Can I Buy Land and Turn It Into a Campsite?

Land for Camping: A Lucrative Business Opportunity

More and more campers are paying individual property owners to set up camp on their vacant land. While some land owners invest a significant amount of money into their campsites to offer amenities like running water and electricity, many campers are happy to rough it.

Investing in Vacant Land

Buying a vacant lot may not be the same as buying a house, but similar rules apply. If you buy a house, it’s probably so you can live in it; but with land, you could choose to build your own house, use the property as a long-term investment or even to start a business.

Opportunities and Considerations

How committed will you be to this campsite? If you plan on flipping the property in a few years, you may not want to make too many changes. In this case, you may want to leave it as a barebones site where your campers can set up a shelter tent for a few days.

Laws and Guidelines

  • The ’28 Day Rule’ allows a landowner to use land for tented camping only without having to get formal planning permission for 28 days in a calendar year.
  • Certain activities including camping can be carried out without full planning as long as they are for no more than 28 days a year.
  • The law states you may not live in a tent. Be careful about where and how long you camp. Get permits to camp outside designated sites.

Exploring Camping Opportunities Worldwide

  • In Thailand, visitors can camp all year, but November through March is best.
  • National parks offer camping to put you in tune with nature. Check with rangers first. You can carry gear for backcountry camping.
  • In National Forests and Grasslands in the USA, you can camp within borders. This gives millions of public land acres across West Coast and Rocky Mountains.
  • In NSW, camping areas are on National Parks and Wildlife Service land, but not directly on the beach.
  • In WA, camping is only in designated campgrounds.

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