot?

Beyond one unit, you move from an individual installation to the development of a site. The threshold to know: at least two demountable dwellings that together create more than 40 m² of floor area (surface de plancher) and form the permanent home of their users require a development permit (permis d’aménager) (article R*421-19). Below that, a prior declaration is enough.

If the houses are intended for rental, the rules for campsites and leisure accommodation may also apply. This case is covered in our guide on renting out a tiny house.

Where is a tiny house on wheels prohibited?

Articles R111-48 and R111-49 of the Code de l’urbanisme prohibit the installation of caravans, in particular:

• in areas where camping has been prohibited;
• in classified woodland areas to be preserved (espaces boisés classés);
• in classified protection forests.

The PLU may also prohibit or restrict the parking of caravans in certain zones. Protected areas (listed sites, the surroundings of historic monuments) and zones covered by a risk prevention plan add their own constraints.

What about a campsite or a residential leisure park?

A tiny house on wheels can be accommodated on a campsite, depending on the site’s rules. The rules differ according to the nature of the house:

• a mobile leisure home (résidence mobile de loisirs, RML, i.e. a mobile home) can only be installed in residential leisure parks (parcs résidentiels de loisirs), holiday villages classified as light accommodation and lawfully established campsites, excluding nature camping areas (article R111-42);
• a light leisure dwelling (habitation légère de loisirs, HLL), a demountable or transportable building, follows similar rules (article R111-38); outside these places, it falls under the general rules for buildings (article R111-40).

These places are designed for leisure use, temporary or seasonal. To live there all year round, check the site rules and the pitch contract. The differences between these statuses are explained in our guide tiny house or mobile home.

Rent land rather than buy it?

It is possible: you can rent a pitch from a private individual, a local authority or a farmer. The same planning rules apply whoever the owner is. Arrange a written contract specifying the duration, the rent, access to utilities and the conditions for leaving, and check that the land really allows the installation you have in mind.

Points to check on the land

1. PLU zoning and regulations: zone, siting rules, protected areas. The PLU can be consulted at the town hall and on the Géoportail de l’urbanisme.
2. Access for delivery: width of the track, bends, slope, gate, trees and overhead lines. A tiny house on a trailer is delivered by road; see our guide on transporting a tiny house.
3. The ground: a flat, load-bearing surface able to carry the house on its supports.
4. Utilities: water, electricity and mains sewer available at the boundary, or the possibility of off-mains drainage. See our guide on utility connections.
5. Risks: flood zone, ground movement; they appear in the statement of risks (état des risques) for the land.
6. Orientation and sunlight: they determine comfort in summer and winter alike, and output if you plan to fit solar panels.

Key takeaways

• Buildable land: the simplest solution, in compliance with the PLU.
• Garden: on wheels, up to three months a year with no formalities, then a prior declaration.
• Agricultural or natural zone: permanent residence only in a STECAL provided for by the PLU.
• Campsites and residential leisure parks: suited to leisure, not designed for year-round living.
• Before any purchase: a planning certificate and an appointment with the town hall’s planning department.

Note: this guide sets out the general rules, checked on the date shown. It does not replace 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.