Jay Austin wants to live in the tiny house he built in Washington, DC. It's all he ever wanted in a house, sustainable, uses very little energy, he can hook it up to a solar panel system and catch his own rainwater.
But he is not allowed to live there full time because of the zoning ordinances of the city. It could cost him more than the house cost to build to get the legal permission to declare this his full time residence.
Reason TV explores here the issue of zoning laws and how they prohibit contemporary common sense solutions like tiny houses and container homes.
Because he is not allowed to live in his tiny house full time, Jay's tiny house is a full time showpiece to present to the public
This video also explores what happens in a city like Houston, TX where there have never been zoning laws.