Bolthole Index county-legal census · checked 2026-10-10
2 of Idaho's 44 counties — 5% — allow tiny homes as a dwelling. That is the 26th-largest count of any state. The strongest of them on the Bolthole Index is Idaho County (69/100). Every entry below cites the county’s own official source.
Rules change, and cities inside these counties set their own — treat this as a verified starting point, not legal advice. All 547 counties nationwide → Idaho: no building codes → Idaho: owner-builder → Idaho: rv living → Idaho: no minimum home size → Full Idaho profile →
From the Idaho guide
Idaho has recorded RV answers for 19 counties and no county-level answer for 25, but some recorded answers concern public camping, street parking or RV parks rather than residential use of a private parcel.6 We could not confirm statewide permission for long-term RV occupancy on private land; ask the county planning office about the proposed address, duration and wastewater arrangement. Elmore County has an allowed RV answer with conditions, while Bannock County has a temporary-only answer tied to specified circumstances.6 Use the Idaho RV-living county list to reach the local details.
Tiny-home answers cover 12 counties: 2 allow qualifying uses and 10 have limited answers; the remaining 32 have no county-level answer.7 Idaho County and Valley County have allowed answers subject to applicable rules, including Valley County’s code and permitting conditions.7 Compare the tiny-home county list and the minimum-home-size list, then ask the local building and planning offices how the proposed structure is classified.
From the Idaho guide, written from the cited official sources and re-checked by an independent reviewer. This is research, not legal advice: confirm with the office before you buy or build.
2 of 44 Idaho counties · sorted by Index score
Tiny-home occupancy in unincorporated Idaho County, to the extent the use is not governed by another applicable ordinance or state requirement. Ordinance 67 classifies all uninc…
Idaho County Ordinance No. 67 ↗Tiny-house dwelling occupancy in unincorporated Valley County when the structure complies with the adopted residential building code, applicable zoning and site-development rule…
6-1-4: Code Adoption ↗Every county here has a full profile — water, land prices, hazard safety, seclusion, and the rest of its building rules. See the Idaho state page for all 44 counties ranked, or go back to the national list.
Off-grid gear
Building on land in one of these Idaho counties? The kit we'd start with:
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General guidance, not legal advice. Off-grid, building, and land-use rules are often set at the county level and change often. Verify with your county and state before acting. Data reviewed 2026-06-26.
