Concerning City And Town Permitting Of Kit Homes
Nineteenth Legislative District state Sen. Jeff Wilson, R-Longview, has introduced legislation to streamline the permitting process for “kit homes,” structures that are factory built but not factory assembled.
Senate Bill 5657 would allow local governments to expedite the approval process for kit homes that already meet standards for construction design.
“A hundred years ago, people bought houses from the Sears catalog — they came in a boxcar, you found a local crew to build them or you did it yourself,” Wilson said in a statement. “We see pre-war kit bungalows standing proudly today in every community of the state. As prices of starter homes skyrocket, we ought to take another look at kit homes as a solution for today.”
According to Wilson, lawmakers are coming to believe the state’s shortage of affordable housing has reached a crisis point. Wilson argued kit homes offer an inexpensive solution and would encourage home ownership even at low income levels. He also believes kit home developments for public housing could act as an alternative to what he called “costly” high-rise projects and multifamily apartment blocks.
“Kit homes are the ultimate in plug-and-play design. They can be used for anything from tiny-house villages for the homeless to cabins to high-density development. Government regulation is one of the biggest reasons for today’s high costs. But when we’re talking about cookie-cutter designs that come from a factory, we shouldn’t have to review blueprints more than once,” Wilson said.
Kit homes range in size from as small as 60 square feet to over 2,000 square feet. Prices for unfinished kit homes start at less than $10,000. While construction and government-related costs would increase the expense of kit homes, Wilson believes mass production of kit homes could allow for economies of scale. SB 5657 would streamline the permitting process for kit homes of less than 800 square feet, which he argues would offer the greatest appeal for inexpensive starter homes and public housing.
Bill Text: WA SB5657 | 2023-2024 | Regular Session | Introduced
Bill History
2023 REGULAR SESSION
19 Kit Homes You Can Buy and Build Yourself
Kit homes, also called catalog or mail-order homes, come shipped to your door in flat-packs with precut (and often partially assembled) materials you can assemble yourself on your property.
Tiny House Alliance USA Editor
Janet Thome Founder And President
Feb. 9, 2023
The Future Of Tiny Is Now!
janet@tinyhouseallianceusa.org
