How to start a campsite in the UK (2026): planning, licences and costs

There are three ways to open a campsite in England or Wales. You can run a pop-up for up to 60 days a year under permitted development rights. You can open a small members-only CL or CS site certificated by one of the camping clubs. Or you can get full planning permission for a change of use and, for caravans and motorhomes, a site licence from the council. The pop-up and club routes are the quickest and cheapest ways to start, and both have firm limits. A permanent site takes longer and costs more, and it is the only route with no cap on days or pitches beyond what your permission allows. This guide covers each route, the licences, what to budget for and how to get your first bookings.

All rules and figures were checked on 25 October 2026. This guide covers England and Wales. Scotland and Northern Ireland have their own rules.

The three routes

A pop-up is a cheap way to test demand before you apply for permission. But a pop-up can’t take touring caravans, and a CL or CS can’t take non-members. To take touring caravans from anyone, you need planning permission and a site licence, unless one of the small exemptions in the 1960 Act fits.

Change of use: when you need planning permission

Using a field as a campsite is usually a “material change of use”, which counts as development under section 55 of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990. Section 57 says development needs planning permission. The pop-up and club routes work because permitted development rights grant that permission for you, within limits.

For a permanent site, you apply to your council. The application fee for a change of use of land is:

• England: £610, from 1 April 2026 (“other changes of use of a building or land”)
• Wales: £667, for applications received from 1 December 2025

Buildings and engineering works, such as a toilet block, hardstanding or a new access, add to the fee and to what the council assesses.

Planning Aid England’s advice note lists what a council is likely to look at:

• national and local plan policies on tourism and the countryside
• clear plans of pitches, facilities, access, parking, lighting and any rights of way
• protected landscapes such as National Parks and National Landscapes
• landscape and visual impact
• biodiversity
• traffic and safe access from the road
• noise, smoke and other effects on neighbours

The same note says a small scheme is more likely to succeed than a large one, and that structures taken down in autumn are probably more acceptable. If you’re not sure whether you need permission at all, you can apply for a lawful development certificate. In England, one for a proposed use costs half the full application fee.

Site licences: caravans and tents are different

Planning permission isn’t a licence to operate. Two older laws decide which licence you need.

Caravans and motorhomes. Section 1 of the Caravan Sites and Control of Development Act 1960 says land can’t be used as a caravan site without a site licence from the council, unless an exemption applies. The council can only issue one where the land has planning permission for that use. The Act’s definition of a caravan includes motorhomes, and Planning Aid England says it typically covers pods and shepherd’s huts too.

The council attaches conditions to the licence. It must have regard to the government’s model standards. For touring sites these date from 1983. A copy published by Gwynedd Council suggests, among other things:

• no more than 75 caravans or motorhomes per hectare
• at least 6 metres between units
• every pitch within 90 metres of a water tap
• one WC and one urinal for men and two WCs for women per 30 pitches, though toilets may not be justified on sites with fewer than 10 pitches
• a chemical toilet disposal point, whether or not there are WCs

They are a starting point, not fixed rules, and councils apply them to the site in front of them.

In England, the Act’s power to charge an annual licence fee applies to residential sites. Land licensed for holiday use only, or with a closed season, is excluded. Ask your council whether it charges anything for a holiday site.

Tents. Tent sites come under section 269 of the Public Health Act 1936. You need a licence from the council if land is used for camping on more than 42 consecutive days, or more than 60 days in any 12 months.

Wales: what changed in 2026, and what’s coming

• Pop-ups. A new campsite right, Class BA, started on 1 June 2026, and the old 28-day camping right ended on 1 September 2026. The pop-up guide has the detail.
• Registration. Every visitor accommodation provider must register with the Welsh Revenue Authority by 31 March 2027. It’s free.
• Visitor levy. Councils can choose to charge a levy. At the time of writing, gov.wales lists only Cardiff, from 1 April 2027. The rates are 75p per adult per night for a tent on a camping pitch (under-18s exempt), and £1.30 per person per night for caravans, motorhomes, campervans and glamping, at any age. Stays of 32 nights or more from one booking are exempt.
• Licensing. The Development of Tourism and Regulation of Visitor Accommodation (Wales) Act 2026 sets up a licensing scheme for visitor accommodation. The Welsh Government’s working assumption is that it starts from 2029, after more consultation.

Facilities, water and waste

Whatever the route, guests need drinking water, toilets and somewhere for rubbish. Check these early, because they shape your costs.

• Drinking water. If you’re on a private supply, the council regulates it. Mid Devon Council, for example, says campsites need routine risk assessment and annual sampling, done before the site opens, and it charges for the work.
• Sewage. In England, a septic tank or small treatment plant that discharges to ground must meet the general binding rules, including a limit of 2 cubic metres a day. If it can’t, you need a permit. Wales has its own rules.
• Rubbish. Use a registered waste carrier and keep waste transfer notes.
• Fire. The person in control of the site must carry out a fire risk assessment.

What it costs to start

These are the costs we could source. Everything else depends on your land, so get quotes.

Other costs to plan for, without figures because they vary so much:

• pre-application advice, if your council charges for it
• drawings and any surveys the council asks for, such as ecology, flood risk or traffic
• water supply, sampling and toilets, whether hired or built
• waste collection and chemical toilet disposal
• electric hook-ups, if you offer them
• access, signs, gates and any hardstanding
• insurance
• a website and a way to take bookings

Insurance, business rates and VAT

• Insurance. Both clubs require public liability insurance for a CL or CS. Site licence conditions can too: North Yorkshire Council’s ask for the certificate to be on display. Check whether a farm policy covers paying guests. If you employ anyone other than a family member, employers’ liability insurance is a legal requirement, with cover of at least £5 million.
• Business rates. The Valuation Office values caravan and camping sites, including touring and tent sites, using a share of their receipts. In England, a property with a rateable value of £12,000 or less pays nothing under small business rate relief if it’s your only business property. Ask your council.
• VAT. You must register if your VAT taxable turnover is more than £90,000. Talk to an accountant before you set your prices.

Getting bookings

Most new sites use a mix:

• Your own website with prices and a way to book. A direct booking paid by card costs a fraction of a booking site’s commission. Our guide to what booking sites cost has the sums.
• Booking sites such as Pitchup, Hipcamp and Campsites.co.uk, for guests who haven’t heard of you yet. They charge roughly 12% to 17% of each booking once VAT and card fees are counted.
• Club listings. A CL or CS is listed by its club, and members book with you directly.
• Google. A free Business Profile puts you on Google Search and Maps. Our guide to getting more direct bookings covers it.

When you know your costs, set your prices. Our pitch pricing guide has real examples from 2026 price lists.

Before you start

• Decide which route fits: pop-up, CL or CS, or a permanent site.
• Check the land isn’t in a flood zone or protected area, and whether an Article 4 direction applies.
• Ask the council’s planning team for pre-application advice.
• Ask the licensing team which licence you need for tents, caravans and motorhomes.
• Sort out drinking water, toilets, sewage and rubbish.
• Do a fire risk assessment.
• Get insurance quotes.
• Wales: register with the Welsh Revenue Authority, and check whether your council charges the visitor levy.
• Set your prices and decide how guests will book.

This guide isn’t legal advice. Check the current rules with your council before you start.