Meta description: Learn the temporary campsite 60 days rule for 2026, including Class BC camping in England, permitted development rights, flood-zone approval, licensing and a practical checklist.
Hello, farmer, landowner, pub owner or hotel operator.
Your spare field may support a campsite.
Check the rules first.
Class BC is now the main permitted development route for temporary recreational campsites in England. It can support farm diversification camping, rural tourism and short seasonal use.
It does not remove every legal duty.
Use this checklist before you open.
This guide covers England. Wales has a separate planning framework. Do not apply Class BC to Welsh land.
What is the temporary campsite 60 days rule?
Class BC sits in Part 4 of Schedule 2 to the Town and Country Planning (General Permitted Development) (England) Order 2015.
It allows you to:
- Use land as a recreational campsite for up to 60 days in one calendar year
- Provide up to 50 pitches
- Install moveable structures that are reasonably needed for the campsite
The 60 days can run together.
You can also split them across the year.
Count every day the site is in use. Keep a dated operating record. Stop before you reach day 61.
The 60-day limit is not 60 bookings. It is not 60 groups. It is the number of days the land is used as a campsite.
The right started on 26 July 2023. It replaced much of the focus on the old 28-day approach for temporary recreational camping in England.
Class BC camping England: what can you provide?
Class BC supports a temporary campsite. It does not authorise permanent development.
Tents are allowed
Tents can be used as pitches.
You can plan for family camping, small group stays, guided outdoor activities or seasonal events.
Keep the use recreational. Do not create permanent residential occupation.
Motorhomes and campervans are allowed
Class BC restricts caravans.
You cannot use the right for static caravans or ordinary touring caravans.
The permitted exception is a caravan used as a motor vehicle designed or adapted for human habitation. This covers suitable motorhomes and campervans.
Check every vehicle type before you advertise pitches.
Moveable structures are allowed
You may provide moveable structures reasonably necessary for the permitted use.
Examples may include:
- Portable toilets
- Temporary showers
- Waste facilities
- Small reception or welfare structures
- Temporary safety equipment
Do not treat this as permission for permanent buildings.
If a structure is not reasonably needed for the campsite, check the planning position first.
Toilets and waste facilities are mandatory
You must provide toilet and waste disposal facilities on site.
This is a Class BC condition.
Do not open first and arrange facilities later.
Show the facilities on your site plan. Place them where visitors can reach them safely. Plan collection, cleaning and servicing before the first arrival.
Your waste plan should cover:
- General waste
- Recycling
- Food waste
- Toilet waste
- Collection dates
- Spill response
- Emergency contact details
A campsite can meet its planning conditions and still create public health problems if facilities are poorly managed.
Notify the local planning authority every year
You must notify the local planning authority in writing before the campsite opens, or before development starts in that calendar year.
Send the required information for each year of operation.
Your notice must include a site plan showing:
- The campsite area
- The pitch layout
- Toilet facilities
- Waste disposal facilities
- The dates the site will be in use
Use clear dates.
Do not write “summer season”. Write the actual operating periods.
Keep a copy of:
- Your notice
- The site plan
- Delivery records
- Waste contracts
- Pitch records
- Your 60-day calendar
- Any council response
The local planning authority must pass the notice to the relevant fire and rescue authority when the two authorities are separate.
Submit early.
This gives you time to correct errors before guests arrive.
When do you need prior approval?
Prior approval applies only when the proposed campsite is on land within Flood Zone 2 or Flood Zone 3.
It does not apply to every Class BC site.
Check the flood status of the exact land before you set dates or take bookings.
If prior approval applies, submit an application to the local planning authority before the campsite opens.
Include:
- A site plan
- The operating dates
- The pitch layout
- Toilet and waste locations
- A site-specific flood risk assessment
- Warning and evacuation arrangements
- The required fee
The assessment must address visitor safety.
Show how you will:
- Warn campers about flooding
- Monitor weather and river conditions
- Evacuate the site
- Move vehicles and equipment
- Contact emergency services
- Close the campsite when needed
The local planning authority has a 56-day determination period.
