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Stephens County planning commission seeks clearer definition for tiny homes, plans work session
Summary
Commission members asked staff to narrow a definition of "tiny home" and scheduled a follow-up work session to consider ordinance changes after reviewing Georgia Department of Community Affairs guidance.
Stephens County Planning Commission members agreed March 4 to schedule a work session to develop a local definition and regulatory approach for tiny homes after reviewing state guidance.
Commission staff reported they had circulated guidance from the Georgia Department of Community Affairs and apologized that the material was not in the printed packet. A staff member said the state guidance provides “some good information” but “didn’t really give you a strict answer,” and recommended the commission narrow its local definition before drafting ordinance language. The staff member added that some state classifications — for example, listing certain recreational vehicles as tiny homes — would not fit Stephens County’s existing rules.
The commission said the topic is sufficiently different from existing categories that it will likely need its own discussion. Commissioners suggested a called work session to “really dive into the facts of the matter” and to determine whether tiny homes should be regulated within an existing zoning district (such as a manufactured home park) or require a new, standalone provision. Members also said staff should help narrow the commission’s working definition of a tiny home before drafting any ordinance language.
Commissioner Bridal (title on record: Commissioner) and other members emphasized that local standards should account for how tiny homes differ from the county’s definitions for recreational vehicles and manufactured housing, and whether tiny homes should be allowed in residential-single, residential-multi, or special districts. One commissioner noted the state’s broad categories and said the county must “narrow down what our understanding is of a tiny home and how you’d want to regulate it.”
The commission directed staff to schedule a work session in March to continue the discussion and to circulate materials by email ahead of the meeting. No formal action or ordinance language was adopted at the March 4 meeting; the item was left for further study and a future meeting.
