Part of our mission here at Tiny SMART House is to remain active in the advocacy of tiny houses, particularly in the state of Oregon. After some issues last year, Oregon stopped certifying tiny houses as RVs and drove many builders out of business or out of state. Thankfully Tiny SMART House turned to RVIA for international certification and bounced back, but now Oregon is creating even more barriers to tiny house living in response.
Our owner Nathan Watson is of course a proud defender of the tiny house movement, RV or otherwise. He’s always been active in the current events and legislation, and has often attended meetings of the Building Codes Division (BCD) to provide testimony. This time, he decided to host his own.
On Wednesday, January 10th, Tiny SMART House hosted city and state officials as well as members of the local Regional Solutions Team, Oregon Housing & Community Services, the Employment Department and the American Tiny House Association here at our shop in Albany. As we gathered into one of our tiny houses to begin, there were some big names and big topics on the table.
– Main Takeaways –
- Tiny houses have the ability to play a pivotal role in the housing needs of community members at all levels.
- There are significant discrepancies in licensing of Tiny Houses on Wheels for in-state and out-of-state products.
- The industry feels they don’t have a voice in the such decisions being made by the BCD, despite the fact that they are a thriving and expanding niche part of the building market.
- Tiny home manufactures need an advocate in discussions with the BCD because changes in definitions and regulations have, and will continue to, negatively impact sales and cause confusion for customers.
- Although the industry is growing rapidly, these changes have been, and will continue to, stifle growth in many avenues. The result is that many manufacturers are been forced to shut down or relocate outside of Oregon. This equates to a critical loss of jobs, tax revenue and potential economic development for the state.
All attendees were passionate, well-spoken and respectful. We so appreciate the time and efforts of everyone who joined us for the meeting, and made honest efforts to understand our struggle. Ultimately, we feel optimistic about our discussion and the revelations made by some very influential people. Cheers to our new tiny house peers!