Meta description: Understand the caravan site licence exemption, five-caravan limit, certificated site rules and planning checks for UK landowners in England and Wales in 2026.
Hello, farmer, hospitality owner or rural landowner.
You cannot grow caravans on the 60-day right.
The five-van exemption is the legal side door, and it can run all season.
Use it only with a current certificate, eligible members and no more than five caravans.
The Law That Lets Five Vans Camp Without a Licence
Paragraph 5: the five-caravan rule
Paragraph 5 of Schedule 1 to the Caravan Sites and Control of Development Act 1960 sets the legal basis. If an exempted organisation has issued a certificate for your land, a caravan site licence is not required while no more than five caravans are stationed there for human habitation.
The certificate approves the land for recreational use by that organisation’s members. GOV.UK guidance explains that qualifying exemption sites can operate without a site licence or planning permission for the exempted activity. This is not permission for every use or every development on your land.
The certificate, the occupier and the one-year clock
The certificate is issued to the land’s occupier. It must state its start date and can last no longer than one year. Plan to renew it before it expires.
Do not confuse this with the exempted organisation’s own certificate. In England, new applications for an organisation’s exemption certificate run from 1 January to 28 February. Natural England’s certificate for an organisation can be valid for five years. Your site certificate still has a maximum term of one year.
What happens when you break a condition
Keep the site within the certificate’s terms. A sixth caravan, or a non-member stay, can invalidate the exemption. Unlicensed use of a caravan site is an offence under section 1(1) of the 1960 Act. The maximum fine is at level 5 on the standard scale in England.
Keep a record of bookings and check who is staying. Do not treat the five-pitch limit as an average. It is a maximum at any one time.
CL or CS: Pick Your Club, Pick Your Model
The Caravan and Motorhome Club CL route
A Caravan and Motorhome Club Certificated Location (CL) is for Club members. It allows up to five caravans or motorhomes on site at a time.
The Club says a CL owner sets their prices, opening hours and services, keeps 100% of income, and gets a listing on the Club’s website, app and handbook. The published certification cost is £69, including Club membership.
A certificated location application includes an initial review, a site visit, consultation with your local authority and, where required, neighbours. Do not start work before you receive the Club’s written decision. The Club may decline an application, and there is no appeal process.
The Camping and Caravanning Club CS route with 10 tents
A Camping and Caravanning Club Certificated Site (CS) can take up to five caravans or motorhomes and, where its certification allows, up to 10 tents. This tent allowance is a key difference from the CL model.
Check the certificates carefully. GOV.UK says tents and caravans require separate exemption certificates when used at the same time. The CS camping exemption covers members’ stays of up to 28 consecutive days. A site may operate for a season or all year, subject to the Club’s conditions.
The Club lists an annual certification fee of £125 plus VAT, payable before certification. It also requires you to read and follow its “Set up and go” guide.
What each club demands from your land
Expect to provide at least half an acre of fairly level land, safe access, drinking water, a chemical waste emptying point and a dry rubbish bin. The CL route also requires public liability insurance.
Check the finer points before you apply. The CL Club may issue only one certificate per landholding. It may not proceed if you do not live on or near the site. If you already hold a local authority caravan site licence, the Club may decline unless the proposed CL is entirely separate from your other activities.
For a CS, check that your land is not adjacent to a commercial campsite. Get written permission if a shared or private access road belongs to someone else. Confirm the Club’s requirements for spacing, waste and site management.
What the Certificate Does Not Cover
Infrastructure still needs planning permission
A certificate does not approve a car park, toilet block or other extra infrastructure. Before you add buildings, hardstanding, ground formation, all-weather surfacing, a septic tank or an effluent treatment plant, check with your local planning authority.
Ask before you build. A certificate for the caravan use does not make separate development lawful.
Article 4 areas leave exempted sites alone
Do not assume all temporary camping rules apply across the UK. England’s Class BC allows qualifying recreational campsites for up to 60 days a calendar year, with up to 50 pitches, subject to its conditions and notification requirements. That is a different route from the five-caravan exemption.
Wales introduced Class BA in 2026. It allows eligible campsites for up to 60 days a year, or 28 days in National Parks, Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty and World Heritage Sites. It does not provide a general right to site touring caravans. Check the relevant rules before relying on it for tents or motorhomes.
Pembrokeshire Coast National Park confirmed that its Article 4 Direction, which removed the 28-day right from 1 January 2026, does not affect sites operating under exemption certificates. Check local restrictions for your own land.
Neighbours and the code of conduct
The organisation must consult the local authority and neighbours through its process. Certificate holders must follow the applicable code of conduct and manage complaints. GOV.UK notes that a local council can remove an organisation’s exemption if complaints build up.
Set clear arrival, waste and noise rules. Keep contact details visible to guests. Respond to neighbours promptly.
The Five-Van Season: Your Economics
A five-van CL or CS is not limited to 60 operating days a year by the temporary campsite rules. With a current certificate, you can run within the approved season or, where the Club allows, all year. CS stays remain limited to 28 consecutive days.
Set prices that suit your land and service level. On the CL route, keep all income without Club commission. The trade-off is members-only business and a maximum of five caravans at a time.
Check business rates separately. Small exempted sites may be treated as ancillary to agricultural or residential use. Permanent structures or significant hardstanding may lead the Valuation Office Agency to assess the site separately. No fixed pitch count automatically triggers a separate assessment.
Your Application Checklist
- Choose your model. Compare the CL requirements with the CS requirements. Decide whether you want caravans only or a CS that also accepts tents.
- Check the land. Confirm you have at least half an acre of suitable, fairly level ground and enough room to manage pitches safely.
- Check access. Make sure caravans can reach the site safely. Get written consent for any shared or privately owned access road.
- Plan basic facilities. Arrange safe drinking water, chemical waste disposal and a dry rubbish bin. Prepare public liability insurance for a CL.
- Confirm the certificate scope. Check that your intended users are members, the five-caravan cap is clear and, for tents, the required separate exemption is in place.
- Speak to the club and authority. Complete the club’s application process and allow time for its review, site visit and consultations. Ask your local planning authority about any proposed infrastructure.
- Wait for the decision. Do not start works until you have the club’s written decision. Keep the certificate current and renew it before expiry.
- Set up site rules. Record bookings, manage waste, respond to concerns and keep the operation within the certificate and code of conduct.
For a separate temporary campsite proposal, read our guide to Class BC in England and Class BA in Wales. Check your site’s position with the relevant club and local authority before taking bookings.
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