Mount Shasta planners continue work on tiny-house ordinance, staff to draft code clarifying wheels vs. foundations

The Mount Shasta Planning Commission continued consideration of a tiny-house-on-wheels ordinance on April 15, 2025, hearing technical testimony about how tiny houses differ from recreational vehicles and providing staff direction to prepare a formal ordinance for future public hearings.

The discussion focused on three central issues: how to define tiny houses for permitting (wheels, foundation or both), whether clusters should have a minimum number of units, and site and building standards the city should require if it allows tiny-house villages. Planning staff said the proposal responds to a City Council directive and the city’s housing element implementation program.

Local builder Evan Drake, introduced as a member of the Siskiyou Housing Alliance, told commissioners tiny houses on wheels are constructed more like conventional homes while RVs use a lighter, vehicle-focused envelope. “Tiny houses on wheels are framed conventionally the same way that homes are framed,” Drake said, adding that tiny houses generally have thicker walls, better insulation and higher snow-load capacity than RVs. He also said tiny…