Bolthole Index county-legal census · checked 2026-10-10
8 of Washington's 39 counties — 21% — allow tiny homes as a dwelling. That is the 16th-largest count of any state. The strongest of them on the Bolthole Index is Clallam County (60/100). 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 → Washington: no zoning → Washington: owner-builder → Washington: rv living → Washington: no minimum home size → Full Washington profile →
From the Washington guide
Washington has county-level RV answers for 21 counties: 1 allowed, 6 temporary-only and 14 limited; the other 18 are unconfirmed.7 Clallam County has the allowed answer for private-parcel RV occupancy without an associated residence, subject to its conditions; use the Washington RV-living guide to compare covered uses.7 Some limited answers concern RV parks, floodplains or particular subdivisions, so those answers do not establish general permission to live on an ordinary rural parcel.7
Washington has tiny-home answers for 16 counties: 8 allowed, 7 limited and 1 prohibited for the covered structure or use; 23 remain unconfirmed.11 The allowed group is Clallam County, Chelan County, Pierce County, Jefferson County, Grant County, Adams County, Snohomish County, Whatcom County; compare their conditions in the Washington tiny-home guide.11 A Washington tiny house may be built on wheels, must be no larger than 400 square feet and must meet the state building code; local requirements govern foundation, installation and location approval.8
From the Washington 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.
8 of 39 Washington counties · sorted by Index score
Park models, recreational park trailers, and tiny homes on wheels with an appropriate Washington Department of Labor and Industries insignia or equivalent, within Clallam County…
21.06.030 Park model placement requirements | Clallam County Code ↗Tiny houses used as permanent dwelling units in unincorporated Chelan County. Tiny houses are regulated by Washington State Residential Code Appendix Q. Off-site tiny houses on …
co.chelan.wa.us ↗Site-built and factory-built tiny homes in unincorporated Pierce County. A site-built tiny home must comply with the current IRC and Washington State Energy Code, have approved …
Tiny Homes ↗Occupancy of an L&I-approved park model, recreational park trailer, or tiny home on wheels used as an accessory dwelling unit or placed on residential property in unincorporated…
Chapter 18.20: Performance and Use-Specific Standards, Jefferson County Code ↗On-site-built tiny houses used as single-family dwellings in unincorporated Grant County. The tiny house must be built on site. The permitting process is the same as for any sin…
Tiny Home Application Packet ↗A tiny house used as a single-family dwelling in the Snohomish County UDC use-matrix zones SA-1, RC, RU, R-20,000, R-12,500, and WFB in unincorporated Snohomish County. The coun…
30.22.120 Other Zone Categories Use Matrix ↗Construction and habitation of tiny homes in residential districts where single-family housing is allowed, and specified farm-worker-housing contexts. A tiny home used as a sing…
ecode360.com ↗Site-built tiny homes in unincorporated Whatcom County. The unit must be built on site on a permanent foundation. The unit must meet the minimum requirements of the Internationa…
Memo: Portable Wastewater Tote Tank for Recreational Vehicle or Type 2 Tiny Home on Wheels ↗Every county here has a full profile — water, land prices, hazard safety, seclusion, and the rest of its building rules. See the Washington state page for all 39 counties ranked, or go back to the national list.
Off-grid gear
Building on land in one of these Washington 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.
