As interest in tiny houses and cargo container residences builds nationally, a 180-day moratorium has been issued on permitting the structures in unincorporated Walker County.

Walker County Sole Commissioner Shannon Whitfield, during his Aug. 13 meeting, issued the moratorium to allow the county’s planning and zoning committee to review the subject and to make ordinance recommendations and to allow public comment. Whitfield outlined a series of reasons prompting the temporary permitting ban to protect public health, safety and welfare.

According to the permitting moratorium for cargo container homes and tiny houses, “Walker County deems it necessary and desirable to continue to study the health and safety of cargo container homes (metal structures typically used for transporting cargo) and tiny houses (structures having less than 500 square feet), as well as to study the impact that such structures would have on existing communities within the County.”

The county’s ordinances, which have been in place since the 1970s with some amendments in the 1980s, do not cover houses with less than 500 square feet or cargo container-to-housing conversions, he explained.

Manufactured mobile homes are built in a controlled environment, are inspected, have serial numbers and must follow federal guidelines and standards, Whitfield explained.

Traditional houses are built on site with local codes inspections for structural integrity, plumbing and electricity during the construction process. Tiny houses can be built offsite and transported to the community without knowledge of the construction standards and inspections, he explained.

The suitability of shipping containers in the humid, southern climate is an area of concern because he has heard reports that they are prone to developing mold and mildew; however, cargo container residences have done well in dry climates, he said.

The county issued a moratorium two years ago to allow planning and zoning to look into the subject, but no recommendations were made. This time the commissioner is requesting recommendations that will offer guidance to those interested in this type of housing, Whitfield said.

Whitfield clarified that the new moratorium also applies to shipping containers to be used as storage in residential zones; however, residents may still place prebuilt wooden storage sheds, which one audience member called “Amish-built” sheds, on residential properties with the required permit.

Whitfield concurred that some questions posed by the audience need to be addressed during the moratorium period: recommending appropriate zoning for tiny and cargo container housing, recommending whether these types of housing units can be located in clusters like mobile home parks, writing separate ordinances to differentiate between tiny houses and cargo container houses as two different types of structures and adopting appropriate health and safety precautions because shipping containers have traveled all over the globe before their delivery for use as a residence.

The moratorium is scheduled to expire in February 2021 after the new Walker County Board of Commissioners has taken office.

City governments determine zoning ordinances within their limits.

Catherine Edgemon is assistant editor for the Walker County Messenger in LaFayette, Ga., and the Catoosa County News in Ringgold, Ga.

Please log in, or sign up for a new account and purchase a subscription to read or post comments.

We have used your information to see if you have a subscription with us, but did not find one. Please use the button below to verify an existing account or to purchase a new subscription.

Your current subscription does not provide access to this content. Please use the button below to manage your account.

Please disable your ad blocker, whitelist our site, or purchase a subscription

Would you like to receive our daily news in your inbox?  Signup today!

Your account has been registered, and you are now logged in.

Check your email for details.

Invalid password or account does not exist

Submitting this form below will send a message to your email with a link to change your password.

An email message containing instructions on how to reset your password has been sent to the e-mail address listed on your account.

Your purchase was successful, and you are now logged in.

A receipt was sent to your email.