A COUPLE were left homeless after a zoning law change meant they could no longer live in their temporary accommodation.
Hannah Cole and Tom Tarczon moved to Colorado to test drive the tiny home lifestyle but quickly found themselves homeless.
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People are increasingly turning to tiny homes as a way of having affordable housing, living more sustainably, and a cheaper way to live and travel.
For college graduate Cole, it is a way of no longer owing money to anyone after she paid off her student debts.
“I didn’t want to owe anybody anything, and I didn’t want to be tethered to anything,” she told Business Insider in 2021.
As a result, in 2017, both she and Tarczon bought a camper van for just $5,000 to test out tiny living
The following year they moved to Colorado from Wisconsin to live in their camper with their two dogs on a piece of land with the permission of the owner.
However, when the owner moved on, Cole and Tarczon had to as well and so they moved to Evergreen in Jefferson County and “things started falling apart,” Cole admitted.
Neighbors had started asking the landowner questions about their lifestyle and one reported the couple for illegally dumping blackwater waste, Cole claimed.
This saw the Jefferson County Planning and Zoning Division pay the couple a visit with two officers.
“We got the feeling that we weren’t wanted there,” Cole said.
In an attempt to make their lives more comfortable, and to allay the complaints of neighbors, the couple moved their camper to another part of the property which was more hidden away.
Despite their issues with the neighbors, the pair were set on getting a more permanent tiny home which they had built while staying in their camper.
However, Cole and Tarczon quickly discovered that a new code had been passed by the local zoning board noting that an axle vehicle can only be parked on the property for two weeks out of the year.
The “timing was very weird,” they told the news outlet, noting that despite approaching the board about the situation, no other options were given to them.
However, the owners of the land used by the couple have disputed their timeline of events, according to Business Insider.
The laws forced the couple to leave their camper and half-finished home but with money tight, they had nowhere to go.
“It was heartbreaking, to say the least,” Tarczon said.
TINY HOME ZONING LAWS
Zoning laws differ state by state and by muncipality so prospective tiny homeowners must do their research.
Zoning laws dictate what makes a home legal and habitable for temporary or permanent living.
Such rules dictate numerous aspects of the property including the size, the foundation, and whether it is stationary or on wheels.
For most tiny-home dwellers, the size will be the biggest issue when it comes to zoning laws as tiny homes are under 400 square feet but most codes state a minimum square footage of 700 or 1,000.
However, rules vary state by state with California being known as the most friendly to those wanting to live in tiny homes.
Meanwhile, those hoping to live sustainably while traveling in a converted vehicle must also pay close attention to codes.
RVs are commonly used as tiny homes but often come with their own definition and habitation rules including a specific amount of days they can be lived in.
Tiny homes can also be considered Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs) which also come with their own rules and regulations which differ per area.
Thorough research is needed and in addition to this, it may be useful for people wanting to live in a tiny home to work with local zoning boards.
“Finances were very tight. We were putting all of our income into building this house,” Cole added.
The pair first moved into a hotel for two months which saw them spend almost $3,000 in one month before then moving into a rundown barn.
They then lived out of their truck for a month with their two dogs.
“I couldn’t wrap my mind around how we go to this point,” Cole explained.
“I went to college, I got a good job, how am I homeless? I couldn’t understand.”
Eventually, when construction was finished on their tiny home, the pair decided to move back to Wisconsin.
Looking through various zoning laws became a key part of their research with Tarczon saying they “didn’t want to go through anything like that again.”
In 2019 they moved to Holcombe after buying a piece of land away from neighbors and with the correct zoning laws.
Cole admitted that their struggles with zoning issues saw the couple believe that “the dream was falling apart.”
The couple believes that zoning laws must be adjusted to make way for more non-traditional forms of living.
Jefferson County’s Planning and Zoning Department has been contacted for comment.
The U.S. Sun previously reported on a couple who have been threatened with eviction three years after first moving into their tiny home despite their landowner not having a problem.
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