Autonomous: sizes, specs and the local permit lines

Autonomous sells three backyard pods that ship flat-packed in 3 crates and sit on adjustable feet instead of a slab. All three are pre-wired: one outdoor cable from the house runs the outlets and lights, a 66 ft cable comes in the box, and the maker suggests a 20A dedicated circuit. The compare table on the maker's site lists every model as “No permits”. The FAQ on the same page is more careful: it says rules vary by city, county and HOA.

Specs as published

Model	Floor area	Price	Ceiling	Insulation	Power	Pre-wired
MetroPod	80 sq ft	$18,900	7.25 ft flat	5 layers	2 wall outlets, 1 ceiling light, 1 Ethernet port	yes: ships pre-wired; one outdoor cable from the house powers it (66 ft cable included); maker suggests a 20A dedicated circuit
WorkPod	102 sq ft	$20,900	6.8 ft to 9.3 ft (sloped)	6 layers	2 wall outlets + 1 floor outlet, 1 ceiling light, 1 ventilator, 2 Ethernet ports	yes: ships pre-wired; one outdoor cable from the house powers it (66 ft cable included); maker suggests a 20A dedicated circuit
StudioPod	105 sq ft	$22,900	7.25 ft flat	6 layers	5 wall outlets, 4 ceiling lights, 1 ventilator, 2 Ethernet ports	yes: ships pre-wired; one outdoor cable from the house powers it (66 ft cable included); maker suggests a 20A dedicated circuit

Model

Floor area

Price

Ceiling

Insulation

Power

Pre-wired

MetroPod

80 sq ft

$18,900

7.25 ft flat

5 layers

2 wall outlets, 1 ceiling light, 1 Ethernet port

yes: ships pre-wired; one outdoor cable from the house powers it (66 ft cable included); maker suggests a 20A dedicated circuit

WorkPod

102 sq ft

$20,900

6.8 ft to 9.3 ft (sloped)

6 layers

2 wall outlets + 1 floor outlet, 1 ceiling light, 1 ventilator, 2 Ethernet ports

yes: ships pre-wired; one outdoor cable from the house powers it (66 ft cable included); maker suggests a 20A dedicated circuit

StudioPod

105 sq ft

$22,900

7.25 ft flat

6 layers

5 wall outlets, 4 ceiling lights, 1 ventilator, 2 Ethernet ports

yes: ships pre-wired; one outdoor cable from the house powers it (66 ft cable included); maker suggests a 20A dedicated circuit

Comfort range and foundation

MetroPod: insulated for 65 to 90 F; no slab; 4 adjustable feet, slope up to 5 degrees; solar no.
WorkPod: insulated for 45 to 100 F; no slab; 6 adjustable feet, slope up to 5 degrees; solar option (3 x 430 W panels, 10.2 kWh battery).
StudioPod: insulated for 45 to 100 F; no slab; 6 adjustable feet, slope up to 5 degrees; solar option (4 x 460 W panels, 10.2 kWh battery).

What the size line does not settle

Each pod is under 120 sq ft by the maker's number, so all three clear the size line in every place here except Raleigh. The open questions are the ones the size line does not settle: the pods ship wired, and they are sold for desk work.

Each size against each local line

Floor area only. Wiring, use and height conditions are on each rule page.

Place	80 sq ft	102 sq ft	105 sq ft
Seattle	inside	inside	inside
Portland	inside	inside	inside
Washington County	inside	inside	inside
Denver	inside	inside	inside
Austin	inside	inside	inside
Phoenix	inside	inside	inside
Los Angeles	inside	inside	inside
San Jose	inside	inside	inside
San Francisco	inside	inside	inside
Oakland	inside	inside	inside
San Mateo (city)	inside	inside	inside
San Mateo County (unincorporated)	inside	inside	inside
Citrus Heights	inside	inside	inside
Sacramento County (unincorporated)	inside	inside	inside
Raleigh	permit at any size	permit at any size	permit at any size

Place

80 sq ft

102 sq ft

105 sq ft

inside

inside

inside

inside