The Shire of Mundaring is one of the few WA councils with a page just for tiny homes. Its rules are a good guide to how most Perth hills and rural councils think. Here they are in plain English, with what they mean for you.
Tiny homes on wheels
If your tiny home is on a trailer or wheels, the Shire treats it as a caravan, however nicely it is built. That leads to three rules:
| What you want to do | The Shire of Mundaring rule |
|---|---|
| Stay on private land for a short time | Up to 5 nights in any 28 days with the landowner's consent, no approval needed |
| Live in it while you build your house | Up to 2 years with an Application for Temporary Accommodation (see below) |
| Live in it permanently | Only in an approved caravan park |
| Rent it out (for example on Airbnb) | Only in an approved caravan park |
Living in it while you build
You can apply for Temporary Accommodation if you have a building permit for your house and the land is zoned Rural Residential, Rural Smallholdings or General Agriculture, or the lot is over 2,000 m². The tiny home must:
- stay roadworthy and able to be moved off the site at any time, so you can leave in a bushfire;
- be kept in a shed; and
- be connected to permanent power, water and effluent disposal.
Tiny homes without wheels
A tiny home on permanent footings has a clear path to approval. The Shire treats it as a Single House, or as an Ancillary Dwelling (granny flat) if there is already a house on the lot. There is no minimum size for a Single House, so tiny is fine, but it has to work as a real home:
- a proper kitchen (with a stove or oven and a sink), bathroom (basin, shower or bath, waterproofing, ventilation) and enclosed laundry (trough, waterproof floor);
- minimum ceiling heights;
- power, running water, and sewer or septic;
- structural engineering certification;
- energy efficiency compliance; and
- a BAL (bushfire) report if the lot is bushfire-prone, which much of the Shire is.
The approvals, in order
- Environmental check. If the block is mapped as a Local Natural Area or has native vegetation or a watercourse, the Shire suggests an Environmental Asset Inspection. Book it for the same time as the BAL assessment.
- Health approval. On septic, Environmental Health approves the system for the extra kitchen and bathroom.
- Planning (development) approval. Likely needed if you are in a bushfire-prone area, on a heritage property, or if the design doesn't meet the standard R-Codes rules (setbacks, size and so on). For a $73 fee, Shire planners will do a preliminary check of your site plan, elevations and floor plan first.
- Building permit. Always needed for the tiny home itself.
Tiny homes as tourist stays
A tiny home on wheels can't be approved as tourism accommodation unless it is part of an approved caravan park. A tiny home without wheels can be considered on its merits as a tourism development.
What this means for you
- Want to live in it long term? Put it on footings and approve it as a house or granny flat.
- Building a house first? A tiny home on wheels can be your home on site for up to two years, if your lot and zoning qualify.
- Bushfire-prone lot? Expect a BAL report and probably planning approval. Get the BAL done early, as it shapes the design.
Contact numbers from the Shire: Planning Services (08) 9290 6740, Building Services (08) 9290 6666.