SEO meta description: Learn how Class BC camping England rules work in 2026, including the 60-day rule, 50-pitch limit, prior approval, flood zones, exclusions and farm diversification camping.
Hello, farmer, hospitality owner or rural landowner.
Your spare field may support a temporary campsite.
Class BC provides a permitted development route in England. It allows temporary recreational camping for up to 60 days in one calendar year.
You must follow the conditions.
You must also plan the site before you open.
Planning note: This guide is for general information. Check the current legislation and speak to your local planning authority before starting. Planning and licensing rules are separate.
What is Class BC camping in England?
Class BC sits in Part 4 of Schedule 2 to the Town and Country Planning (General Permitted Development) (England) Order 2015.
It allows the temporary use of land as a recreational campsite.
You do not need a full planning application if your site meets every Class BC condition.
The main limits are simple:
- Use the land for no more than 60 days per calendar year.
- Provide no more than 50 pitches.
- Use pitches for tents and motorhomes or campervans.
- Provide moveable toilet facilities.
- Provide moveable waste disposal facilities.
- Notify the local planning authority in writing before the campsite starts each year.
- Secure prior approval if any part of the proposed site is in Flood Zone 2 or 3.
- Avoid excluded land and restricted locations.
Read the 2023 explanatory memorandum for the background to the right.
How the temporary campsite 60 days rule works
The 60-day limit applies to the land.
It does not mean 60 days for each pitch.
It does not reset when guests change.
It does not create a new allowance for each operator.
Count every day when the land is used as a campsite during the calendar year.
A calendar year runs from 1 January to 31 December.
Keep a clear operating record. List:
- Opening dates.
- Closing dates.
- Any gaps between operating periods.
- Number of pitches in use.
- Weather closures.
- Maintenance closures.
- Guest numbers.
- Waste collections.
Do not assume that unused pitches create extra days.
The right allows up to 50 pitches. A pitch normally means one camping unit, such as one tent or one motorhome.
Do not add static cabins, lodges or permanent buildings under this right. Those may need a separate planning route.
Moveable structures can support the campsite. Use them only where they are reasonably necessary for the camping use.
Toilets and waste facilities are mandatory
Class BC requires moveable toilet and waste disposal facilities.
Do not treat these as optional extras.
Show them on your site plan. Place them where guests can reach them. Keep them away from watercourses and sensitive areas. Arrange regular emptying and collection.
Your facilities plan should cover:
- Toilet location.
- Handwashing.
- Wastewater handling.
- General waste.
- Recycling.
- Chemical toilet disposal, where relevant.
- Collection access.
- Cleaning checks.
- Emergency contact details.
Use a written cleaning log.
Keep waste contractors’ records.
Give guests clear instructions.
These steps support compliance and protect the land.
Written notification to the local planning authority
You must notify the local planning authority in writing before the campsite use starts in each calendar year.
This is not the same as a full planning application.
It is a condition of the permitted development right.
Prepare the notification early. Check your council’s preferred process. Some councils ask for information several weeks before opening, even though the national condition focuses on notification before commencement.
Include:
- Site address.
- Landowner details.
- Operator details.
- Proposed opening and closing dates.
- A site location plan.
- A pitch layout.
- Toilet locations.
- Waste disposal locations.
- Access arrangements.
- Parking arrangements.
- Emergency access details.
- Contact details for the person managing the site.
Keep a copy of everything you send.
Keep proof of delivery.
Update the local planning authority if your plan changes.
Prior approval for a campsite in Flood Zone 2 or 3
Flood risk changes the process.
If any part of the proposed campsite sits in Flood Zone 2 or Flood Zone 3, you need prior approval from the local planning authority before the use begins.
Notification alone is not enough.
Prepare a prior approval campsite submission with:
- A detailed site plan.
- A site-specific flood risk assessment.
- A flood warning plan.
- An evacuation plan.
- Access and escape routes.
- Details of guest communication.
- Details of emergency access.
- Any information requested by the council.
The local planning authority must consult the Environment Agency.
The determination window is 56 days.
Plan backwards from your intended opening date. Do not leave the submission until the start of the season.
The 56-day process is separate from the 60-day campsite limit.
One does not extend the other.
Check the Environment Agency flood risk information before you choose your pitch area.
Use the lowest-risk part of the holding where possible.
Keep tents and vehicles away from flood flow routes.
Make evacuation instructions simple.
Land excluded from Class BC
Class BC does not apply to every site.
Check your land before you prepare a campsite layout.
The right excludes or restricts sites connected with:
- Scheduled monuments.
