Representative Tony Exum Is A New Sponsor Of The Bill
Janet Thome, the President of Tiny House Alliance USA, and a group of stakeholders had two calls with Representative Cathy Kipp recently discussing the potential Colorado Tiny House Bill. The draft has already been edited after the results of our calls, and I will share it below. Representative Tony Exum is a new sponsor of the bill.
New ASTM Tiny House Committee
What is very exciting is that we are close to knowing about the results of our potential tiny house committee with ASTM International. Janet Thome has been leading the initiative to develop global standards for tiny houses. We have spent a little over a year in negotiation, and our proposal has gone to the governing board of ASTM that grants new committees. ASTM has 140 technical committees that write voluntary consensus standards in many different industries including cannabis, commercial space flight, 3D printing, nanotechnology, the performance of buildings, every type of construction materials, and more.
Potential That Colorado Could Adopt
The Standards We Develop With ASTM
The timing of the Colorado bill that is coinciding with our potential ASTM Tiny House Committee, as stated below.
Rules promulgated by the board must include provisions imposing requirements reasonably consistent with recognized and accepted standards adopted by THE ASTM INTERNATIONAL, the International Code Council, the National Fire Protection Association, and the Colorado state plumbing and electrical codes, or a combination thereof OF THESE STANDARDS AND CODES, except to the extent that the board finds that the standards and codes are inconsistent with this part.
ASTM International is the largest ANSI Accredited Standards Developer in the world. They provide a platform for industries to come together to write standards to create uniformity, and conformity without borders. All stakeholders are welcome! We must follow the ANSI Essential Requirements For Due Process. We are hoping to find out about our new committee by Feb. 18th, 2022. If you woul like to be added to the stakeholder’s list, please email janet@tinyhouseallianceusa.org.
Draft Colorado Tiny House Bill
CONCERNING THE REGULATION OF STRUCTURES THAT ARE MANUFACTURED AT A LOCATION THAT IS NOT AT THE SITE WHERE THE STRUCTURE IS OCCUPIED.
Current law regulates the manufacturers, sellers, and installers of manufactured homes. This regulation includes requirements for the installation of manufactured homes, contract and disclosure requirements, and the registration, escrow, reimbursement, bonding, and inspections of the manufacturers, installers, and sellers. In addition, the state housing
Advisory Committee Of 22 Members
The board must consult with and obtain the advice of an advisory committee on residential and nonresidential FACTORY-BUILT structures AND TINY HOMES in the drafting and promulgation of rules.
The committee consists of twelve FOURTEEN members appointed by the division from the following professional and technical disciplines:
26 (I) One from architecture;
27 (II) One from structural engineering;
-10- DRAFT
1 (III) Three from building code enforcement;
2 (IV) One from mechanical engineering or contracting; 3 (V) One from electrical engineering or contracting; 4 (VI) One from the plumbing industry;
5 (VII) One from the construction design or producer industry; 6 (VIII) Two from manufactured housing;
7 (IX) TWO FROM THE TINY HOME INDUSTRY; and 8 (X) One from organized labor.
Local Government May Require An Inspection Of A Tiny Home Manufactured Before July 1st, 2023
A local government may require the inspection of a tiny home manufactured before July 1, 2023, if the tiny home is not manufactured in accordance with the board’s standards;
A state electrical inspector or a local government may approve the connection of a tiny home for electric utility service if the tiny home is in compliance with applicable codes and standards for connection for electric utility service; and
A state plumbing inspector or a local government may approve the connection of a tiny home for water, gas, or sewer utility service if the tiny home is in compliance with applicable codes and standards for connection for water, gas, or sewer utility service.
This Bill Will Affect Out Of State Builders Shipping Into Colorado
If you are a consumer choosing a Colorado or an out-of-state builder or you are an out-of-state builder that will be shipping into Colorado, you need to watch this bill carefully, because there will be strict rules, and huge fines if you are not in compliance.
Selling or installing a tiny home without complying with the bill is declared a deceptive trade practice, which subjects a violator to damages in a lawsuit, a class 1 misdemeanor, and civil penalties of:! Up to $20,000 per violation;
Up to $10,000 for violating a court order or injunction; and! Up to $50,000 per violation if the victim is an elderly person.
xx-0415_01 (3)(1)Related Information
Related: Ethan Waldman Interviews Janet Thome On Podcast
Ethan Waldman interviewed Janet Thome on the Tiny House Lifestyle Podcast that is airing on Sept. 24th, 2021 at 7 am EST time. Janet Thome is the founder and President of Tiny House Alliance USA and is also leading an exploratory initiative to develop Global Standards for tiny houses.
Quote From Ethan
Janet and I have been talking for a while and we’ve decided that it’s finally time to pull back the curtain on the efforts that she has been working on for the last several months and do an interview on the Tiny House Lifestyle Podcast. Janet is the Founder, President, and Treasurer of Tiny House Alliance USA and is currently leading an exploratory initiative to develop new global building standards with ASTM. Before your eyes glaze over, I encourage you to stick with this show because Janet does a great job of explaining what ASTM International is, what standards are, how they would impact the tiny house building industry, dwellers, DIYers, not just in the United States or North America, but in the entire world. It’s a really exciting effort. I think there’s a lot of potential here and we need more people to get involved.
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