Is a tiny home on wheels a caravan in WA?

Yes. On wheels, it is treated as a caravan under the Caravan Parks and Camping Grounds rules. You can stay up to 5 nights with the landowner's OK, or up to 24 months at a time with council approval.

Does a fixed tiny home need a building permit?

Yes. On footings it is a building: a single house on an empty lot or an ancillary dwelling (granny flat) on a lot with a house. It needs a building permit and must meet the building code.

Which is easier to get approved?

A tiny home on wheels needs no building permit, so it is simpler, but the approval is time-limited. A fixed tiny home takes more paperwork once, then it can stay permanently.

Can I take the wheels off my tiny home?

Yes, but it then becomes a building and needs a building permit before it is fixed down. It must meet the building code, which many trailer-built homes need changes to pass.

Tiny Home on Wheels vs Fixed Tiny Home in WA: Which Approval?

Tiny home on wheels vs fixed tiny home

Short answer

On wheels, a tiny home is a caravan: no building permit, but you can only live in it for 5 nights with the landowner's OK, or up to 24 months at a time with council approval. On footings, it's a building: it needs a building permit and must meet the building code, but you can live in it permanently.

Last updated 31 October 2026

The legal difference in one line

In WA, a tiny home on wheels is a caravan, covered by the Caravan Parks and Camping Grounds rules. A tiny home on footings is a building: a single house on an empty lot, or an ancillary dwelling (granny flat) on a lot that already has a house. Everything else follows from that.

Side by side

	On wheels	Fixed (on footings)
What the law calls it	Caravan	Single house or ancillary dwelling
Approval to live in it	Up to 5 nights: landowner's OK. Longer: council approval, up to 24 months at a time	Building permit before it is placed; planning approval if it doesn't meet the standard rules
How long you can stay	Time-limited; re-apply when the approval ends	Permanently
Building code	Doesn't apply as a building, but it must be roadworthy	Must meet the building code, including energy efficiency and bushfire rules if the lot is bushfire-prone
Size limits	2.5 m wide and 4.3 m high to tow without a permit	Planning rules; 70 m² internal floor area to skip planning approval as a granny flat
Services	Council can require power, water, sewage and cooking facilities as conditions	Connected like any house by licensed trades
Can you move it?	Yes	Not easily

Choose wheels if

You need somewhere to live while building your main house. Councils such as the Shire of Mundaring allow this for up to 2 years.
Your plans are short-term or might change.
You want to take the home with you when you move.

Choose fixed if

You want to live there for good, without re-applying.
You want to rent it out long-term, or add lasting value to the property.
Your lot already has a house and the tiny home fits within the 70 m² granny flat rules.

Switching from wheels to fixed later

Many people start on wheels and plan to fix the home down later. Once it goes on footings it needs a building permit and must meet the building code like any new house. Homes built as trailers often need changes to pass, such as insulation, ceiling heights and the energy efficiency rating. If that's your plan, choose a builder who designs to the building code from the start.