Published: Dec 2, 2023 by Eliza Wollner · This post may contain affiliate links ·

With its year-round temperate climate, beautiful beaches, and exciting attractions, Florida is an attractive state to move to in a tiny house.

Before you build or buy a tiny home in FL, however, you probably are looking for answers to some basic questions about the legality of tiny homes in FL.

In this post, we will go over what you need to know about zoning regulations and building codes in Florida for tiny houses.

We will also give you some information on property taxes, where you can place a FL tiny home, and introduce you to some local tiny house communities and builders to consider. If you are looking for specific information, you can jump rapidly to any section using the table of contents below. Otherwise, read on for the entire guide to FL tiny house laws.

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Yes, tiny houses are legal in Florida. There is no law at the state level that bans them. That means that if you want to place a tiny home in this state, you will need to check into the regulations that exist at the local (city and county) levels.

You will discover that Florida is among the more popular states for tiny living. This is because many locales in the state have relatively loose restrictions, making it easy to place a tiny home here.

It is challenging to track down specific zoning laws and building codes by county on government websites in Florida. But we can glean some information by turning to Tiny Home Builders Florida, a local tiny house builder.

According to this builder, the following counties in Florida have no minimum square footage requirement for houses:

That means that these are some of the most flexible counties if you have an especially small tiny home that might not be acceptable in another county.

According to this builder, the following counties require at least 600 square feet:

This builder says that these counties have a minimum requirement of 700 square feet:

Lot sizes are another relevant consideration. If you specifically want to use a small amount of land, you might find these counties most inviting:

The builder also mentions Osceola County and Sarasota County as additional options for tiny homes.

The best way to get detailed information about the zoning laws and building codes for the county where you are thinking of living is to contact that individual county directly. Remember to do the same for the city.

The minimums square footage is only one of the things you will need to know. There may be additional requirements the floor plan will need to satisfy as well in order to be a legal Florida tiny house.

Another potential issue is if you are thinking about moving to Florida in a tiny home on wheels (THOW). These types of tiny houses are often classified as recreational vehicles (RVs).

Florida is not the most RV-friendly state, unfortunately. Tiny Home Builders Florida says, “Ormond Beach is a place to think about if you want to own a tiny house. But you might run into trouble if you’re going to take your little house on the road. In an RV park, the rules say that people must move their homes every 45 days. You will also need to spend money on a foundation for it. Register your house with Florida’s Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles Department.”

So, do not assume that you will be able to live full-time in a tiny house on wheels in a single location. Check into the laws in detail for the area you are interested in to see what you can and cannot get away with. You might also want to contact individual RV parks for more information; they may be able to save you time in your research process.

As best we can gather from our research, you will owe property taxes on a Florida tiny house if it rests on a permanent foundation. But if it is classified as an RV, you may not owe property taxes.

There are a few different options for where you can place a tiny home in one of the Florida counties that permit these small dwellings.

Here are some reasons why Florida is an awesome state in which to live in a tiny house.

Here are a few tiny house communities where you can consider living in Florida.

1. Escape Tampa Bay Village

You will find Escape Tampa Bay Village at Thonotosassa. As the name suggests, the location of this tiny home community puts it just outside of Tampa. So, you will “escape” from the hustle and bustle of Tampa, but you also will be close to the city’s amenities and attractions.

This is a community that sells existing homes that are located in the community; you cannot bring your own tiny house (incidentally, if you like their houses, but want to live somewhere else, you can buy one and ship it to another location).

Describing the houses, Southern Living writes, “Design-wise, Escape models stick with the spirit of modern simplicity that tiny homeowners often look for. Most homes are clad on the outside in an attractive and hardy cypress wood, with front porch decks for taking in those inevitable beach breezes. The contemporary lean continues inside, with angular built-in furniture, stainless appliances, and recessed lighting throughout.”

2. Circle Pond Tiny Community

One of Florida’s best-known tiny house communities is Circle Pond, which you will find in the Tampa Bay area as well. The name of the park is a great description of what it looks like: the tiny houses are circled around a beautiful pond with lots of wide open green spaces and beautiful trees.

You can bring your own tiny house to this community, which is great for those who are in search of flexible options. The lots are just $500 a month as of the time of this writing as well, which is pretty amazing for such a beautiful location. There is a community garden where you can grow your own fruits and vegetables.

3. Braveheart Properties

This tiny house community is in Cocoa. You can either buy a home that is already at the community, or you can bring your own home. You will find a lot of variety in terms of what is available here. The community writes, “Braveheart Properties of Brevard offers the freedom of simple living. Lots can be purchased and have tiny homes on wheels, tiny homes on foundations, or small cottages built to suit your families needs.”

Those who are interested in saving money on groceries and living sustainably and self-sufficiently will appreciate the chance to grow and harvest fruits and vegetables in the organic community gardens.

It may interest you to know that you can actually buy lots here, as opposed to just leasing them. If you do not want to be stuck paying rent indefinitely, buying a lot is a great decision.

Hiring a local tiny house builder in Florida is a smart idea for two reasons. First of all, a Florida builder will be familiar with the zoning regulations and building codes in the county where you want to put the home. An out-of-state builder might not be as well-acquainted with these regulations.

The other advantage is that you do not have to have your home shipped to you from out-of-state. The short distance for the shipment will minimize the costs, letting you spend more money on the home, the lot, or your moving expenses.

Here are some local Florida tiny house builders you can consider working with on your home.

1. Tiny Home Builders Florida

This is a custom prefab home builder based in Orlando that can build you a beautiful home to your specifications. They also have some pre-existing floor plans you can choose from if you wish, including the Greenfest, the Heaven, the Roomette and more.

One thing you will appreciate about this company is that they are flexible as to the approach taken to building the home and how involved you are. They write, “Do not have the time to construct your very own personalized tiny home? Allow us to build it. We can build you a covering if you still wish to be involved in the development process and include your completing touches, or a fully complete move-in all set residence if you prefer to be hands-off.”

Another good thing about Tiny Home Builders Florida is that they are a certified-green manufacturer. They focus on optimizing energy and water efficiency as well as the quality of air inside your home.

2. Cornerstone Tiny Homes

Cornerstone Tiny Homes is a tiny house builder that is based in Longwood. They offer tiny houses to customers not just in FL, but throughout the region. The company has been in business since 2014, so they have more than a decade of experience crafting beautiful, high quality tiny houses.

You can purchase either a tiny house on wheels from Cornerstone or a tiny home that sits on a permanent foundation. The company has strong connections to multiple tiny house communities throughout FL.

3. Florida Tiny House Builders

This company has a similar name to the first one we shared with you, but try not to mix them up. Florida Tiny House Builders is based in Fellsmere. Their site loads slowly, and we did not find a ton of information on it. But they do have a portfolio with a lot of truly stunning photos of their homes. They use a lot of beautiful materials and textures to create one-of-a-kind homes.

You now have an idea where you can purchase a Florida tiny house as well as where you can put one. But what are the steps to getting your own FL tiny house?

Note that some tiny houses are kit homes; more assembly on-site may be needed to complete these structures, rather than them being shipped in a single piece to the site. When you first contact the builder for a quote, they will explain to you how everything works and what you can expect from the process.

All in all, Florida is a great state for tiny house enthusiasts to move to, even though there are some restrictions around square footage and what you do with an RV.

If you are ready to get started, you can click any of the links in this post to check out some of the builders and communities we have recommended. Enjoy embarking on your tiny lifestyle journey in the Sunshine State.