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Want to place your house in France? Here is everything you need to know.
A tiny house in France, by the rules
French law does not know the word tiny house. Depending on whether it keeps its wheels or not, and whether you live in it all year or not, it becomes a caravan, a demountable residence (résidence démontable) or a construction. Here is how to tell which, and what you need before you order.
- Caravan3 months a yearno formalities; beyond that, a déclaration préalable
- Construction20 m²up to that a déclaration préalable, above it a permis de construire
- RE2020Under 50 m²adapted requirements since 1 January 2023
What the Code de l'urbanisme says
Three possible statuses for a tiny house
The Ministère du Logement confirmed it in 2024: a tiny house that permanently keeps a means of moving is a caravan or a mobile leisure home; if it is deprived of that, it may count as a demountable residence. Placed on the ground for the long term, it is treated as a construction. The status decides the permit.
- 1What the house is
- 2The intended use
- 3The permit
- 4Where to place it
All our houses against the rules ↓
- First question, before any order: what does the plan local d'urbanisme (PLU) say for your plot? The town hall will tell you whether a home, a demountable residence or a caravan for more than 3 months is possible there.
- Second question: how are you going to use it? A few weeks of holiday a year is not the same thing as a main residence.
- Third question: what area? The 20 m² threshold counts twice, the footprint and the floor area, including the mezzanine where the height exceeds 1.80 m. The 40 m² threshold you often read about only applies to the extension of an existing building in an urban zone of a PLU, or to a plot that hosts at least two demountable residences.
- A mobile leisure home (résidence mobile de loisirs: a mobile home that keeps its wheels but can no longer move freely on the road) cannot be placed in a private garden: only on a campsite, a residential leisure park or a holiday village.
- A demountable residence that is not connected to the public networks requires a certificate covering water, sanitation, electricity and safety, in particular fire safety.
- It is always the town hall that decides for your plot. Talk to them before you order.
Sources: Service-public : caravane et mobil-home sur un terrain privé · Assemblée nationale : réponse ministérielle sur les tiny houses (question n° 11598, 2024) · Préfecture du Gers : seuils d'emprise au sol et de surface de plancher · Banque des Territoires : le décret sur l'habitat léger et les résidences démontables · Arrêté du 22 décembre 2022 : RE2020 pour les petites constructions et constructions temporaires
Which houses qualify
All our houses, measured against the rules
The area here is the external dimensions, length times width, which give an idea of the footprint. Our smallest houses on wheels stay under 20 m² and can go through the déclaration préalable if you install them as a construction. For those with a large mezzanine, everything depends on the floor area the town hall takes into account.
| House | Dimensions (L × W × H) | Ground area | Déclaration préalable (20 m²) | Caravan (keeps its wheels) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 Nature Pod | 6.00 × 2.30 × 2.50 m | 13.8 m² | Déclaration préalable | Possible |
 Moon | 6.10 × 2.50 × 3.50 m | 15.3 m² | Déclaration préalable | Possible |
 Sofia | 6.10 × 2.55 × 4.00 m | 15.6 m² | Déclaration préalable | Possible |
 Maya | 6.70 × 2.55 × 4.00 m | 17.1 m² | Depends on the mezzanine | Possible |
 Sunshine | 6.70 × 2.55 × 4.00 m | 17.1 m² | Depends on the mezzanine | Possible |
 Felicia | 7.20 × 2.50 × 3.94 m | 18.0 m² | Déclaration préalable | Possible |
 Venus | 7.30 × 2.50 × 4.00 m | 18.3 m² | Déclaration préalable | Possible |
 Luna Office | 7.30 × 2.55 × 3.50 m | 18.6 m² | Déclaration préalable | Possible |
 Luna Home | 7.30 × 2.55 × 3.50 m | 18.6 m² | Déclaration préalable | Possible |
 Porto | 7.30 × 2.55 × 4.00 m | 18.6 m² | Depends on the mezzanine | Possible |
 Elise | 7.30 × 2.55 × 4.00 m | 18.6 m² | Depends on the mezzanine | Possible |
 Smile | 7.30 × 3.00 × 4.00 m | 21.9 m² | Permis de construire | No |
 Julia | 7.90 × 3.00 × 4.00 m | 23.7 m² | Permis de construire | No |
 River | 8.50 × 2.90 × 3.90 m | 24.6 m² | Permis de construire | No |
 Lucia | 7.50 × 4.00 × 4.00 m | 30.0 m² | Permis de construire | No |
 Sky | 11.00 × 3.45 × 4.35 m | 38.0 m² | Permis de construire | No |
 Zenith | 11.00 × 3.45 × 4.35 m | 38.0 m² | Permis de construire | No |
 Leah | 12.00 × 3.45 × 4.00 m | 41.4 m² | Permis de construire | No |
 Antonia | 9.00 × 7.95 × 4.00 m | 46.6 m² | Permis de construire | No |
 Evergreen | 8.30 × 6.00 × 4.00 m | 49.8 m² | Permis de construire | No |
 Helena | 9.20 × 5.98 × 4.00 m | 55.0 m² | Permis de construire | No |
 Evergreen XL | 11.80 × 5.95 × 4.00 m | 70.2 m² | Permis de construire | No |
Floor area is measured inside the walls and includes the mezzanine where the height exceeds 1.80 m; a mezzanine can therefore take a house above 20 m² even if its footprint stays below. Our semi-mobile and non-mobile houses travel on a lorry and are installed on the plot: they cannot remain caravans. Ask us for the plans, and you and the town hall will see exactly what applies.
Good to know
Frequently asked questions about tiny house rules
Is my tiny house a caravan, a demountable residence or a construction?
That depends on the house and on you. If it keeps its wheels and remains roadworthy, it is a caravan. If it is deprived of them but stays without foundations, easily dismantled and serves as a main residence at least 8 months a year, it can be a demountable residence. Placed for the long term, it is a construction. The Ministère du Logement confirmed this in an answer to the Assemblée nationale in 2024. A demountable residence can be self-sufficient rather than connected to the networks; it then needs a certificate covering water, sanitation, electricity and fire safety. What it takes to get there: Living off-grid.
Can I live all year in a tiny house on wheels?
Caravan status is intended for leisure: up to 3 months a year without formalities, beyond that with a déclaration préalable. It does not give entitlement to housing benefit (APL). To make it your main residence, the route provided by law is the demountable residence or the construction, where the PLU allows it. Talk to the town hall about your project before you order.
Déclaration préalable or permis de construire: 20 m² or 40 m²?
For a new, separate house, it is 20 m²: above 5 m² and up to 20 m² of footprint and floor area, a déclaration préalable is enough; above that, you need a permis de construire. The 40 m² applies to enlarging an existing house in an urban zone of a PLU, and to laying out a plot for at least two demountable residences.
Does RE2020 apply to a tiny house?
To a new construction, yes. For buildings under 50 m², adapted requirements have applied since 1 January 2023, and for temporary constructions since 1 July 2023. For a demountable residence, the question has not been settled: ask the town hall. We send you the U-values of the house you choose so that you can check.
What do we send you for the application?
The plans, the weights, the U-values and the technical documentation you need for the déclaration préalable or the permis de construire. It is free.
What VAT will I pay?
20 %, the standard rate in France, whether we only deliver or also install. The reduced rates of 10 % and 5.5 % apply to work on a home completed more than two years ago, not to a new house.
Let's look at your plot together
Tell us where your plot is, what the PLU provides and how you want to live there. We will tell you which houses fit and send you the plans to attach to your application. It is free.