Do You Need a Caravan Site Licence? A Guide for UK Landowners
· Updated
Yes, in almost every case you need a caravan site licence. If you let anyone station a caravan or motorhome on your land to live in or holiday in, the Caravan Sites and Control of Development Act 1960 requires you to hold a site licence issued by your local authority. Planning permission for the use comes first, because the council cannot grant a licence until the land already has permission to be used as a caravan site.
There are real exemptions, and they matter. The 28-day rule, the five-caravan Certificated Locations run by the caravan clubs, and England's newer 60-day permitted development right for pop-up campsites all let some landowners operate without a full licence. This guide sets out when you need one, when you do not, and how to stay on the right side of the law.
This is part of our guide to whether wild camping is legal in the UK, from Camping Sites in Britain, where you can list and compare campsites, caravan parks and glamping across the country.
What a caravan site licence is
A caravan site licence is your council's permission to station caravans on land for people to live in, whether permanently, seasonally or just for holidays. It sits under the Caravan Sites and Control of Development Act 1960 and is issued by the district, borough or unitary council for your area.
The licence exists to protect the people who use the site. It lets the council set and enforce conditions on layout, spacing, fire safety, drainage, water and waste, and it usually runs with the land rather than expiring on a fixed date. "Caravan" in the Act is broad: it covers static holiday homes, residential park homes and touring caravans, and motorhomes count too.
Planning permission comes first
You cannot get a caravan site licence without planning permission for the caravan site use. The council can only issue a licence to someone entitled to the benefit of planning permission for the land, so the sequence is always planning first, licence second.
Apply for planning permission through your local planning authority. Turning a field into a caravan site is a change of use, and using land as a site without permission risks planning enforcement on top of the licensing offence. Once permission is in place and you make a valid application, the council must normally issue the site licence within two months.
The exemptions: when you do not need a licence
Some uses are exempt from licensing under Schedule 1 to the 1960 Act. If your use falls squarely inside one of these, you do not need a site licence, although planning rules and other regulations can still apply.
| Exemption | What it allows |
|---|---|
| Within the curtilage of a house | A caravan used in connection with the dwelling, such as a family member's van parked in the garden |
| Holdings of 5 acres or more | Up to three caravans at a time for no more than 28 days a year (the 28-day rule) |
| Certificated Locations and Sites | Up to five caravans on land approved by an exempted organisation such as the caravan clubs |
| Sites run by exempted organisations | Camping meets and rallies organised by bodies like the Caravan and Motorhome Club |
| Agricultural and forestry workers | Accommodation for people employed on the land they work |
| Building and engineering sites | Caravans for workers while the works are carried out |
The 28-day rule and England's 60-day campsite right
The 28-day rule is the exemption most small landowners lean on, but England now has a more generous option for temporary campsites. Both are about planning permission rather than the site licence itself, and both let you run a site for only part of the year.
The 28-day rule
Under permitted development rights you can use land for many temporary purposes for up to 28 days in a calendar year without applying for planning permission. Landowners have long used this for seasonal pitches, and the 1960 Act adds a matching exemption for up to three caravans on a holding of 5 acres or more for the same 28 days. It still applies across Great Britain, but for camping in England it has largely been overtaken by the newer right below.
Class BC: England's 60-day pop-up campsite right
Since 26 July 2023, Class BC of the permitted development rules lets landowners in England run a temporary campsite for up to 60 days in any calendar year without a planning application. It covers up to 50 pitches for tents, campervans and motorhomes, though not static caravans, and you must give the local planning authority prior notice with a site plan showing your toilet and waste facilities and the dates you will operate.
There are limits. The right does not apply on a site of special scientific interest, a scheduled monument, listed building land or a safety hazard area, and a site in flood zone 2 or 3 needs prior approval before you start. Full detail on temporary campsite planning is on gov.uk. Tents are also treated separately from caravans for licensing, which we cover in our guide to what a camping licence is.
