The ICC Tiny House Standard Has Been Usurped By The SRU
On May 16, 2025, the ANSI Standards Action Newsletter published a revised PINS notification that the International Code Council ( ICC) submitted to add the the Small Residential Unit ( SRU) to the title and the scope of the Tiny House standard. The current title of the standard is called ICC/THIA 1215 – 202x Design, Construction and Regulation of Tiny Houses for Permanent Occupancy.
ICC made two previous announcements in the ANSI Standards Actions Newsletter in April 2023 before the development of the standard started and also in an ICC press release. The original intent was to progress the success of Appendix Q Tiny Houses, now known as Appendix BB Tiny Houses in the 2024 IRC and finally add provisions for the chassis to create a legal path for tiny houses on wheels.
The standard is being developed by the OSMTH 1215 Committee and ICC is co-branding the standard with the Tiny Home Industry Association ( THIA).
The new title of the standard is ICC/THIA 1215-202x, Design, Construction, Inspection and Regulation of Small Residential Units and Tiny Houses for Permanent Occupancy.
I have asked for a new revised PINS since Sept. 2024, and it has been denied until now. I asked for the revised PINS because the Small Residential Unit became the primary focus of the standard, and it took over the standard completely.
There has been a great debate in the OSMTH 1215 committee regarding the Small Residential Unit takeover of the standard which is the agenda of ICC. They want to position the Small Residential Unit, a made up term that is not used by anyone and is not enforceable over Tiny Houses, a codified term in the IRC, making Tiny Houses a subcategory under the Small Residential Unit.
The new revised PINS allows the tiny house industry and anyone materially affected by the standard to comment and submit a PINS complaint regarding the standard. Keep reading and you will see a copy of my PINS complaint that is included below, and instructions on how to submit comments and complaints below yourself.
What is disturbing is that there was a recent code proposal called RB42-25 that was submitted to the IRC and was heard at the first CAH hearing in Florida on April 29, 2025. RB42-25 referenced the new standard. The definition in the code proposal of the Small Residential Unit ( SRU) omit the chassis and do not correlate with the definition in the standard that includes the chassis. See RB42-25 below and the draft of the standard is listed under Helpful Resources. You will also see in the April 2, 2025 meeting notes that the chassis has been removed from the tiny house definition that originally included the chassis in the first draft of the standard.
RB42-25 Code Proposal Submitted To The IRC
Take Note: The Small Residential Unit Definition Does Not Include The Chassis
Excerpt From OSMTH 1215 Meeting Notes: April 2, 2025
The Small Residential Unit was vigorously opposed at the CAH hearing, and ICC did not listen. They had a chance to get the standard back into compliance with the approved title, scope, and intent of the standard, and the primary purpose to add chassis provisions to tiny houses, adopted into the IRC, but instead tiny houses have been hijacked by the Small Residential Unit. It is clearly an agenda of ICC and they have an overreach in their involvement as a Standard Developer that is dominating the standard in violation of ANSI Essential Requirements that prohibit dominance.
The standards development process shall not be dominated by any single interest category, individual or organization. Dominance means a position or exercise of dominant authority, leadership, or influence by reason of superior leverage, strength, or representation to the exclusion of fair and equitable consideration of other viewpoints.
Initial Draft Definition Of Tiny Houses Included The Chassis
Andrew Morrison, Co-Author Of Appendix Q Tiny Houses
Stated The Head Of The ICC Code Approval Process Did Not Allow Movable Provisions In Initial Appendix Q Tiny Houses Proposal . It Was Considered A ‘ Hijack ‘ Of The Proposal.
” I had to make some last minute changes to the proposed code language to remove the word “moveable” from my original proposal entitled “Movable Tiny Houses.” Unfortunately, the head of the ICC code approval process said that he would not accept the proposal as written because he believed it was what they call in the industry a “hijack” of the original proposal. After many conversations and emails with the official, I decided to amend the proposal so that he would allow it to move forward. After all, when he said “if you keep the moveable details in there, I will throw the whole thing out” it became crystal clear what my options were.
