Chapter 19.98
CAMPING, CAMPGROUNDS, RV PARKS, LODGES AND RETREAT CENTERS
Sections:
19.98.030 Application requirements.
19.98.040 Utilities and services for recreational development.
19.98.050 Camping on private property and camping during construction.
19.98.010 Purpose.
The purpose of this chapter is to set the standards for camping, the development of campgrounds, recreational vehicle parks, lodges, and retreat centers. It is recognized that each of the proposed uses may entail intensive development which may include permanent structures. The level of detail required will be determined by the intensity of development. [Ord. 2018-003 § 1; 2005 RLDC § 98.010.]
19.98.020 Siting standards.
Campgrounds, recreational vehicle parks, lodges, and retreat centers shall demonstrate that the development meets all of the following special siting requirements:
A. The development shall not be located within or adjacent to any area identified in the comprehensive plan for Josephine County as a natural area or potential research natural area where the development would result in damage or overuse of the natural area;
B. The development shall not be located in or adjacent to an area of known valuable mineral deposits where the development would restrict development of the mineral resource, unless the area has been withdrawn from mineral entry;
C. The development site is not suited for continued resource management, and that the proposed development is compatible with adjacent resource uses;
D. The development meets the public recreation needs and tourism needs identified by the Josephine County comprehensive plan;
E. The development abuts a maintained state or County road. The proposal may abut a federal road where the applicant has proof of a long-term access agreement for the proposed use from the appropriate federal agency;
F. Camping stays in approved campgrounds and transient camps cannot exceed 30 days in any consecutive six-month period. [Ord. 2018-003 § 1; 2005 RLDC § 98.020.]
19.98.030 Application requirements.
A. The application for a campground, recreational vehicle park, lodge, or retreat center shall meet the requirements set out in the underlying zone.
B. The application for a campground, recreational vehicle park, lodge, or retreat center shall be processed according to the requirements set out in the underlying zone.
C. The application for a campground, recreational vehicle park, lodge, or retreat center shall include an application for site plan review pursuant to Chapter 19.42 JCC.
D. Campgrounds. Camping shall be permitted in approved campgrounds without issuance of a development permit. [Ord. 2018-003 § 1; 2005 RLDC § 98.030.]
19.98.040 Utilities and services for recreational development.
A. Campgrounds involving overnight use shall be developed as “dry camps,” or shall include a water system meeting state water quality standards:
1. If groundwater is to be used as a source of supply, withdrawal for the campground shall not result in a depletion of groundwater storage, interfere with springs, or result in a cone of depression which interferes with previously existing agricultural or residential wells.
B. The proposed recreational development shall meet all state and local building, health, sanitary, and environmental health standards and shall be licensed as appropriate. [2005 RLDC § 98.040.]
19.98.050 Camping on private property and camping during construction.
A. Camping on Lot, No Permit. Camping on a lot by one camping party that includes the landowner, or by one camping party with the landowner’s permission, shall be allowed without issuance of a development permit, subject to the following:
1. Sanitation. Sanitary waste disposal shall be provided by connection to an approved on-site waste disposal system, self-contained holding tank with disposal at an approved sanitary dump station, or a portable toilet with disposal at an approved sanitary dump station.
2. Setbacks. The camping unit shall be set back at least twice the normal distance from property lines, roads, and water as required for a single-family dwelling for the zoning district in which the camping unit is placed.
3. Camping Stay Not Authorized During Construction. In the exclusive farm and farm resource zones, and the forest commercial and woodlot resource zones, camping shall not exceed a total of 30 days during any consecutive six-month period. In all other zones where camping is allowed, a camping stay shall not exceed a total of 120 days during any consecutive 12-month period.
4. Removal and Storage. After a camping stay, the camping unit(s) shall be removed from the lot or parcel, or placed in storage by either being stored indoors or having all power turned off, water lines drained, holding tank emptied, and the unit locked and parked in a side or rear yard and within 20 feet of a building on the parcel on which it is located. Absent such storage provisions, the unit shall be deemed “camping.”
B. Construction. Camping on a lot during construction of a single-family dwelling unit shall be allowed, subject to the following:
1. Construction Permit. A development permit for a single-family dwelling has been secured, and a slab, crawl space, or foundation for the single-family dwelling unit has been installed and inspected.
2. Camping Permit. A minor development permit has been secured for a “temporary dwelling during construction,” which authorizes such camping.
3. Sanitation. An approved on-site waste disposal system, designed to accommodate the single-family dwelling, has been installed on the property, prior to the placement and/or use of the camping unit, and shall serve as a means of sanitary waste disposal for the users of the camping unit.
4. Duration. The camping activity shall cease upon the issuance of a certificate of occupancy for the single-family dwelling, and the camping unit shall either be removed from the property or placed in storage per the provisions of this section. In no case shall the camping unit be utilized during construction in excess of nine months. A certificate of occupancy is also required to verify the cessation of the temporary dwelling during construction.
5. Renewal Permits. Renewal permits shall only be issued when substantial progress toward completion of the single-family dwelling unit is demonstrated during the previous nine months. Only one said renewal permit shall be issued. [Ord. 2018-003 § 1; 2005 RLDC § 98.050.]