RV park eviction laws can be confusing because staying in an RV park does not automatically make someone a residential tenant.

Here are 13 important rules RV park owners and occupants should understand before beginning an eviction or refusing to leave.

An RV park owner may think, “This person is simply a campground guest, so I can tell them to leave.”

The person living in the RV may think, “I pay monthly rent, so the landlord has to treat me exactly like an apartment tenant.” Either assumption can be wrong.

In the United States, the legal relationship can depend on several factors, including:

• The state where the park is located
• How long the person has occupied the space
• Whether the RV is the person’s primary residence
• Whether rent is paid daily, weekly or monthly
• Whether there is a written lease
• Whether the property is legally classified as an RV park, campground or mobile-home park
• Whether the person owns the RV
• Whether the stay is considered transient or residential

Some states even have laws written specifically for recreational vehicle parks.

That means there is no nationwide rule stating that every RV park resident must receive 30, 60 or 90 days’ notice before eviction.

The correct procedure has to be determined under the law that applies to that particular occupancy.

Note: This article provides general information rather than legal advice. RV park owners and residents dealing with an actual eviction should check the current law in their state and, where necessary, obtain advice from a landlord-tenant attorney.

RV Park Eviction Laws and Rules

1. First Determine Whether the Person Is a Guest, Occupant or Tenant

This is the most important issue. A person staying in an RV park for three nights may legally be treated more like a hotel or campground guest.

Someone who has lived in the same RV space for a year and uses it as their primary residence may have much stronger tenant protections. States draw this line differently.

California, for example, has a Recreational Vehicle Park Occupancy Law that distinguishes between different categories of occupants based partly on how long they have been in the park.

Under that system, an RV owner or operator who has occupied a lot for 30 days or less is generally classified as an occupant.

Someone occupying the lot for more than 30 consecutive days is generally considered a tenant, while longer-term occupants can acquire additional protections as residents.

Florida uses a different system. Someone registered at an RV park for six months or less is generally treated as a transient guest under Florida’s RV park statute.

When the operator knowingly permits continuous occupancy beyond six months, there is a rebuttable presumption that the occupancy has become non-transient and residential landlord-tenant eviction procedures may apply.

So before asking, “How much notice do I have to give?” first ask:

“What is this person’s legal occupancy status?”

2. Notice Periods Are Not the Same in Every State

You should not assume that every RV park eviction requires 30 days’ notice.

Notice can range from a matter of days to several months depending on the state, reason for termination and type of occupancy. California provides a good example.

A qualifying short-term defaulting occupant may be subject to a 72-hour statutory notice process.

But a qualifying long-term resident can have substantially greater protection.

California law generally requires at least 60 days’ notice when management terminates the occupancy of a defaulting resident under the state’s RV park law, together with a legally permitted reason.

Arizona presents another variation. Its Recreational Vehicle Long-Term Rental Space Act generally applies when the same tenant rents an RV space for more than 180 consecutive days.

The applicable notice rules then depend on why the landlord wants to end the arrangement.

This is why simply searching for “RV eviction notice” and downloading a generic form can be dangerous.

3. Nonpayment of Rent Usually Has Its Own Procedure

Nonpayment is one of the most common reasons an RV park owner wants someone removed.

But even when the money is clearly overdue, the owner should follow the specific procedure required by state law. The law may require:

• A written demand for payment
• A specific number of days to pay
• Particular wording in the notice
• A specific method of service
• An opportunity to cure the default
• A court filing if payment is not made

For example, Arizona’s long-term RV space law generally allows a landlord to terminate for nonpayment when rent remains unpaid after a five-day written notice meeting the statute’s requirements.

California has different procedures depending on whether the person is classified as an occupant, tenant or resident.

The important point is that being owed rent does not give a park owner permission to invent an eviction procedure.

4. Some Lease and Park-Rule Violations Can Be Cured

Not every violation should automatically result in eviction. In some circumstances, state law requires the resident to receive an opportunity to correct the problem.

Suppose a tenant violates a properly adopted park rule regarding outside storage.

The owner may have to notify the tenant of the violation and give the tenant time to correct it before terminating occupancy.

California’s RV park law, for example, generally gives a qualifying resident seven days after written notification to correct certain park-rule violations before the violation can support termination on that ground. Other violations may be treated differently.

Serious criminal conduct, substantial threats to health and safety or repeated violations may not receive the same cure rights as a minor correctable rule violation.

5. “Just Cause” Protection Does Not Apply Uniformly to Every RV Stay

The original question is often:

Does the RV park owner need a reason to make me leave?