That said, tiny house Appendix Q does take away the vast majority of the challenges a moveable tiny house would face, leaving the chassis/trailer as the last major potential roadblock (fear not, there’s good news to follow). As such, builders and owner builders alike can submit an application for the foundation design through Section R104.11 of the IRC entitled Alternative materials, design and methods of construction and equipment. This application simply needs to show how the chassis/trailer can be incorporated into a suitable foundation to meet the intent of the code. This design could likely draw heavily on Appendix E: Manufactured Housing Used As Dwellings, as the majority of that appendix focuses on mounting a chassis/trailer to a code approved foundation for manufactured housing. This is a great place to start for using the code itself to support your design and long term plans. ”
How To Hear The RB42-25 Code Proposal
The video is only 10 minutes long. A committee member went to the hearing and asked for disapproval because the standard was still in draft form.
- Create an account. Click to enter.
- Click on current cycle from navigation pages on top left
- Click on proposals from dropdown menu
- Submit: RB42-25 in first box called Agenda Number
- The second box is Groups and it should say 2025 Group B.
- After you submit RB42-25, the next page will highlight the number in blue that is clickable and will take you to the code proposal.
- Click On Hearing Videos. You Will See As Last Choice On Navigation Choices
- Add RB42-25 On First Box That Says Proposal Name. Make Sure Second Group Box Says Group B
Take Note: The Definition In The Standard Includes The Chassis
RB42-25 Code Proposal Did Not Include The Chassis In The Definition Of The Small Residential Unit ( SRU): Scroll Back Up To See
Third ICC PINS In ANSI Standards Action: May 16, 2025
ICC Added The Small Residential Unit To The Title And Scope Of The Standard, Ignoring The Opponents Of The SRU That Attended The Calls, Made Public Comments And The The Stream Of Opponents At The First CAH Hearing
First ICC PINS In ANSI Standards Action: April 7, 2023
The Focus Was Entirely On Tiny Houses
Second ICC PINS In ANSI Standards Actions April 21, 2025
The Second PINS Was Published And Removed The Term Permanent Before Foundations.
What Is A PINS?
A PINS stands for Project Initiation Notification System and is a part of the ANSI Essential Requirements when a new standard is announced and also if there have been substantive changes to the standard as it is being developed or if the stakeholders, also known as interested parties have changed. The purpose of the PINS is to notify all stakeholders that will be materially affected so they can make a comment or a complaint. There is a 30 day for stakeholders to comment.
Short Summary
- ICC is An Accredited Standards Developer Accredited By ANSI
- Standards Follow The ANSI Essential Requirements For Due Process
- Standards Must Follow All Applicable Federal Antitrust Laws
- A PINS Notification Is Published In The ANSI Newsletter Called ANSI Standards Action When New Standards Are Being Developed To Alert Any Stakeholder That Will Be Affected By The Standard
- A New Revised PINS Is Required If The Standard Has Substantive Changes To The Draft As It Is Being Developed And If The Stakeholders Have Changed
- ICC Published A New Revised Pins Notification In ANSI Standards Action On May 16, 2025 Adding The Term Small Residential Unit To The Title And Scope Of The Tiny House Standard. This Change Was Approved By The ICC Board Of Directors
- Interested Parties Have 30 Days To Submit A Pins Complaint From The Time Of Publication. Instructions Below.
Submit Your Own PINS Complaint
Don’t Let Tiny Houses On Wheels Be Left
On The Side
Of The Road Again
Submit Before June 16, 2025
How To Submit A PINS Complaint
Send Your PINS Complaint To ICC Director Of Standards Karl Aittaniemi.
His Email Contact Is ka*********@*****fe.org
Make Sure You Include The OSMTH 1215 Committee And New Title: ICC/THIA 1215-202x, Design, Construction, Inspection and Regulation of Small Residential Units and Tiny Houses for Permanent Occupancy.
