ATHA was founded in 2018 and is a non-profit association advocating for legalisation of tiny houses all over Australia.

Purpose of ATHA

• to gather and provide information regarding the building of and dwelling in tiny houses in Australia
• to promote a healthy social and community environment conducive to tiny house building and dwelling
• to educate and collaborate with members promoting tiny house quality and safety
• to network with related government agencies, educational institutions, development organisations, and private industry to address these stated purposes
• to advocate for and work towards the legitimisation of tiny houses across all levels of government, and
• to fund raise to support the above activities.

The Australian Tiny House Association recognises tiny houses take many shapes and sizes and are either fixed or moveable. ATHA since inception has focussed on moveable Tiny House on Wheels (THOW) and Skids (THOS), and advocating for legalising the living in Tiny Houses in Australia.  

The Australian Tiny House Association (ATHA) defines that a Tiny House is a moveable dwelling suitable for permanent residential use, with self contained amenities and services and the option to be grid connected.

A Tiny House can be:

• A Moveable Tiny House is a transportable structure with the ability to be moved.
• A Tiny House on Wheels (THOW) is constructed on a trailer designed to road legal dimensions, which can be moved.

Endorsed by ATHA Committee and State Leads 14/2/2021

Early planning adopters and tiny house advocates are encouraged to approach their local governments to start a conversation about how they could introduce Tiny Houses within their local government area.

In the absence of a State or National planning and building framework, and dependent upon the planning framework in place in your State, your local council would need to formally adopt an approval process for Tiny Houses as a local planning policy. The Australian Tiny House Association has assembled a policy template as a guide for government agencies and tiny house advocates to develop a framework and a consistent approach to how tiny houses could be assessed under a planning system.

Yes. The intention of the Australian Tiny House Association Planning policy template is to help guide the development of a local planning policy by local governments. Each local government will have a unique perspective on where and how Tiny Houses should be regulated, so sections of the policy can be modified, rephrased, expanded or even deleted to suit the local conditions.

Based on international experience the policy template covers three main sections which could reasonably be considered by a local government:

1. Single tiny house
2. Tiny house community development
3. Tiny houses for short term tourism accommodation

To gain community support, a tiny house is expected to have the same setback and privacy considerations as a regular house and should be considered under the land use planning framework as the primary dwelling on a vacant lot or, where a house already exists, as a granny flat or ancillary dwelling.

There are also some guidelines evolving internationally around tiny house communities including ratio of tiny houses to land area, essential facilities and how it would be managed long-term. The policy template also lists additional factors to consider with an application for a proposed tiny house tourism accommodation.

A tiny house needs to be supplied with a potable water source. This means the resident should be able to access a regular source of water which is of drinking quality. This water could be from reticulated mains water, water tank, dam, bore or other water supply just like a standard house.

A tiny house should have access to a source of electricity for modern conveniences. Fire authorities recommend battery powered radios be used to receive emergency information as power is often cut during a bushfire. The source of electricity could be from a mains power supply, solar power, wind power or any other source of electricity which can be safely used in a domestic environment.

Parking is usually a controversial and highly political topic within local governments, particularly because our cities are designed with a heavy reliance on motor vehicles and traffic congestion is aggravated by increased housing density near our commercial areas. A minimum of one parking bay per tiny house is suggested and the final requirement would be at the discretion of the local government. A parking exemption may be considered for tiny houses located within walking distance of public transport.

Generally, most built structures will require planning approval prior to the issue of a building permit approval. Building permits are issued under different State-based legislation, whereas the National Building Construction Codes (primarily the BCA) applies in every State and Territory. However, the NCC and the BCA relate to buildings permanently affixed to the site, so there is currently no clear legislation in place to approve a tiny house under the NCC. In the absence of clear construction standards for tiny houses, owners have defaulted to the Vehicle Standards Bulletin 1 which was developed by the Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Cities and Regional Development and primarily applies to caravans.

As with all new and evolving housing solutions, the various approval agencies are unable to provide clear direction on whether the construction regulations and policies relating to building construction standards in Bushfire Prone Areas apply to tiny houses. If the property where the tiny home is to be sited is within a Bushfire Prone Area you will need to engage a bushfire consultant to undertake a Bushfire Attack Level (BAL) Assessment and build your tiny house to standards under AS3959 to survive the assessed bushfire attack level.

However, tiny houses are often built without knowing where they are going to be sited or what the BAL risk rating is. Therefore, tiny house owners are encouraged to build to the BAL-29 rating. Some States do not allow new buildings in areas identified with a hazard rating of BAL-40 or BAL-FZ and achieving these construction standards under AS3959 can be cost prohibitive and flammable timber products cannot be used.

Alternatively, you can build your tiny house to a lower BAL rating and site it in a lower-risk or urban area which is not bushfire prone. A local government cannot approve a building (including a tiny house) in a bushfire prone area that is not built to an appropriate standard.

Tiny houses are currently not a legal dwelling in Australia and owners seeking approval from the local government are immediately confronted by regulatory and legislative barriers. Early adopters to tiny house living are building them and live in them without gaining approval. The Australian Tiny House Association is advocating for legislative changes which will provide certainty and security to tiny house owners who wish to permanently live in a tiny house. Legislative and policy changes are required to avoid the risk of tiny house owners being moved on due to compliance issues and they are encouraged to advocate for processes that will allow them to seek legal approvals from the local government. To approve a habitable building a local government must be convinced that it will be built to a safe standard and that there is a consistent approach to tiny house approvals.

You can use either a credit card or your PayPal account to pay for your ATHA membership.

Your membership fees assist ATHA to cover administration costs of the Association and the pursue the process of legitimising Tiny Houses. Note ATHA is run purely by volunteers.

You gain access to Members Only resources and content to help you in your tiny house journey including:

• Tiny House FAQ sheet
• Tiny Home Misconceptions,
• THOW Regulation Fact Sheet
• Planning Policy template
• Tiny House Construction Guide.

Receive exclusive Members Only offers such as discounts from Tiny House associated businesses.

Plus get support from local state leads all around Australia. 

Your membership will be automatically renewed annually. If you wish to manually renew then please UNTICK the automatic renewal when you sign up. 

Login to your account here then click on the ‘My Membership’ button, scroll down to My Account and click on Change Password. 

Login to your account here then click on the ‘My Membership’ button, under your Membership Level click on ‘Change’ then select the option of membership.  

ATHA is a not-for-profit association meaning we do not pay GST, so GST is not included in membership fees.