Certificated Locations and Certificated Sites
The caravan clubs run the best known licence exemption. Two bodies, the Caravan and Motorhome Club and the Camping and Caravanning Club, hold exemption certificates under the 1960 Act, which lets them approve small sites on private land without the landowner needing a council site licence, and in most cases without a separate planning application.
A Certificated Location (Caravan and Motorhome Club) or Certificated Site (Camping and Caravanning Club) can take a maximum of five caravans or motorhomes at any one time, and many can also take up to 10 tents. You apply to the club, the site is inspected and certificated, and your visitors must be club members. It is the standard route for a farmer or smallholder wanting a steady income from a handful of touring pitches without the cost of a full licence. The rules for exemption certificates are set out on gov.uk.
Conditions the council can attach
Once granted, a site licence comes with conditions, and you must comply with every one of them. They are there for safety and amenity, and the council can vary them over time.
- The number, size and position of caravans, and the spacing between them
- Fire safety, including equipment, access for engines and firebreaks
- Drainage, sanitation, water supply and waste disposal
- Roads, hardstanding and access for vehicles
- Screening, planting and the general condition of the land
Breaching a licence condition is a separate criminal offence, so read the conditions carefully before you sign. Because you are hosting the public, you should also carry proper cover, which we explain in whether camping insurance is needed.
How to apply for a caravan site licence
Apply to your local council once you hold planning permission for the site use. The council checks that permission is in place, may inspect the land, then issues the licence with its conditions.
- Secure planning permission for use of the land as a caravan site
- Find your council through gov.uk and request its site licence application form
- Submit the form with a site plan and pay the council's fee, which each authority sets locally and often scales with the number of pitches
- Work through any conditions the council attaches before you open
Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland
The 1960 Act applies across England, Scotland and Wales, so a council site licence is required in all three, but the temporary planning rules differ. The 60-day Class BC right is England only. Wales and Scotland still run on the older 28-day rule, and Wales has consulted on going further. Northern Ireland sits outside the 1960 Act and licenses caravan sites under its own separate legislation, so check with the local district council there.
What happens if you skip the licence
Running a caravan site without a licence, when one is required, is a criminal offence. Under section 1 of the 1960 Act the occupier who causes or permits the land to be used as a caravan site without a licence can be prosecuted. In England the fine is up to level 5 on the standard scale, which has meant an unlimited amount since 2015. In Wales and Scotland it is up to level 4, currently £2,500. Breaching a condition on an existing licence is a further offence, and the council can take planning enforcement action as well.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need both planning permission and a licence?
Yes, and in that order. The council can only grant a site licence to someone entitled to the benefit of planning permission for the caravan site use, so you secure planning permission first and then apply for the licence.
How many caravans can I have without a licence?
Up to five caravans or motorhomes on a Certificated Location or Certificated Site approved by an exempted organisation such as the caravan clubs. Separately, up to three caravans are allowed for 28 days a year on a holding of 5 acres or more.
Does a campsite for tents need a caravan site licence?
No. A caravan site licence covers caravans and motorhomes, not tents. Tent campsites fall under separate camping rules, and in England you can run a temporary one for up to 60 days a year under the Class BC permitted development right.
Is the 28-day rule still valid?
Yes. You can still use land for up to 28 days a year under permitted development. For camping in England, though, the Class BC right introduced on 26 July 2023 usually offers a better deal at up to 60 days and 50 pitches.
How much does a caravan site licence cost?
Fees are set by each council rather than nationally, so they vary. Many authorities scale the charge with the number of pitches, and some review the fee annually. Ask your council for its current fee before you apply.
The short version
If people will station caravans or motorhomes on your land to live in or holiday in, you need planning permission and then a caravan site licence from the council, and running without one is a criminal offence. The main ways round a full licence are the 28-day rule, a five-caravan Certificated Location through the caravan clubs, or England's 60-day Class BC right for tents and campervans.
Get the planning and the licence sorted first, then list your pitches and compare the competition on Camping Sites in Britain. For the wider picture on access and the law, head back to our guide to whether wild camping is legal in the UK.