Helpful Resources
Highlights Of My PINS Complaint
I See The New revised PINS as both a positive, and also a negative.
Positives
- I have asked for ICC to submit a new revised PINS for the standard since Sept 2024 when I saw the standard change to the direction of the Small Residential Unit, but it was denied. Finally ICC is following the ANSI policy that requires a Standard Developer to submit a new revised PINS to alert anyone materially affected by this change to the public through published notices.
- The new revised PINS will give the industry a chance to weigh in on the Small Residential Unit and alert the tiny house industry.
- The entire committee will have to be dismantled and restructured because there is not one manufacturer on the committee building Small Residential Units, there are no building officials enforcing and approving the Small Residential Unit, there are no third parties certifying the Small Residential Unit, and there are no on site or owner builders building a Small Residential Unit, and no consumer that is buying this product as a voting committee member.
- ICC can no longer ignore complaints, they will be obligated to answer them.
OSMTH 1215 Meeting Notes: April 2, 2025
Negatives
- Karl Aittaniemi the ICC Director Of Standards, with the support of the voting committee of OSMTH 1215 approved the April 2, 2025 meeting notes that had misinformation regarding ANSI requirements for a new revised PINS that stated; ‘’ANSI permits title changes to standards as long as changing the title is not a substantive change.’’ Incorrect. ANSI does not address titles, and requires a new revised PINS when there are substantive changes or a change in stakeholders. I complained that he was putting out incorrect information to the public, and the meeting notes were approved anyway. The meeting notes were approved on May 15, 2025, one day before the new revised PINS was published in ANSI Standards Action. Karl did not tell us about the new revised PINS and even though several of us wanted to talk about the first ICC CAH hearing where the committee asked for disapproval of RB42-25, the code proposal that submitted the standard and had 100% opposition to the Small Residential Unit, they did not allow the discussion.
- Instead of ICC getting the standard in compliance with the original approved title, scope, and working group scopes that govern the draft and directing the standard back to the topic of tiny houses and to add provisions for the chassis, they have chosen to manipulate the standard toward the primary focus of the Small Residential Unit, a made up term that is not enforceable in a primary position over the codified term, Tiny Houses.
- We heard early on in the development of the standard that they want to get rid of the term Tiny Houses and get rid of Appendix BB Tiny Houses.
- ICC has chosen to ignore all the opponents that spoke out against the Small Residential Unit at the first CAH hearing on April 29, 2025 . There was not one proponent there speaking up for it.
- This new PINS revision cements that ICC is taking advantage of their position as a standard developer and further documents that the Small Residential Unit is the agenda of ICC and THIA, and the building officials on the committee.
- At a recent work group meeting after the CAH hearing on May 8, 2025, everyone spoke as if the Small Residential Unit would remain in the standard, and the Chair, Joshua Harmon stated that it was a good thing and there was even going to be a Large Residential Unit in the energy code, which confirms that ICC is just unfolding their plan to hijack the tiny house standard, because there is a not so hidden plan that was created behind doors that only a few are privy to.
- ICC has chosen to ignore all interested parties’ objections to the Small Residential Unit in the public meetings and in public comments and now in the first CAH hearing.
- We only have 30 days to send our complaints to ICC, and one of the ANSI requirements of filing a new revised PINS, is-You should also seek publication of the announcement of the proposed ANS activity in relevant trade publications and other suitable media in order to demonstrate the opportunity for participation by all directly and materially affected persons. There is no announcement by ICC as a press release, in ICC Building Safety Journal or anywhere on the THIA website, or Facebook or Linkedin pages, so they have failed to alert the tiny house industry of their intention to add the Small Residential Unit in the title and scope of the standard, and place the Small Residential Unit in a dominant, primary position over Tiny Houses.
Why Is The Small Residential Unit An ICC Agenda?
