For the typical home owner, most if not all of these steps were taken care of for you buy the developer who constructed the home you live in. If there were more turn key RV properties on the market, then it could be the case that, likewise, few people would have deal with permitting for their RV home.
However, since full time RV living is still the fringe, despite its obvious benefits cost reduction and overall freedom, RVers will inevitably have to take a little more of the responsibility on themselves. Permit requirements vary from locality to locality, and are generally handled at the county level, although city ordinances and local HOA covenants may affect your ability live full time in your RV.
The first place to start is to contact your county building office, and check county building codes and zoning requirements. Find your county contact information and website easily using the linked map. In my local county, there are no special requirements when two or fewer RVs are parked on private property. However, some permanent structures such as decks or out building may require a permit if I decide to add them. Additionally, you may need to build a septic, well, and approved driveway to reside permanently in your RV.
In many counties, such as my own, you will find special laws and permits regarding manufactured or mobile homes. Because RVs are also mobile, it can be confusing as to whether these laws apply to your RV.
In most cases, manufactured home permitting and installation requirements do not apply to RVs. National code 24 CFR defines manufactured homes as:. This definition does not cover most RVs, and since most states base their definition on the national regulations, your state probably does not classify your RV as a mobile home.
Mobile home is a common catch all phrase in the US, and can apply to many different types of structures. Check your county definition. In my county, structures are only considered mobile homes if they were built before and they conform to the modern standard for manufactured homes. So, again, in most cases RVs would not be considered a mobile home. While you may not need a full building permit to live in your RV full time, in many cases you will need to install a permitted well and or septic.
Many states and counties have requirements specified by the health department, or similar, at the county level as to whether you need sanitary facilities on your land. County requirements vary quite a bit, but in pretty much every jurisdiction where public sewers are not available, a septic system is recommended as the alternative. Septic require running water, ground permeability tests, state inspection, and periodic maintenance. Wells also need power for the pump, in which case grid power access or an off grid power system is also called for.
Using these tips, our grey water has never been full when we dump it. As we love water for showering, staying hydrated, making coffee, cooking and doing dishes, we seem to go through this quickly. If you have a well you can hook into then great, but if not, here are our tips for conserving water.
During our first few weeks after moving to our land we at out a lot, and our bellies were unhappy. We simply feel our best when we cook our own meals so even though we live in an RV, we do what it takes to nourish our bodies properly. If you love cooking and spending time in the kitchen like I do, then it may be hard to live without your favorite appliances and dish selection for a while.
Because we like to keep our RV tidy and have as little in it as possible, we said goodbye to the majority of our kitchen. Jesse and I are both neat-freaks… we like everything to have a place so that we can quickly find what we need.
The lower ceilings of the travel trailer are going to lead to amplified noise as well, so be aware of that if you have loud individuals you know, small kids or dogs along for the ride.
Since my ears are pretty sensitive to noise, this would probably have proved very challenging for me with small kids or dogs in the rig. Lots of factors to consider, I know. Some of these items may make no difference to you whatsoever, and some may be game-changers. My advice is simply to be sure to talk through all of these pros and cons, and any others you can come up with, with everyone who will be living in the RV. You need as many different perspectives and opinions as possible with such a major decision like this.
Best to see things as clearly as possible now rather than realize your oversight after the purchase. As you walk through it and move toward the full-time RV lifestyle, we wish you grand adventures, priceless memories and smooth travels!
May the road rise to meet you. Todd Bonner loves a competitive game of table tennis, a breathtaking hike and simply exploring new places. He spends most of his time sharing information about RV travel and safety, RV accessories and tips, and the National Parks he has visited and still desperately craves.
For many of us we can't afford a k RV and 50k truck to pull it with when Houses are that much or even less. It started out as a 18 foot camper that I added 2' 9" to the frame and rebuilt it from the frame up, to build a "wet room" for a bathroom and a clothes closet area in the other 4 feet.
Before deciding to do this I did a lot of research, first and foremost I didn't buy the standard Camper 2x2, I bought 2x4's and simply cut them in half, why? No actual stove needed so I actually have counterspace. I realize that it wouldn't work for a family but it works great for me and my financee. Hey Bryan! Thanks so much for your comment I am seriously impressed with your commitment to getting a project like that done on the cheap. Kudos to you! I definitely hear you about not being able to afford some of the "luxury" options out there.
We got started with an older truck and relatively cheap and small travel trailer compared to most full-time RVers at least because that is what we could swing at the time. That is how we made a dream come true. You seem to have that same commitment. I love to hear that you have created an "adventure capsule" that works for YOU, because ultimately that is the only thing that matters.
Whatever works for you! You can start by checking out our post on the pros and cons of living in a travel trailer, based on our 17 months off full-timing in a foot trailer. Or this one about small 5th wheel […]. Our Keystone Passport travel trailer served us so well on our first full-time adventure that we would be crazy not to consider this is an option for our next round.
You can read our post about the pros and cons of life in a travel trailer here. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. For most RVers, having to constantly set up and take down will deter them from bringing a lot of gear. We have met some of our closest friends because of stationary RV living. When we lived in our apartment in California, we never even met our neighbors.
But once we started RVing, we were constantly meeting new people—many of whom we still keep in touch with. You might just fall in love with it. Britta is an energetic, outside-the-box millennial who works in sports but also has a love for travel, adventure, and RVing.
Locate mobile repair, explore nearby camping, receive safety recall alerts, and read RV news and how-tos. By Britta Brown.
Facebook Twitter Pinterest Flipboard Email. Photo: Britta Brown We ended up doing stationary living for two years, in two different states, California and Michigan.
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