RV and tiny home community
Shilo RV and Tiny Home Village
Bertram (north of San Antonio)
Friendly
Tiny Homes in San Antonio, Texas
Tiny homes in San Antonio, Texas — zoning rules, THOW parking, builder costs, and what you need to know before buying.
Last researched April 2026
$70,000 – $140,000
Builder cost range
6
Builders serving area
1,434,625
Population
Friendly
Tiny-home friendliness
Why San Antonio
San Antonio is one of the most affordable big cities in the US, with a strong Mexican-American cultural identity, a walkable River Walk core, and a climate that is hot and humid from May through September but mild the rest of the year. The metro is car-dependent and sprawling, but land is cheap and permissive rural placements sit within a short drive of the urban core in the Hill Country to the north. A growing tiny home community footprint, especially along the Austin-San Antonio corridor, makes this one of the easier metros to land softly into a small home lifestyle.
Zoning & Placement
San Antonio regulates land use through its Unified Development Code (UDC), administered by the Development Services Department. Accessory dwelling units (locally called casitas) are permitted on most single-family lots subject to UDC rules on size, setbacks, and owner occupancy. The city is actively overhauling the UDC to expand ADU rights as part of its housing affordability strategy, with updates expected to be finalized in late 2025. State-level SB 15 (effective September 1, 2025) applies to San Antonio because it exceeds 150,000 residents in Bexar County, reducing minimum lot sizes in new subdivisions of 5+ acres to no more than 3,000 sq ft.
SB 673 (2025) preserves the right to build ADUs on single-family lots statewide. Foundation-built tiny homes that meet IRC standards and UDC requirements are permitted as single-family dwellings or ADUs. THOWs are classified as recreational vehicles and cannot serve as a full-time residence on a standard residential lot inside city limits; they must be placed in licensed RV parks or on rural unincorporated land in surrounding Bexar, Medina, or Atascosa counties.
Verify current requirements with your local planning department before purchasing land or beginning construction.
Verify current requirements with your local planning department.
What to verify locally
- • Confirm whether your tiny home will be treated as an ADU, a site-built dwelling, or a recreational vehicle.
- • Ask about utility hookup requirements, especially sewer, electrical service, and emergency-access setbacks.
- • Check whether long-term occupancy is allowed on the lot type you are considering.
- • Verify minimum square footage requirements for your zone classification.
ADU & Backyard Tiny Homes
San Antonio permits accessory dwelling units (casitas) on most single-family lots under the Unified Development Code. The typical casita must be a subordinate structure to the primary home, meet IRC building code and UDC setbacks, and connect to city utilities. The city has been actively liberalizing ADU rules through ongoing UDC updates expected to land in late 2025, which broadly expand where and how casitas can be built. SB 673 (2025) also preserves ADU rights statewide. Confirm current size caps, owner-occupancy requirements, and setbacks with Development Services before designing.
Where to Park
Communities, RV parks, and parking options in and near San Antonio.
San Antonio treats a tiny home on wheels as an RV, so full-time living in a THOW is not permitted on a standard residential lot inside the city. Legal options are RV parks that accept long-term residents, private rural land in the surrounding counties, or dedicated tiny home communities. Expect $350-$650 per month for a full-hookup site in the Hill Country corridor between San Antonio and Austin as of April 2026, with the lower end of the range in Medina and Atascosa counties. THOWs must be titled and registered with the Texas DMV as a travel trailer, park model, or house trailer. ANSI A119.5 certified THOWs are exempt from Texas personal property tax. Self-built THOWs can be registered as custom trailers with a VIN inspection, a certified weight slip, and assembly documentation.
Builders Serving Texas
Austin Tiny Homes
Austin, Texas
Austin-based stick-built ADU and tiny home builder serving Austin and the central Texas metro area. Founded in 2019 by Bo Bezdek. Specializes in permanently-sited accessory dwelling units on concrete foundations, with studio through three-bedroom floor plans starting around $90,000 as of May 2026.
ADU Foundation builds
Service areas: Texas, Austin
Deer Valley Homebuilders
Guin, Alabama
Guin, Alabama manufacturer of energy-efficient manufactured and modular homes, founded in 2004. Operates a 200,000-square-foot facility and has produced 15,000+ homes across 18 states. Offers a "Cozy Cabins" tiny-home line within its Signature series, built to HUD code or state modular standards. Member of the Alabama Manufactured Housing Association. Active as of May 2026.
Prefab / modular Manufactured homes Foundation builds Tiny homes
Service areas: Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, New Mexico, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, West Virginia
HTX Tiny Homes
Houston, Texas
Houston-based turnkey tiny home and ADU builder serving Greater Houston and Southeast Texas. Owners Phil (professional engineer) and Chad (seasoned executive) have permitted over 100 tiny homes and ADUs in Houston, with 17+ years of architectural experience in the Houston market as of May 2026.
ADU Foundation builds
Service areas: Texas, Houston, Southeast Texas
Lifespark Homes
Clyde, Texas
West Texas tiny home and shell builder headquartered in Clyde, TX (near Abilene). Builds custom tiny homes on steel trailer frames and sells partially or fully unfinished shells. Nationwide delivery available (excluding Hawaii and Alaska) as of May 2026. Rated 4.7 stars across 24 reviews.
Custom builds THOW
Service areas: Texas
Lone Star Tiny Homes
Austin, Texas
Texas tiny home builder profile pending verification. Use this page as a starting point, but confirm the builder’s official website, certifications, service area, and current lead times before paying a deposit.
THOW Foundation builds
Service areas: Texas, Oklahoma, New Mexico
Pratt Homes
Tyler, Texas
Tyler, Texas-based Pratt Homes serves Texas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, and Arkansas with modular homes, prefab homes, cottages, manufactured homes, and tiny houses. Its tiny-house catalog includes 399-square-foot park model designs such as Sweet Escape, and the company describes options for Oklahoma buyers in Tulsa, Oklahoma City, and Norman.
Prefab / modular Park models Custom builds Tiny homes
Service areas: Louisiana, Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas
Costs
A comparison between tiny-home living and conventional homeownership in San Antonio.
Tiny home path
Builder cost range $70,000 – $140,000
Estimated monthly total 800
Traditional home path
Median home price 300000
Estimated monthly total 2200
Potential monthly savings
1400
Source: Redfin March 2026
Resources
Verified links for planning, permitting, and community connections in San Antonio.
Common Questions
Guides for Texas Buyers
Guides, zoning explainers, and financing articles related to this state.
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