Why Has It Been Concluded That The SRU Is An ICC Agenda?
- October 2024 Long Beach, Ca. Expo Webinar Shared The First Draft Of OSMTH 1215 And Had A Webinar On Approving Small Residential Dwelling Units That Included ADUs And Tiny Homes.
- The Hieracy Within The Voting Committee Is Manipulating The Standard, With The Help Of Jonathon, the chair, the vice chair, and Karl Aittaniemi, the Director Of Standards, With The Blessing Of The ICC Board Of Directors And THIA, Who Is Co-Branding The Standard With ICC.
- Jan.10, 2025 Deadline To Submit A Code Proposal: RB42-25 Proponents Had To Submit By That Date, But There Was No Discussion In The Meetings Regarding The Topic When They Did This And RB42-25 Including Referencing The Standard.
- February 21, 2025: RB42-25 Was Re-Submitted On The ICC Website In CP Access. Oddly, The Proposal Omitted The Chassis From The Definition Of The SRU, Nor Did It Add The Chassis To Appendix BB Tiny Houses. The January Proposal Was Analyzed By ICC Staff And Then Re-Submitted To Cp Access After The ICC Analysis.
- End Of February: As Announced By ICC, The code change proposals for Group B codes will be viewable on cdpACCESS by the end of February 2025.
- March 3, 2025: The Meeting Discussed The Definitions Of The Small Residential Unit And Tiny Houses And It Was Decided At The Next Meeting There Would Be A Vote.
- March 19, 2025: In The Middle Of Approving Public Comments, A New Motion Passed To Remove The Chassis From The Definition Of The Standard.The Meeting Notes Also Stated: This scope and purpose do seem to be in conflict with the title.
- April 2, 2025: Karl Stated That Staff Is Discussing Amending The Title Of The Standard To Include SRUS Because Of ‘Confusion’ We Are Not Confused. Why Is ICC Staff Involved In This Decision At All? Karl, Jonathan, Voting Committee Members And The ICC Board Of Directors Have Ignored Our Complaints That The SRU Is A Hijack Of The Standard, And That The Draft Is Out Of Compliance With The Title, Scope, Pins Notification In Standard Action, Press Release, And Description On The ICC Website, Instead Of Bringing The Standard Back Into Compliance With The Original Intent Of The Tiny House Standard- To Add The Chassis To Tiny Houses.
- A New Pins Notification As Required By ANSI For Substantive Changes And The Change In Stakeholders Has Been Denied.
- It Is Obvious That The Standard Will Never Be Adopted Into The IRC, Nor Does It Seem To Be The Goal And Is Being Manipulated By ICC To Be Written To Benefit ICC, So The Standard Can Be Bundled With The ICC 1200 Series Standards That Can Be Adopted By The State Or Locally Without Inclusion To The IRC.
Long Beach Webinar: Approving Small Residential Dwelling Units
March 19, 2025 OSMTH 1215 Meeting Notes
April 2, 2025 OSMTH 1215 Meeting Notes
My Complaint Regarding The Title Change And Failing To File A New Pins Notification
The Hierarchy Of The Committee Is Withholding Information
It has obviously been determined once again that wheeled structures do not belong in the IRC, because they are not industrialized buildings. A tiny house on wheels is vehicular unit, a motor vehicle that complies with the Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards, regulated by NHTSA, and DOT, and NHTSA allows self certification for the manufacturers, so we are back to where we started from 7 years, when the movable provisions in the code that resulted into Appendix Q Tiny Houses were not allowed in the code proposal and were considered a hijack of the proposal, and the proponents were advised to remove them, or the entire proposal would be turned down.
