DALTON, Mass. — The process of amending the Accessory Dwelling Units bylaw to include mobile tiny homes is moving forward, with the Water Department currently drafting related regulations.

 

For nearly two years, Amy Turnbull has been trying to amend the current ADU bylaws to allow tiny homes. 

 

A movable tiny home is defined as a unit under 400 square feet that meets all of someone's daily needs, including sanitation, cooking, and other facilities, and which is also mobile. Most homes considered "tiny" are built on a trailer so they can be towed. 

 

However, her efforts have been delayed, on the Planning Board front, because of too many unanswered questions surrounding water and sewer hook-ups, and taxing. 

 

Water Department Superintendent Robert Benlien presented to the Board of Water Commissioners a draft regulation for Accessory Dwelling Units and Mobile Accessory Dwelling Units. The board will discuss the proposed regulations at a later meeting. 

 

Benlien's draft regulation dictates that a newly constructed ADU, separate from the main building, would require an independent water connection, including a dedicated service corporation, valve, curb, stop shut-off valve, and a meter bar.

 

There is a proposed one-time hookup fee of $3,000 for permanent ADUs and mobile ADUs needing a separate connection to water. The water rates for the unit would be considered as a service connection, so billed as such. 

 

The draft regulation requires mobile units to comply with the state's uniform plumbing code. This means each unit must have a buried water connection made of approved materials, as well as a curb-stop valve to shut off the water in case of a broken pipe.

 

ADUs are now available by right as state law. However, because of the high cost associated with them, Turnbull believes mobile tiny homes would be more accessible.

 

The unit can be driven to and installed on a property allowing the seniors to live near family or rent it out for additional income. 

 

Her proposal defines a movable tiny house as a "residential property with an existing primary house, intended for year-round living," and outlines nine conditions for approval.

 

Among these conditions: the unit must adhere to accessory dwelling unit regulations, undergo site plan review, be licensed and registered with the state Registry of Motor Vehicles, have approved energy, water, and wastewater systems, and comply with American National Standards Institute 119.5 and National Fire Protection Association 1192 safety requirements.

 

Additionally, the unit must be certified for ANSI or NFPA compliance by a manufacturer or third-party inspector, including adherence to Appendix Q and the International Residential Code's structural guidelines and energy efficiency standards. The tiny house cannot move under its own power, and its undercarriage, wheels, axles, tongue, and hitch must be concealed from view. Wheels and leveling or support jacks are required to rest on a level gravel or paved surface.

 

One concern has been the vehicles not matching the architecture of the town and the main home. However, Turnbull has demonstrated that a condition can be included in the bylaw that the unit match the style of the main home or neighborhood.