On Wednesday, the Deschutes County Commissioners approved a new program that allows rural residents to use recreational vehicles (RVs) as rental dwellings.
Until recently, state and county laws prohibited property owners from using RVs as permanent rental dwellings, but in July 2023, the State Legislature adopted a bill that gave counties the option to allow it locally.
After extensive outreach and deliberation, staff developed local criteria for how RVs can be used as rental dwellings.
Property owners in unincorporated Deschutes County who want to rent out an RV on their property must meet the following regulations:
- The property must be zoned as rural residential: RR-10, MUA, UAR-10, SR 2 ½, WTZ
- The property must be a minimum of two acres, except for areas in South County that require a five-acre minimum
- The property must contain a single-family dwelling that is occupied as the primary residence of the property owner
- There are no other dwelling units on the property besides the primary single-family residence, and no portion of the single-family residence is rented as a dwelling
- The RV cannot be used as a short-term rental
- The RV must have a working toilet and sink
- The property owner must provide electrical supply, water supply and sewage disposal to the RV
- The property owner must provide an RV parking pad made of gravel, concrete, or asphalt
- The property owner must maintain a 20-foot radius of non-combustive ground cover around the RV
Property owners wanting to establish an RV rental dwelling, or correct code violations for an illegally established RV dwelling, must submit an application demonstrating compliance with the newly adopted rules.
More information and a research checklist for the application process can be found at www.deschutes.org/
For additional questions, please contact Planning Division staff at planning@deschutes.org or (541) 388-6560.