My PINS Complaint
Related Posts
Code Proposal Disapproved Referencing ICC Standard At CAH
The Plans For The Submission Of The Standard in RB42-25 Was Kept Secret
A group of interested parties almost spent thousands of dollars to travel to the first ICC CAH hearing in Orlando, Florida that started on April 27, 2025. We were also paying a professional code expert to testify as an opponent to RB42-25, a code proposal that also referenced ICC/THIA Standard 1215, Design, Construction, Inspection and Regulation of Tiny Houses for Permanent Occupancy developed by OSMTH 1215. We are mainly opposing the Small Residential Unit that has hijacked the standard. See related blog posts below for more context of the issue at hand.
A few days ago, we were lucky to be told that Jonathan Paradine, the chair of OSMTH1215 was asked to testify and ask for disapproval of RB42-25 at CAH # 1.
We were also told it would be considered bad form, if opponents testified after they asked for disapproval and that no one from the Tiny Home Industry Association ( THIA ) will be there, and no other testimony is anticipated for or against.
I just listened to the hearing and it ended up being Joshua Harmon, who spoke on behalf of the OSMTH 1215 committee.
Joshua asked for disapproval because the standard is still being developed. Joshua is not a listed proponent of the standard and he used the term ‘’we’ in the discussion, obviously on behalf of OSMTH1215 as a committee decision.
The OSMTH 1215 committee, including Karl, the ICC Director Of Standards, failed to be open in their plan for the standard to be submitted as a code proposal to a few OSMTH 1215 voting committee members, interested parties and the public.
We canceled our plans.
OSMTH 1215 Title Change Without New Pins Notification
ICC Staff Wants To Change The Title Without Submitting A New Pins Notification
At the time, a new standard is being developed called ICC/THIA Standard 1215 on the Design, Construction, Inspection and Regulation of Tiny Houses for Permanent Occupancy. Many of us are greatly concerned because the standard is no longer about tiny houses, it is about Small Residential Units ( SRU). ICC is considering changing the title to include the SRU without submitting a new pins notification.
Code Change Appendix BB Tiny Houses Did Not Include Chassis
Applies To 400 Square Feet Or Less
Appendix BB Tiny Houses is the name of the voluntary appendix in the 2024 IRC edition. Appendix BB relaxes various requirements in the body of the code as they apply to houses that are 400 square feet in area or less. Attention is specifically paid to features such as compact stairs, including stair handrails and headroom, ladders, reduced ceiling heights in lofts and guard and emergency escape and rescue opening requirements at lofts.
Appendix Q Tiny Houses was the name of the code inclusive in the 2018 IRC.
Appendix AQ Tiny Houses was the name of the code inclusive in the 2021 IRC.
SRU Big Industry Tiny House Takeover OSMTH 1215
What Is A Small Residential Unit ( SRU) ?
The original purpose of the standard was to fill in the gap of what the tiny house industry lacks. The primary goal was to add provisions for tiny houses on wheels. Appendix Q Tiny Houses that was approved for the inclusion of the 2018 IRC only applied to tiny houses on a foundation, and the provisions for movable structures were not allowed, and in fact, were considered a hijack of the proposal by ICC, so the provisions were removed.
ICC and THIA jointly disrupted the final approval of an ASTM Tiny House committee for ONE YEAR with false claims of duplication after we had the support of Colorado and New Hampshire legislators and now are duplicating ASTM, causing confusion in the marketplace and pitting the industry into sides. Sides should not be in the equation, the common goal is to create a standard for tiny houses on wheels to be recognized and approved as housing.
Contact Me
Please send me an email if you want to set up a call. There is a mountain of information to sift through, and I would be happy to answer any questions. I have attended the OSMTH 1215 meetings as an interested party, because I do not want tiny houses to be over-regulated and pushed into over the top certification requirements and the Small Residential Unit has been a big red flag to me that will serve corporate interests and squeeze out small manufacturers.
Contact me if you would like a copy of my pins complaint or have questions.
Tiny House Alliance USA Editor
May 18, 2025
The Future Of Tiny Is Now!
Janet Thome Founder And President
ja***@******************sa.org
509 345 2013
