A new California law, the Low-Impact Camping Areas Act, or AB 518, aims to meet some of the surging demand for camping by streamlining the approval process for the small private campgrounds that dot rural lands. The law’s supporters contend that more of these campgrounds will expose more people of all backgrounds to nature, ease pressure on public lands, and provide an economic lifeline to struggling farmers, ranchers, and other rural landowners, according to Bay Nature.
“It’s at this intersection of outdoor access, conservation, and economic development,” says Cassandra Prenn-Vasilakis, senior manager for government and community relations at Hipcamp, the San Francisco-based campsite booking platform that sponsored the bill.
“We’ve been really worried about camping access in California,” says Lexie Gritlefeld, director of California Outdoor Recreation Partnership. “[This law] expands access to nature. That’s honestly why we supported it more than anything.”
Now, while local rules, such as county ordinances, still apply, a state permit will no longer be needed for private campgrounds that:
- Reside on rural parcels of at least two acres, with no more than one campsite per acre. (This does not limit sites from being near each other, but rather establishes a maximum number of sites.)
- Have no more than nine campsites, including no more than four RV sites.
- Limit stays to 14 consecutive nights, or 28 nights per year.
- Comply with local rules regarding human waste disposal, trash, noise, and fire.
- Don’t allow on-street parking.
- Ensure that a host or property manager is always available by phone.
AB 518 was backed by environmental groups like Audubon California, outdoor equity groups like Latino Outdoors and the Black Surfers Collective, outdoor retailers like REI, and various farm bureaus and local governments. It sailed through the state Legislature, passing in the Assembly unanimously and in the Senate by a 35–1 vote before Governor Gavin Newsom signed it on October 1.
Its critics raised concerns about wildfire risks. The Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors expressed its opposition in February, with the board’s chair writing that the bill would stress already overburdened local fire districts, and that some residents feared it could jeopardize their home insurance.
The Solano County Board of Supervisors, meanwhile, worried the bill “would impose unfunded administrative and enforcement responsibilities.”
The Sempervirens Fund, which advocates for the redwood forests of the Santa Cruz Mountains, wrote in a letter that AB 518 does not provide basic fire, wildlife, and habitat protections.
