West Sacramento ordinance makes "tiny homes on wheels" legal dwellings after years of homeowner advocacy
WEST SACRAMENTO -- The West Sacramento City Council unanimously approved the first reading of a new ordinance that would change city zoning code to allow tiny homes on wheels to be considered legal dwellings.
Mayor Martha Guerrero says the council will hear the ordinance again on second reading at their next council meeting on April 30, where it is expected to officially pass.
Guerrero credits the passionate advocacy by one tiny homeowner and a group of supporters who pushed for the city code change, calling this a "huge win for housing choice, community, and the future of West Sac."
"The main idea of the tiny home movement is, yes, living minimally and the affordability factor. But it is about freedom — freedom to live within your means, freedom of choice for the people," said Robyn Davis, a tiny home on wheels owner and advocate.
Davis has been working for nearly five years to make her tiny home on wheels a legal dwelling on the West Sacramento property she bought specifically for the purpose of parking her home there and living peacefully with her dog.
"I started this in October 2020, so... it's like another full-time job at times," Davis said. "I was very naïve. I started out with no knowledge of politics. Really, that is what it comes down to, of code, building, permits. I didn't have any idea of that process."
Davis became an expert on city code, zoning ordinance and how other cities in California were making tiny homes on wheels legal dwellings, with the help of California tiny home advocate Andrea Montano.
Inside Davis' tiny home on wheels, she has a full working kitchen, a bedroom space and a bathroom complete with a shower and compost toilet.
In West Sacramento, tiny homes with a foundation are already approved as legal dwellings when permitted properly. But tiny homes on wheels technically are in violation of the residential zoning ordinance.
Davis says amid a statewide housing crisis, tiny homes on wheels are the more affordable option and give people the freedom to pick up and move when needed.
In November 2022, Davis got a notice to abate in the mail, alerting her that her home was in violation of city code.
"That was the push I needed," Davis said. "This is when things escalated."
Davis says from that point on, she attended every single West Sacramento City Council meeting over two and a half years, speaking in public comment to advocate for a change. She also scheduled countless in-person meetings with city leaders to try and find a fix.
"It just snowballed from there into advocacy, into asking 'Why? How did we get to this point?' " Davis said. "You won't allow someone to live in their safe, quality home on their own property? We have a bigger problem. We have excluded the average person from the building process, [which] is the biggest thing I learned from this."
Davis and Montano started a Facebook group for West Sacramento residents interested in their tiny home journey and have continued to advocate for change.
On Wednesday, April 9, at the West Sacramento City Council meeting, it was a big win for the tiny home advocates.
After a public hearing, the city council unanimously approved the ordinance updating existing city code to now include tiny homes on wheels as legal dwellings and outlining draft proposals of what the application process would look like and the requirements for the homes.
Some of the requirements outlined in the new ordinance are that the tiny homes must be connected to public utilities, the maximum square footage is 399 square feet and they have to include a bathroom, kitchen, and sleeping area. RVs, or recreational vehicles that can hitch onto a truck, are not acceptable dwellings under the ordinance.
"I dreamed that one day this day would come," said Andrea Montano at the podium during public comment.
The council's decision was met with applause and cheers in the audience from the tiny home crowd gathered at last week's meeting.
Davis says when the final approval comes, it will be nearly five years of hard work that has paid off.
"And now it's kind of like a level of peace," she said.
West Sacramento is paving the way for other cities in the region to now permit tiny homes on wheels as legal dwellings -- giving a change in city code the green light to move forward.
