California Makes Low-Impact Camping Official—Here’s What It Means for Landowners and Campers Alike

A Landmark Win for Outdoor Access

Thanks to the voices of thousands of Hipcamp Hosts, campers, and partners, California Assembly Bill 518 (AB 518)—the Low-Impact Camping Areas Act—has officially become law.

This groundbreaking legislation recognizes, for the first time, a new kind of camping in California: Low-Impact Camping Areas (LICAs)—small, nature-based campsites that can operate with local approval only, without a costly state permit.

It’s a major step forward for outdoor access, rural economies, and everyone who believes private land can play a vital role in connecting people with nature.

Why This Law Matters

California’s outdoor recreation economy is worth over $80 billion and growing, but access to camping hasn’t kept pace—more than half of all campers now say they struggle to find or book sites.

Yet while demand for camping has soared, outdated rules and high costs have stifled opportunities for small landowners to open new campsites and meet that demand.

Until now, landowners who wanted to host more than one campsite needed both county approval and a state permit from the Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD). That process—designed for large RV parks decades ago—often took years and cost tens of thousands of dollars, even for small family farms or rural properties wanting to host just a few tents.

AB 518 changes that. It recognizes that small-scale, low-impact camping on rural land deserves a simpler, local approach.

This legislation:

• Expands access for campers, easing pressure on public lands and opening more opportunities to explore California’s diverse landscapes.
• Reduces barriers for landowners, removing costly and duplicative state permitting and infrastructure requirements for qualifying Hosts.
• Returns control to local governments, allowing each county to shape what works best for their communities.
• Supports rural communities, helping farmers, ranchers, and small landowners earn sustainable income, keep land in production, and invest in stewardship.

What AB 518 Does

AB 518 creates a new state category called Low-Impact Camping Areas (LICAs). These are small-scale, hosted camping experiences on private land. If your county opts in, qualifying landowners can host a limited number of campsites without obtaining a state commercial campground permit.

Each participating county can decide how to define and regulate LICAs through its own ordinance or land-use code.

What Qualifies as a Low-Impact Camping Area

To be eligible under AB 518, properties must meet these baseline requirements:

• Up to nine campsites total, including up to four for RVs
• At least two acres of land
• One campsite per acre maximum
• A Host or manager available 24/7 by phone
• Compliance with local rules for waste, trash, fire, and noise
• Guest stays limited to 14 consecutive nights (or 28 nights per year total)
• Located in a county that has ‘opted in’ to AB 518

If you meet these criteria and your county adopts the new rules, you can operate legally under this new framework.

What Happens Next

Each California county must ‘opt in’ before AB 518 takes effect locally. That means the law only applies once your county adopts its own ordinance or updates its land-use code to define and permit LICAs.

Hipcamp will share updates on which counties have opted in via the Host Help Center and upcoming webinars. You can also check directly with your county’s planning department or Board of Supervisors to learn where things stand.

How You Can Help Bring AB 518 to Your County

If your county hasn’t yet opted in, you can help make it happen:

1. Contact the Hipcamp Policy Team for support: policy@hipcamp.com
2. Reach out to your county representatives; express support for adopting AB 518 locally.
3. Share your story—tell local leaders how hosting helps support your family, community, and land.
4. Encourage your neighbors to voice support for low-impact camping, too.

Hipcamp will soon release a Host Toolkit with sample messages, fact sheets, and talking points to make local advocacy simple and effective.

Quick Facts

Taxes: AB 518 doesn’t change how local lodging or Transient Occupancy Taxes (TOT) are collected. Counties can continue collecting taxes from Hosts just as they do today.

Density guideline: The one-site-per-acre rule is a general density guideline, not a spacing requirement. Campsites don’t need to be physically an acre apart—it’s simply a way to determine the maximum number of campsites allowed based on total acreage. For example, a 2-acre property can host up to 2 campsites, a 5-acre property up to 5, and 9 acres or more up to 9 campsites in total.

If you exceed the limits: You can reduce your site count to qualify or explore your local government’s commercial campground or Special Occupancy Park permitting process. Hipcamp’s FAQ on permitting is a good reference source.

Need help? Hipcamp’s Government & Community Relations Team can provide personalized guidance. Contact policy@hipcamp.com.

A Shared Victory

This law was shaped by a simple idea proven by Hipcamp Hosts for years—that small, well-managed camping on private land benefits everyone.

It also represents something rare in today’s world: a broad coalition pulling in the same direction. AB 518 united many of California’s leading agricultural, conservation, and outdoor organizations—from the California Farm Bureau and Trust for Public Land to REI, Outdoor Afro, Latino Outdoors, and Save the Redwoods League—alongside many others. Together, these diverse groups shared a bipartisan goal: to help more people experience California’s landscapes while supporting the rural communities who care for them.

Hipcamp’s Government and Community Relations team worked tirelessly with this coalition for several years, with vital leadership from Assemblymember Chris Ward, the Office of Governor Gavin Newsom, and Secretary Wade Crowfoot, whose Outdoors for All strategy helped turn this shared vision into law.

“AB 518 shows what’s possible when rural landowners, campers, and policymakers work together,” says Alyssa Ravasio, Hipcamp’s Founder & CEO. “It’s a win for outdoor access, for family farms, and for California’s future.”

Thank you to every Host and advocate who spoke up, shared stories, and helped make this vision a reality. Together, we’re building the future of outdoor access—one campsite at a time.

📚 Learn More

• Read the full AB 518 text on LegiScan
• Explore our Host Help Center for permitting guidance
• Contact the Hipcamp Policy Team
• For state permitting questions, contact the California Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD):
  • 📞 (800) 952-8356
  • ✉️ NAOstaff@hcd.ca.gov (Northern California) | SAOstaff@hcd.ca.gov (Southern California)