Support Oregon's Tiny House Bill
SquareOne Villages has been a leading advocate for getting HB 2737 on the table, and we now need your support to get it passed. Below we'll provide some background on what HB2737 does and how you can help build support for making way for tiny houses in Oregon.
What the measure does: Requires the Director of the Department of Consumer and Business Services to adopt amendments to specialty codes to establish standards for building homes that are 400 square feet or fewer. Provides specific codes to be adopted in time for amendments to become effective January 1, 2018. Directs the Department to report to interim legislative committees by September 15, 2022, regarding the use of these specialty code amendments in home building. Sunsets January 2, 2024.
Background: The demand for "micro-houses" is driven by a number of factors, including the cost of building materials, efforts to reduce the use of energy and natural resources, housing density goals, and homelessness. Micro-houses have difficulty in meeting the existing residential building code, which was developed for traditional houses. The International Code Council (ICC) has approved new micro-house standards for inclusion in the 2018 ICC code update as an appendix. The Building Codes Division of the Department of Consumer and Business Services (DCBS) typically has a lag of one to three years before adjusting its codes to reflect ICC changes, and ICC changes are necessarily adopted into the Oregon codes. House Bill 2737-A directs the DCBS Building Codes Division to amend its specialty codes to establish construction standards for houses with a square footage not exceeding 400 square feet. The measure specifies standards for ceiling height, lofts, ladders and egress.
UPDATE:
On May 2, HB 2737 passed the House by a 43 - 16 count vote! Watch the floor debate below, which includes arguments for and against tiny houses.
"This is not about putting people into substandard housing, this is about giving people options" said Rep. Janelle Bynum.
The Oregon Building Codes Division is opposing the legislation on grounds of fire safety concerns, yet have produced no tangible evidence to support their assumption that small houses are inherently less safe.
The final step now is to get it passed in the Senate, and we need your support to overcome opposition from the building industry.
Lee Beyer, the State Senator for Central Lane & Linn Counties, is chairing a committee that will vote on crucial Tiny House legislation May 22. If you live in Lane County, please contact him and ask him to vote YES in favor of HB 2737.
Senator Lee Beyer
Democrat - District 6 - Springfield 503-986-1706 Sen.LeeBeyer@state.or.us
Other members of the Senate Committee on Business and Transportation include:
Senator Chuck Thomsen Republican - District 26 - Hood River 503-986-1726 Email: Sen.ChuckThomsen@state.or.us
Senator Fred Girod
Republican - District 9 - Stayton 503-986-1709 Email: Sen.FredGirod@state.or.us
Senator Rod Monroe Democrat - District 24 - Portland 503-986-1724 Email: Sen.RodMonroe@state.or.us
Senator Chuck Riley Democrat - District 15 - Hillsboro 503-986-1715 Email: sen.chuckriley@state.or.us
Help us build support by contacting the members of this committee, and urging them to "Make way for Tiny Houses; Vote YES on HB2737!"
Find your legislator here:
For more information and to follow the progress visit:
Register Guard Editorial: "Make way for tiny housesState building codes should accommodate them"
