Public Comment RB168-16, the tiny house construction appendix, receives 2/3 majority vote required to be put into law by the International Code Council
ASHLAND, Ore., Dec. 7, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- The International Code Council (ICC) reported that public comment RB168-16, the tiny house appendix, passed their final round of voting, receiving the required 2/3 majority vote. As a result, a tiny house specific appendix will be part of the 2018 International Residential Code (IRC), allowing people to receive a Certificate of Occupancy (COO) for their tiny house when built to meet the provisions of the adopted code appendix. A lack of recognition of tiny houses in the IRC had been a major hindrance to the creation of legal tiny houses in communities across the United States.
The approval of RB168-16 is a culmination of the efforts of Andrew Morrison and a team of architects, builders, designers, and educators. The team initially defended the proposed appendix at the ICC public comment hearings in October 2016 at which time they received the first 2/3 majority vote necessary to place RB168-16 on the official ballot.
Tiny houses have gained popularity in the last few years as a result of historically high housing costs, flat lined wages, and a grassroots movement towards minimalism. A tiny house specific code helps not only those wanting to build tiny but also local building officials overwhelmed with applications for tiny house projects.
"RB168-16 brings much needed safety standards to tiny house construction," says BA Norrgard, Volunteer Coordinator at Habitat for Humanity and founding member of the Tiny House Collaborative. "This is a huge breakthrough that holds incredible potential for positive change in the housing sector, which is in crisis."
The approval of RB168-16 is historic; however, each jurisdiction currently enforcing the IRC must now adopt the appendix for it to become law. That is the next step for the tiny house appendix and one that Morrison's team intends to meet head on.
Morrison, a builder for over 20 years who leads tiny house workshops and has taught over 2,500 students to date says: "We have a great group of enthusiastic people in the tiny house community and we will work together to continue the positive movement forward for the industry."
