DYI Tiny Home and registration as RV?

[Alan]

I was just on the phone with a young friend. He's 21 and is just starting to experience financial freedom through a tiny home. However, he wants to build his home out of wood, like a regular house, but on a trailer that he plans to purchase. He has an RV park where he could put it, but he is wondering how to register and obtain a license plate. He's in the Tampa, FL area.
Does anyone have an idea how to do that, or is it even needed?

 

[eDJ_]

A lot of Tiny Homes have been built on Trailers so they don't look like structures that didn't obtain a building permit. More like they are just a travel trailer parked on an owner's property.
Thus they don't appear to be avoiding property tax, zoning laws, and disgruntled neighbors saying, "there goes the neighborhood".

This way if taxes have to be paid it would be on the "trailer" under vehicle personal property. Then the trailer/tiny home can be taken out on week ends to make it appear to be being used as a RV.

All of this may vary with local codes such as the trailer not being hooked up to water or sewer or power. But I've seen Class C RV's sit on people's property nearly permanently and claimed to be an auxiliary shelter in the case of power outages. (as the RV has a generator, water storage tanks etc.

 

[Alan]

Thanks for that information. I am wondering how to a tiny house built on a trailer, but looks like a house would be registered. The young friend is wanting to put it in an RV park. I may tell him to go ask what they need before allowing a lot to be rented for it.

 

[eDJ_]

I would also check to see if they would permit such a rig first. It's just one of those things. Some parks won't allow anything except a rig that looks like a factory built RV or "house trailer". Just depends on the park owner/operator.

 

[Brandyr1ckey]

I was just on the phone with a young friend. He's 21 and is just starting to experience financial freedom through a tiny home. However, he wants to build his home out of wood, like a regular house, but on a trailer that he plans to purchase. He has an RV park where he could put it, but he is wondering how to register and obtain a license plate. He's in the Tampa, FL area.
Does anyone have an idea how to do that, or is it even needed?

Alan, your friend absolutely needs to register the trailer. The house part is considered cargo, but the trailer itself is a vehicle that needs a license plate and title, especially in Florida. The process depends on whether the trailer is new/used and if it already has a VIN/Title
Check for a VIN/Title: If he's buying a new trailer chassis, it will come with an MCO/MSO. He'll use that at the Florida DMV/Tax Collector's office to get the title and plate.

 

[Alan]

Okay great. Thanks for the help guys!