Washington Lawmakers Seek Help for Tiny Home Market

OLYMPIA, Wash. (AP) — Washington state lawmakers are considering legislation to help the tiny home market.

The Olympian reports that Rep. Brian Blake, an Aberdeen Democrat, has sponsored a bill that lets cities and counties reduce room-size requirements so tiny house builders can create smaller homes without violating building codes.

Blake says he wants to encourage flexibility. He says not everyone wants a 5,000-squoare-foot home.

Martin Hammer, a San Francisco-area architect, says many small houses don't comply with state codes, but in most cases they are built and used safely under the radar of code enforcers.

Blake's bill would give tiny house owners some relief in communities that choose to reduce minimum room sizes, until new tiny house-friendly building codes begin to take effect in 2019.