Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Zoning Text Amendment topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Madison County adopts personal-campground definition to clarify RV and tent use
Summary
The county amended zoning text to add a definition for "personal campground" intended to allow temporary recreational use of private property while preventing RVs and tents from being used as permanent residences; the zoning department will investigate complaints about permanent RV residency.
Madison County officials adopted a definition for “personal campground” to clarify how recreational vehicles and tents may be used on private property and to limit their use as permanent residences.
Planning staff presented the zoning-text amendment (case 2024-ZOA-12-18-02) and said the definition will appear in the ordinance’s definitions section and be treated as a by-right use in the designated districts. "The personal campground shall be a by right use in C-1 and R-1," staff said during the planning commission discussion; staff also explained that the text will be viewable in the definition section until a later ordinance overhaul moves definitions into the physical lists of by-right uses.
Commissioners asked how enforcement would work if neighbors complained that an RV on private property was being used as a residence. Alan Nichols, planning staff, said the zoning department investigates complaints and looks for obvious signs someone is using an RV as a residence, such as water or electrical hookups, furniture, porches or awnings. "Somebody makes a complaint that someone is residing in an RV, I will investigate," Nichols said. He said when the use is not visible from the road the department would send a letter and contact the property owner to determine the situation.
The planning commission voted to recommend the amendment to the board of supervisors; the board then approved the amendment. No public opposition was recorded during the hearings.
What the change does: By adding a definition for personal campground and specifying it as a by-right use in the cited districts, the county clarifies that short-term recreational camping on private property is permitted where the definition applies, while retaining regulatory authority to investigate and limit continuous residential use of RVs and tents.
Enforcement note: Staff said the department tries to avoid harassing residents who garage equipment, and will base follow-up on observable indicators or responses to written inquiries when sight lines do not make the use clear.
