County staff considers how to best regulate “permanent camping”

RVs, tents and tiny homes

By Kristy Acuff

Gunnison County assistant community and economic development director Neal Starkebaum reported that the county is considering how to update the Land Use Regulations (LUR) to regulate “camping” on private land in the county. Starkebaum reported that private land “camping” has turned from recreation to “more of a permanent home situation for some who have parked their campers and are basically making a home of them.” In the past, the county has restricted private land camping to 180 days, but is now considering other alternatives for regulating the practice because of its impacts on local waterways as a result of sanitation disposal. “There was a lot of pushback when we implemented a 180-day limit on residential camping, but we need to consider how to regulate this increasing use,” he said.

Currently, county regulations require anyone camping or living in an RV on private land for more than 14 days in any three-month period to obtain a long-term camping permit from the county.

“The problem is that people are living permanently in RVs or tiny homes and they are not tied into water and sewer,” said Cathie Pagano, director of community and economic development. “We have no way of knowing what is happening to their waste. We hope they are doing the right thing and going to dump stations, but we have no way of tracking that right now because our dump stations are free of charge and do not issue receipts. For all we know, they could be dumping waste into the river.”

“The other challenge is that you have neighbors who say ‘I built my home and my investment according to codes and regulations and now the county is allowing my neighbor to live permanently in their RV next door,’” said Starkebaum. “There needs to be equity in enforcement of our regulations.”

“We just need to create some leverage in our LUR so the county has the ability to monitor and require water and septic for all permanent residents,” said Pagano. “Our staff recognizes that people are ‘camping’ in RVs because they don’t have any other place to live, but we need to balance their needs with the health and safety issues related to water and sanitation.”

Any changes to the current regulations must first pass through the county Planning Commission. Pagano hopes to get the issue on the Planning Commission agenda in the next month or two.