The Regional District of Nanaimo is exploring the use of temporary use permits to regulate RV living, citing safety as a key reason for the policy proposal.
According to RDN statistics, there were two calls for fires at RVs in Coombs-Hilliers last year and none in Nanoose, the two fire departments managed by the regional district. Errington and Bow Horn both recorded four RV-related fire calls.
The regional district did not provide complete statistics for its five improvement district departments.
Currently, bylaws limiting the length of time people can stay in RVs on private property are not being enforced.
BACKGROUND: RDN looks to create policy to regulate RV living
“At this time, we felt that a temporary use permit was a tool that we should investigate on whether to address some of what we see as some of the site conditions to ensure that this is happening in a safe way so that there is proper access, egress so emergency vehicles can get in and out,” said Lisa Grant, general manager of development and emergency services. “That water and sewer are being provided, electricity, all of those types of things are happening so that there is a higher level of safety and this comes partly from overseeing both fire as well as land use development in my portfolio – hearing about some of the callouts with fire, understanding that we have had callouts and request for support through our emergency support services under emergency management too for people when there is a fire in an RV that there is more supports needed.”
In 2024, the RDN board voted to halt enforcement of length-of-stay limits, except in cases where safety is a concern. Grant said there has not been a significant change since then.
“It was long known that there is a number of locations that have people living in RVs where we do have a higher callout that happens that it is tied to people really that are; this is really their only route for housing,” she said. “So we see a higher call volume to those sites so I don’t think that there has been a change but what we are seeing, this is more of an avenue to be able to work with property owners, people in RVs to actually have more safety parameters and where we are more involved in it where it’s been more arm’s length.”
Grant said the current policy cannot remain indefinitely and sees temporary use permits as an interim measure while the RDN develops a broader rural housing strategy.
“Temporary use permits allow us to monitor and regulate occupancy, helping us understand the number of people living in these situations,” she said.
Applications for temporary use permits in the RDN cost about $800 and can be issued for up to three years. Permits would be applied for by the property owner or on their behalf.
The RDN also provided stats on the number of calls to bylaw with complaints about people living in RVs on private property:
Year Calls % of Total Calls
2020: 48 6.1%
2021: 60 5.4%
2022: 103 6.6%
2023: 60 6.4%
2024: 88 8.9%
2025: 54 (to Jul 25, 2025) 9.2%
TOTAL: 413
RDN staff will come back to the board with options for a temporary use permit policy for RVs.
The halt of enforcement for length of stay remains in place, after the electoral area services committee did not vote to remove it.
