TL;DR (generated, confidence: high)

Portland zoning code defines occupied recreational vehicles (including tiny houses on wheels) and regulates their placement on residential lots, limiting one per lot, requiring wheels to remain attached, and imposing specific parking, building, and electrical requirements.

Key points:

Occupied recreational vehicles include RVs, fifth-wheel trailers, campers, and tiny houses built on trailers with wheels, regulated by Chapter 33.260 of Portland Zoning Code (Occupied Recreational Vehicles and Tiny Houses on Wheels ↗)
Only one occupied RV or tiny house allowed per residential lot with primary dwelling; up to four allowed at religious institutions (Occupied Recreational Vehicles and Tiny Houses on Wheels ↗)
Wheels must remain on vehicles to maintain mobility; prohibited on undeveloped lots and as accessory short-term rentals (Occupied Recreational Vehicles and Tiny Houses on Wheels ↗)
Motorized tiny houses must park on paved surfaces and cannot be located in front of street-facing façade of primary dwelling (Occupied Recreational Vehicles and Tiny Houses on Wheels ↗)
Vehicles must be parked minimum 5 feet from primary dwelling per building code requirements (Occupied Recreational Vehicles and Tiny Houses on Wheels ↗)
Electrical connection required through 20-amp GFCI-protected dedicated circuit on service pedestal or primary dwelling; extension cords must match voltage/amperage and cannot be chained (Occupied Recreational Vehicles and Tiny Houses on Wheels ↗)
Do not count toward residential density; development standards for houses generally do not apply to tiny houses on wheels (Occupied Recreational Vehicles and Tiny Houses on Wheels ↗)

Entities: definition: occupied recreational vehicles | vehicle_type: tiny houses on wheels | regulation: Chapter 33.260 · Section 33.266.150 | electrical_requirement: 20-amp GFCI-protected circuit | distance_requirement: 5 feet

Occupied Recreational Vehicles and Tiny Houses on Wheels

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Source: Occupied Recreational Vehicles and Tiny Houses on Wheels ↗ Last modified: Sun, 19 Apr 2026 20:02:45 GMT

Tiny houses on wheels are included in the definition of "occupied recreational vehicles" when inhabited and parked on a developed residential lot with a primary dwelling unit or house. "Occupied recreational vehicles" are defined in Chapter 33.260 of the Portland Zoning Code ↗ and include:

Recreational vehicles
Fifth-wheel recreational trailers
Campers attached on a vehicle
Constructed tiny houses built on a trailer with wheels

Some similar forms of accommodation are not considered as occupied recreational vehicles or tiny houses on wheels, including:

Campers or structures that do not have wheels attached
Accessory structures such as accessory dwelling units (ADU), detached sleeping rooms and other similar structures built on foundations
Occupied recreational vehicles or tiny houses on wheels that are permitted as hotels, motels or recreational vehicle parks

Land Use and other requirements

Vehicles in Residential Zones are regulated by Section 33.266.150 ↗ of the zoning code.
In order to remain mobile, the wheels must remain on occupied recreational vehicles or tiny houses on wheels.
Only one occupied recreational vehicle or tiny house on wheels is allowed on a residential lot with a house, attached house or manufactured home. Up to four occupied recreational vehicles are allowed in the parking lots of religious institutions.
Occupied recreational vehicles, including tiny houses on wheels, are not permitted on undeveloped lots.
Occupied recreational vehicles, including tiny houses on wheels, must comply with parking requirements for recreational vehicles on residential lots. This generally means a tiny house on wheels must be parked on a paved surface if it has a motor and it cannot be located in front of the street-facing façade of the house, attached house or manufactured home.
An occupied recreational vehicle, including a tiny house on wheels, does not count toward residential density.
In most cases development standards for houses, attached houses and manufactured homes do not apply to a tiny house on wheels.
A tiny house on wheels is prohibited from being used as an accessory short-term rental.

Building code requirements

Although occupied recreational vehicles are not considered buildings, there are some building code requirements related to the vehicle’s location relative to other dwelling units. These vehicles must be parked at least five feet from the primary dwelling.

Electrical requirements

All occupied recreational vehicles will be required to have electrical connections. Electrical connections must be made through a dedicated outlet on a service pedestal or on the primary dwelling, which must be a minimum 20-amp, GFCI-protected, dedicated circuit. (An electrical permit is required if a circuit is not already installed.) The extension cord connection must be with an extension cord rated for the correct voltage, amperage and load as well as for exterior use. The extension cord’s length should be adequate to maintain voltage and provide an uninterrupted connection between the vehicle and the outlet connection. Multiple extension cords may not be used.