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Board sends amended personal-campground definition back to administrators for revision after discussion
Summary
The Board of Supervisors sent a draft definition of “personal campground” back to staff and county legal counsel for revision and re-advertising after discussion about temporary occupancy, health department permits and spacing/safety requirements.
The Board of Supervisors reviewed a proposed zoning text amendment to adopt a definition for “personal campground.” The proposed change would allow by-right recreational camping on private property while establishing limits to prevent tents or recreational vehicles (RVs) from being used as permanent residences.
Planning staff said the amendment followed several workshops and that the intent is to distinguish personal, noncommercial camping from commercial campgrounds. During discussion supervisors and staff clarified that building codes and existing regulations already limit permanent residency in RVs or tents; staff said short temporary occupancy may be allowed (for example, a 30-day allowance was referenced) but that permanent residence in an RV or tent would be precluded by building-code and zoning rules. The Health Department’s rules were also discussed: staff advised that a health permit could apply when three or more sites are present, a requirement arising from state or county health codes rather than zoning alone.
Board members and staff debated whether specific numerical limits and safety-related spacing requirements in the draft should remain. After discussion the Board moved to send the amended definition back to the zoning administrator and the county’s legal team with direction to revise the text and bring it back; the Board also agreed re-advertising would be required. The motion to return the draft for revision passed.
Staff and several supervisors emphasized the amendment’s purpose is to provide clarity so county administrators can determine whether a private property camping situation is permitted by right or should trigger commercial-campground or public-health requirements. Supervisors who spoke said they were open to stripping some technical requirements from the draft to make the definition less burdensome for personal recreational use, but they requested legal review and that the amendment be re-advertised before final action.