Do not start before written approval.
You may start after 56 days only if the authority has not notified you whether approval is given or refused, and the legal conditions for deemed approval are met.
Read the Class BC prior approval procedure before relying on this route.
Check the Class BC exclusions
Class BC does not apply in several sensitive locations.
Check your land before preparing a campsite plan.
The right excludes development:
- On a scheduled monument
- In a safety hazard area
- In a military explosives storage area
- On a Site of Special Scientific Interest
- On a site of a listed building
- For caravans other than qualifying motorhomes or campervans
Other planning controls may also affect your land.
Check for:
- Article 4 Directions
- Conservation area controls
- National Park policies
- Access restrictions
- Environmental designations
- Existing planning conditions
- Highway and parking issues
- Protected species and habitats
Class BC is not a substitute for checking the whole site.
Ask your local planning authority if the position is unclear.
How does the old 28-day rule fit in?
The old 28-day rule still causes confusion.
It refers to the general temporary use of land permitted development right. It is not the same as Class BC.
Class BC gives a specific route for temporary recreational campsites in England:
- Up to 60 days
- Up to 50 pitches
- Toilets and waste facilities required
- Annual written notification required
- Prior approval required in Flood Zones 2 and 3
Do not use the 28-day rule as a reason to ignore Class BC conditions.
Do not add days together across different legal routes without checking the effect.
Keep a full annual calendar for all temporary uses on the land.
Public Health Act 1936 licensing note
Planning permission and campsite licensing are separate issues.
The Public Health Act 1936, section 269 contains controls for camping and moveable dwellings.
The section refers to:
- More than 42 consecutive days
- More than 60 days in any 12-month period
A licence or exemption may be needed when those limits are exceeded.
This test is separate from the Class BC planning limit of 60 days in a calendar year.
You may also need to check the Caravan Sites and Control of Development Act 1960, local campsite licensing rules, fire safety duties, food rules and environmental health requirements.
Do not assume permitted development means no licence.
Ask your council which licensing rules apply to your site, pitch type and facilities.
Pre-season compliance checklist for farmers, pubs and hotels
Use this checklist before advertising.
Land and planning checks
- Confirm the land is in England
- Confirm the proposed use is recreational camping
- Check the 60-day calendar
- Keep the total below 60 days
- Keep the site at 50 pitches or fewer
- Check flood-zone status
- Check for a scheduled monument
- Check for an SSSI
- Check for a safety hazard or explosives storage area
- Check listed-building restrictions
- Check for an Article 4 Direction
- Check existing planning conditions
Site plan checks
- Mark the campsite boundary
- Mark every pitch
- Mark vehicle access
- Mark parking
- Mark toilets
- Mark waste facilities
- Mark emergency access
- Add the exact operating dates
- Save a dated copy
Facilities and safety checks
- Install toilets before opening
- Provide waste disposal facilities
- Arrange servicing and collection
- Prepare a fire safety plan
- Provide emergency contact details
- Prepare flood warnings where relevant
- Prepare an evacuation plan where relevant
- Brief staff and guides
- Record incidents and maintenance
Notification and licensing checks
- Notify the local planning authority in writing each year
- Send the site plan with the notification
- Apply for prior approval if in Flood Zone 2 or 3
- Include a flood risk assessment where required
- Check the 56-day determination period
- Check campsite licensing requirements
- Check Public Health Act limits
- Keep all approvals, notices and records
Turn your land into a managed camping offer
Class BC can support a careful farm diversification camping plan.
It can also help pubs and hotels use nearby land for short-stay guests.
Start with the legal route.
Then plan the visitor experience, facilities, safety system and operating calendar.
Open Sky Adventure helps landowners assess camping opportunities, organise compliance information and explore licensed camping options. Visit our land and potential service, review our legal information or contact the onboarding team.
This article is general information. Check the current law and your local authority’s requirements before opening.
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.