The answer depends on the applicable law. Certain long-term RV residents can be protected by statutes restricting the reasons management can terminate their occupancy.

California, for example, identifies specific grounds upon which a qualifying RV park resident’s right of occupancy may be terminated, including nonpayment, particular rule violations, certain unlawful conduct, condemnation and change of park use.

Arizona provides another example. Its rules for long-term RV tenants distinguish between ordinary RVs and certain park trailers when dealing with nonrenewal and good-cause requirements.

But those protections should not be automatically applied to someone spending a weekend at a campground. Short-term transient guests can be governed by entirely different statutes.

6. A Court Eviction Is Not Required in Every RV Park Situation

This is one of the biggest corrections to make when discussing RV park eviction law.

For ordinary residential tenancies, removing a tenant normally involves a statutory eviction process and ultimately a court order before law enforcement physically removes the tenant.

But some states have special laws for transient RV park guests. Florida is a particularly clear example.

Under its RV park law, an operator can require a qualifying transient guest to leave for grounds such as:

• Failure to pay agreed rent
• Violation of posted park rules
• Damage to the park
• Certain controlled-substance activity
• Conduct disturbing other guests

The statute provides a special written ejection procedure for such transient guests.

A guest who refuses to leave after the statutory notice can potentially become subject to removal with law-enforcement involvement.

That is very different from evicting a long-term residential tenant.

So the statement that an RV park owner must always obtain an ordinary residential eviction judgment before removing anyone is not accurate nationwide.

7. Self-Help Eviction Rules Depend on the Type of Occupancy

Changing locks or shutting off utilities to force an ordinary residential tenant from a property can violate landlord-tenant law in many jurisdictions.

But once again, RV parks create an important distinction. A state may specifically authorize particular actions against a transient campground guest that would be unlawful against a residential tenant.

Florida law, for example, contains specific provisions allowing an RV park operator in certain circumstances to disconnect utilities when a transient guest has accumulated an outstanding account exceeding the equivalent of three nights’ rent.

That does not mean every RV park owner anywhere in America can disconnect electricity whenever rent is late.

It means the owner must identify the law governing the particular occupancy before taking action.

Improper utility shutoffs, towing, lockouts or removal of possessions can expose an owner to substantial liability when residential tenant protections apply.

8. Moving the Person and Moving the RV Can Be Two Different Legal Issues

An RV creates a complication that does not normally exist with an apartment.

The occupant may leave while a valuable motor vehicle or trailer remains on the rented space. States may therefore regulate:

• Removal of the occupant
• Towing the RV
• Storage of the RV
• Liens for unpaid space rent
• Notice to vehicle owners
• Notice to lienholders
• Abandoned-property procedures

For example, California’s short-term RV occupancy procedures include specific rules governing removal of a defaulting occupant’s recreational vehicle following the statutory notice process.

Arizona’s long-term RV law also contains separate provisions dealing with abandoned recreational vehicles and lienholders.

A park owner should therefore not assume that winning possession of the space automatically gives them unrestricted ownership or disposal rights over the RV.

9. Written Agreements and Park Rules Matter

A carefully drafted occupancy agreement can prevent many RV park disputes. It should clearly address issues such as:

• Daily, weekly or monthly occupancy
• Whether the stay is intended to be temporary
• Rent and utility charges
• Payment dates
• Guest rules
• Vehicle standards
• Pets
• Parking
• Quiet hours
• Subletting
• Conduct
• Site maintenance
• Reasons occupancy may be terminated

Some states specifically require written agreements in particular circumstances.

Oregon, for example, generally requires a written rental agreement for a month-to-month, week-to-week or fixed-term tenancy involving an RV in a qualifying RV or manufactured-home park.

Oregon also has a specific vacation-occupancy exclusion for certain stays of no more than 90 days when the RV is not the person’s principal residence, the person has another principal residence, the RV must leave at the end of the authorized period and the required written agreement is used.

That demonstrates why the wording and purpose of the occupancy arrangement can matter.

10. Retaliation Protections May Apply to Residential RV Tenants

Where an RV occupant is protected by residential landlord-tenant law, state retaliation laws may restrict a landlord from terminating a tenancy because the resident exercised a protected legal right.

Examples can include situations where a tenant:

• Reports qualifying health or safety violations
• Complains to an appropriate government agency
• Exercises rights specifically protected by landlord-tenant law
• Participates in a protected tenant organization

But retaliation statutes are state-specific. They should not be described as identical in every state or automatically applicable to every short-term RV guest.

