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Boulder City Council updates building code to allow tiny homes in residential areas

Posted at 6:01 PM, Jan 22, 2020
and last updated 2020-01-22 20:48:54-05

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BOULDER, Colo. — Inside his Longmont warehouse, Bryon Fears has been building tiny homes for years.

"When we started building, there may have been seven to 10 serious tiny home builders in the entire country. Now, there are a lot of tiny home builders," Fears said.

Tuesday evening, the Boulder City Council updated its building codes, allowing tiny homes in residential areas.

Fears said this now gives people another option to search for attainable and affordable housing in Boulder.

"You can't get a studio apartment in Boulder for under $1,500 right now," Fears said.

The city said the move allows building permits to be issued beginning July 1. Tiny homes have to be under 400 square feet, and no more than two would be allowed on a single property. So you won't be seeing any tiny home villages in Boulder any time soon.

Communications manager for Boulder Public Works and Planning, Meghan Wilson, said tiny homes could be built in warehouses like Fears' and wheeled off to the property.

"Any tiny home that would be placed in Boulder or built-in Boulder would have to be attached to utilities. They'd have to be on a fixed foundation," Wilson said.