- Sites of Special Scientific Interest.
- Safety hazard areas.
- Military explosives areas.
- Land within the curtilage of a listed building.
Other designations may also affect your proposal.
Check conservation areas, protected landscapes, nature sites, heritage assets, public rights of way, highways access and watercourses.
Ask your local planning authority if you are unsure.
Do not rely on a simple field boundary check.
The 28-day rule and camping
The 28-day rule still causes confusion.
Class B permitted development rights allow some temporary uses of land for up to 28 days in a calendar year.
However, ordinary camping is not generally covered by Class B.
Camping may fall within Class B when it connects with a festival. That is different from running a normal temporary campsite.
For ordinary recreational camping in England, Class BC is the specific route to examine.
Use the 60-day rule.
Do not assume that the old 28-day rule gives you an extra allowance.
Do not add 28 days to 60 days.
Do not switch between rules without checking the legal basis.
The Planning Geek guide to Class B explains the distinction in more detail.
Class BC and campsite licensing are separate
Planning permission and campsite licensing are different systems.
Class BC may allow the planning use.
You may still need a campsite licence.
Licensing rules can depend on the length and pattern of operation. Councils commonly refer to thresholds linked to more than 42 consecutive days or more than 60 days in a calendar year.
Check with your local council’s licensing team.
Also check:
- Public liability insurance.
- Fire safety.
- Drinking water.
- Electrical safety.
- Food registration, if you serve food.
- Child safeguarding, if relevant.
- Public rights of way.
- Septic tank and wastewater rules.
- Environmental health requirements.
- Caravan and motorhome requirements.
Do not treat Class BC as a complete operating licence.
Farm diversification camping: plan the business
Camping can support farm diversification.
Start with the land.
Then build the business around the land.
Choose a site with:
- Safe vehicle access.
- Firm ground.
- Clear boundaries.
- Space for turning.
- A practical waste collection route.
- Safe walking routes.
- Distance from livestock operations.
- Space for emergency access.
- Low flood risk.
- Limited impact on neighbours.
Set your operating dates before you accept bookings.
Use the 60 days where demand is strongest.
Record every operating day.
Price the site around your real costs. Include:
- Toilets.
- Waste collection.
- Insurance.
- Cleaning.
- Staffing.
- Ground repairs.
- Signage.
- Booking fees.
- Planning support.
- Licensing costs.
- Emergency cover.
Start with fewer pitches.
Test the system.
Then review guest feedback, waste volumes, access problems and ground conditions.
Do not use all 50 pitches just because the law allows them.
What landowners should do now
Follow this checklist:
- Confirm that the site is in England.
- Check the Class BC exclusions.
- Check flood zone status.
- Choose the operating dates.
- Count the total campsite days.
- Limit the site to 50 pitches.
- Decide which pitches are for tents and campervans.
- Design toilet and waste facilities.
- Prepare the site plan.
- Contact the local planning authority.
- Submit prior approval if Flood Zone 2 or 3 applies.
- Notify the local planning authority before opening.
- Check campsite licensing.
- Arrange insurance and safety systems.
- Keep a compliance file.
Get support with your campsite plan
Class BC camping England rules give landowners a clear route.
They also create clear duties.
Open Sky Adventure helps farmers, rural landowners, pubs and hospitality businesses review their options, prepare a practical site plan and understand the difference between the 28-day rule, Class BC permitted development rights and separate licensing routes.
A licence agreement is separate from planning law. It does not remove your statutory duties. Check your site before you open.
Review your land with Open Sky Adventure.
Contact the onboarding team or call 01766 805099.
Join the Open Sky Adventure group and sign up on the website.
We will happily help you, signup live now if you have an interest in joining our license agreement.
Frequently asked questions
Can I use Class BC for 60 days every year?
Yes, if the land and operation meet every condition. Count the total campsite use across the calendar year.
Can I provide 50 tents and 50 campervans?
No. The limit is 50 pitches in total, not 50 of each type.
Do I need to notify the council?
Yes. Notify the local planning authority in writing before the campsite starts in each calendar year.
Does Class BC cover caravans?
Class BC is aimed at tents and motorhomes or campervans. Check separate rules before accepting caravans.
Do I need prior approval in Flood Zone 2?
Yes, if any part of the proposed campsite is in Flood Zone 2 or Flood Zone 3. Submit the required flood risk information and follow the 56-day process.
Does the 28-day rule add to the 60 days?
No. Do not combine the two allowances. Class BC is the specific permitted development right for temporary recreational campsites in England.