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Appendix AQ — TINY HOUSES

Section AS102

California Residential Code (Title 24, Part 2.5) · 2022 edition · updated 2026-09-12 · California

Italicized text is a California amendment to the model code, as printed in the official publication.

AS102.1 Definitions.

The following words and terms shall, for the purposes of this appendix, have the meanings shown

herein. Refer to Chapter 2 of the California Residential Code for general definitions.

BALE. Equivalent to straw bale.

BRACED WALL PANEL, STRAWBALE. A strawbale wall designed and constructed to resist in-plane shear loads through the interaction of the stacked straw bales, the reinforced plaster and its connections to the top plate, sill plates and foundation. The panel’s length meets the requirements for the particular wall type and contributes toward the total amount of bracing required along its braced wall line in accordance with Sections AS106.13 and R602.10.1.

CLAY. Inorganic soil with particle sizes less than 0.00008 inch (0.002 mm) having the characteristics of high to very high dry strength and medium to high plasticity, used as the binder of other component materials in clay plaster and strawclay.

CLAY SLIP. A suspension of clay or clay subsoil particles in water.

Copyright © 2022 by, or licensed to, International Code Council, Inc. (ALL RIGHTS RESERVED); licensed to California Building Standards Commission pursuant to License Agreement. No further reproductions is authorized. Any unauthorized reproduction or distribution is a violation of the federal copyright act and the license agreement, and subject to civil and criminal penalties thereunder.

APPENDIX AS—STRAWBALE CONSTRUCTION

CLAY SUBSOIL. Subsoil sourced directly from the earth, containing clay, sand, silt and not more than trace amounts of organic matter.

FINISH. Completed combination of materials on the interior or exterior faces of stacked bales.

FLAKE. An intact section of compressed straw removed from an untied bale.

LAID FLAT. The orientation of a bale with its largest faces horizontal, its longest dimension parallel with the wall plane, its ties concealed in the unfinished wall and its straw lengths oriented predominantly across the thickness of the wall. See Figure AS102.1.

LOAD-BEARING WALL. A strawbale wall that supports more than 100 pounds per linear foot (1459 N/m) of vertical load in addition its own weight.

MESH. An openwork fabric of linked strands of metal, plastic, or natural or synthetic fiber.

NONSTRUCTURAL WALL. Walls other than load-bearing walls or shear walls.

ON-EDGE. The orientation of a bale with its largest faces vertical, its longest dimension parallel with the wall plane, its ties on the face of the wall and its straw lengths oriented predominantly vertically. See Figure AS102.1.

ON-END. The orientation of a bale with its longest dimension vertical. For use in nonstructural strawbale walls only. See Figure AS102.1.

PIN. A vertical metal rod, wood dowel or bamboo, driven into the center of stacked bales, or placed on opposite surfaces of stacked bales and through-tied.

PLASTER. Clay, soil-cement, gypsum, lime, clay-lime, limecement or cement plaster, as described in Section AS104.

PRECOMPRESSION. Permanent vertical compression of stacked bales before the application of finish.

REINFORCED PLASTER. A plaster containing mesh reinforcement.

ROOF-BEARING ASSEMBLY. In load-bearing strawbale walls, a structural assembly at the top of the wall that bears and distributes roof loads to the wall.

APPENDIX AS-2 2022 CALIFORNIA RESIDENTIAL CODE

Copyright © 2022 by, or licensed to, International Code Council, Inc. (ALL RIGHTS RESERVED); licensed to California Building Standards Commission pursuant to License Agreement. No further reproductions is authorized. Any unauthorized reproduction or distribution is a violation of the federal copyright act and the license agreement, and subject to civil and criminal penalties thereunder.

RUNNING BOND. The placement of straw bales such that the head joints in successive courses are offset not less than one-quarter the bale length.

SHEAR WALL. A strawbale wall designed and constructed to resist in-plane lateral seismic and wind forces in accordance with Section AS106.13. This term is synonymous with “Braced wall panel.”

SKIN. The compilation of plaster and reinforcing, if any, applied to the surface of stacked bales.

STACK BOND. The placement of straw bales such that head joints in successive courses are vertically aligned.

STRAW. The dry stems of cereal grains after the seed heads have been removed.

STRAW BALE. A rectangular compressed block of straw, bound by ties.

STRAWBALE. The adjective form of straw bale.

STRAW-CLAY. Loose straw mixed and coated with clay slip.

STRUCTURAL WALL. A wall that meets the definition for a load-bearing wall or shear wall.

TIE. A synthetic fiber, natural fiber or metal wire used to confine a straw bale.

TRUTH WINDOW. An area of a strawbale wall left without its finish, to allow view of the straw otherwise concealed by its finish.

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▸Contents — California Residential Code (Title 24, Part 2.5)
California Residential Code (Title 24, Part 2.5)
  1. Chapter 2 — DEFINITIONS AND ABBREVIATIONS
  2. Appendix AF — RADON CONTROL
  3. Appendix AI — PRIVATE SEWAGE
  4. Appendix AJ — EXISTING
  5. Appendix AK — SOUND
  6. Appendix AO — AUTOMATIC
  7. Appendix AR — LIGHT STRAW-CLAY
  8. Appendix AS — STRAWBALE
  9. Appendix AU — COB CONSTRUCTION
  10. Appendix AV — BOARD
  11. Appendix AW — 3D-PRINTED BUILDING
  12. Chapter 1 — SCOPE AND APPLICATION
  13. Chapter 3 — BUILDING PLANNING
  14. Chapter 4 — FOUNDATIONS
  15. Chapter 5 — FLOORS
  16. Chapter 6 — WALL CONSTRUCTION
  17. Chapter 7 — WALL COVERING
  18. Chapter 8 — ROOF-CEILING CONSTRUCTION
  19. Chapter 9 — ROOF ASSEMBLIES
  20. Chapter 10 — CHIMNEYS AND FIREPLACES
  21. Chapter 44 — REFERENCED STANDARDS
  22. Appendix AH — PATIO COVERS
  23. Appendix AL — PERMIT FEES
  24. ▸Appendix AQ — TINY HOUSES
    Overview
    1. Section AQ101
    2. Section AQ102
    3. Section AQ103
    4. Section AQ104
    5. Section AQ105
    6. Section AQ106
    7. Section AR101
    8. Section AR102
    9. Section AR103
    10. Section AR104
    11. Section AR105
    12. Section AS101
    13. Section AS102
    14. Section AS103
    15. Section AS104
    16. Section AS105
    17. Section AS106
    18. Section AS107
    19. Section AS108
    20. Section AS109
  25. Appendix AT — SOLAR-READY PROVISIONS—DETACHED ONE- AND
  26. Appendix AX — SWIMMING POOL SAFETY ACT
  27. Appendix AY — AREAS PROTECTED BY THE FACILITIES
  28. Appendix AZ — EMERGENCY HOUSING

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