Zoning challenges are part and parcel of owning a tiny house, but a family of four is facing an unusually immediate one in Ripon, Wisconsin. Scarcely a month after the Smiths moved in to the 400-square-foot THOW they call the Mustard Seed (father Adam is a music pastor), the Town of Ripon has issued what amounts to an eviction notice requiring them to leave by August 1st. The Mustard Seed is currently parked on a friend’s property, and the town’s attorney says the land isn’t zoned for a second residence. And so the lawyer sent a notice to the owner threatening a daily fine if the Mustard Seed isn’t gone by the end of the month. Even though the tiny house can’t be seen from the road, and even though the property comprises 20 acres, which in many places would be considered enough room for a couple dozen standard-sized houses… If you think that’s a tiny bit unreasonable, you can help the Smiths out by signing their online petition. They’d really like to stay where they are – aside from the fact that they don’t have anywhere else to go, they’ve come to love tiny living in the short time they’ve been there, and as you can see from the photos below, the Mustard Seed does quite well as a family home.
h/t WGBA-TV (NBC 26)