An owner should document the legitimate reason for termination and maintain records supporting it.

11. Disability Discrimination and Reasonable Accommodation Rules Can Apply

Federal fair-housing protections can apply to RV park arrangements that qualify as housing.

A housing provider generally cannot discriminate against a resident because of disability and may need to make a reasonable accommodation to rules or policies when necessary for a person with a disability to have an equal opportunity to use and enjoy their dwelling.

A common example involves assistance animals. An assistance animal is not necessarily treated as an ordinary pet under federal fair-housing rules.

So an RV park that qualifies as housing should not automatically evict a resident merely because an assistance animal violates an ordinary no-pet rule without first considering its fair-housing obligations.

This is not theoretical. Federal housing authorities have pursued disability-discrimination cases involving RV parks.

The Americans with Disabilities Act may separately affect public-facing facilities and services depending on how the property operates, but the Fair Housing Act is generally the more relevant federal law when discussing disability accommodation in residential housing.

12. Military Service-Members Can Have Additional Federal Protection

The Service-members Civil Relief Act can provide important protection to qualifying active-duty service members and their dependents.

For covered residential premises within the statutory rent limit, a landlord generally cannot evict the service-member or qualifying dependent during military service without a court order.

A court can also stay certain proceedings when military service materially affects the service-member’s ability to comply with the rental obligation.

The protection is not limited to conventional apartments simply because the residence happens to be an RV.

The important question is whether the premises fall within the federal statute’s residential requirements.

Landlords pursuing default judgments should also be particularly careful about the SCRA’s military-status requirements.

13. Security Deposits, Abandoned Property and Subtenants Follow State Law

Do not assume ordinary apartment rules automatically apply to every RV space. If an occupancy qualifies as a residential tenancy, state law may regulate:

• Security-deposit limits
• Permissible deductions
• Deadlines for returning deposits
• Itemized statements
• Handling abandoned personal property

Transient campground agreements can be governed differently. The same caution applies to subtenants.

Many RV parks prohibit assignment or subletting without approval. If an unauthorized person occupies the RV, however, the park owner should still determine what process state law requires before removing that person or the vehicle.

Never assume that because the person’s name is missing from the original agreement, no notice or legal procedure is necessary.

How RV Park Eviction Rules Differ Between States

These examples demonstrate why it is dangerous to write one nationwide statement such as, “RV park tenants must receive 90 days’ notice.”

The correct answer can change dramatically simply by crossing a state line—or by staying in the same park for several additional months.

Can an RV Park Evict You Without Going to Court?

Sometimes, depending on your legal status and state law. A genuine residential tenant will generally receive substantially more procedural protection than a transient campground guest.

Some states provide special statutory procedures allowing RV park operators to eject short-term or transient guests without using the full residential eviction process.

Long-term tenants, however, may be entitled to formal notices and a court proceeding before possession can be recovered.

Do not determine your rights simply by looking at whether your receipt says “guest.”

Courts and statutes may look at the actual arrangement, including duration and whether the RV is being used as a residence.

Can an RV Park Tow Your RV for Unpaid Rent?

Potentially, but the park needs legal authority to do so. An RV is personal property as well as something being used as living accommodation.

States can impose particular notice, towing, storage, lien and law-enforcement requirements before management can remove it.

If a lender has a lien against the RV, additional rights may also be involved.

A park operator should never simply hire a tow truck and assume unpaid site rent automatically gives the park unrestricted authority to dispose of the vehicle.

What Should an RV Park Owner Do Before Evicting Someone?

Before taking action, determine:

• How long the person has occupied the space
• Whether the RV is their primary residence
• What the written agreement says
• Whether the occupancy is legally classified as transient
• Which state statute governs the park
• The specific reason for termination
• What notice is required
• Whether the tenant has a right to cure
• Whether a court proceeding is required
• How the RV itself can legally be removed

If the situation involves a long-term resident, disability accommodation, military service, allegations of retaliation or an expensive RV that may need to be removed, obtaining legal advice before acting can cost considerably less than defending a wrongful-eviction claim afterward.

Conclusion

There is no single set of RV park eviction rules that applies identically throughout the United States.

The most important question is often not why someone is being evicted but what legal status that person has in the park.

A weekend camper, seasonal visitor and long-term resident may each be governed by different procedures.

State law determines the notice required, available cure periods, whether a court action is necessary and what happens to the RV after possession of the site is terminated.

For park operators, documenting the type of occupancy from the beginning and using clear written agreements can prevent many disputes.

For residents, determining whether the stay is legally transient or residential is the first step toward understanding the protections available to you.